Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

eppur_se_muova

(36,261 posts)
Sun Mar 23, 2014, 07:52 PM Mar 2014

What's the cheapest electronic/digital piano with touch-sensitive keys ?

I'd really like to have an acoustic piano but don't have the room. I don't want or need all the electronic "extras" found in electric pianos but if one KB can double as harpsichord or organ that would have its appeal. I see some Casio and Yamaha KBs aroung $200 that might be OK and then a big gap in price to reach the next performance level. Can anyone point me to *recent* reviews or recs ? I'm wanting to learn easy classical and/or jazz.

18 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
What's the cheapest electronic/digital piano with touch-sensitive keys ? (Original Post) eppur_se_muova Mar 2014 OP
I'm actually kind of curious about this myself. I am just recently starting to get back into music.. arcane1 Mar 2014 #1
You are wise to ask for assistance.... fpublic Mar 2014 #2
And that's the sort of *meta*-advice I was hoping for, thanks. nt eppur_se_muova Mar 2014 #3
Get a proper electronic piano. You'll regret buying junk later. TrogL Mar 2014 #4
That was a 250 ? It sounds like a great instrument ... eppur_se_muova Mar 2014 #5
Do You Want Weighted Keys? ProfessorGAC Mar 2014 #6
Late to the party but... seg_the_way Jun 2016 #7
I've had a Casio PX-130 for years. KatyMan Jun 2016 #8
Quality doesn't come cheap - usually TommyP Jan 2017 #9
Thanks, bookmarking. eppur_se_muova Jan 2017 #10
digital piano reviews justfun5656 May 2017 #11
Thanks ! Too bad their prices are messed up .... eppur_se_muova May 2017 #12
This message was self-deleted by its author justfun5656 May 2017 #13
Post removed Post removed Jan 2018 #14
Message auto-removed Name removed Feb 2019 #15
I'm really interested in your guitar reveiws. Tell me more! marble falls Feb 2019 #16
Message auto-removed Name removed Jun 2019 #17
Message auto-removed Name removed Aug 2019 #18
 

arcane1

(38,613 posts)
1. I'm actually kind of curious about this myself. I am just recently starting to get back into music..
Sun Mar 23, 2014, 08:09 PM
Mar 2014

And although I'm mostly a guitar/bass person, I thought about having at least a piano sound to play around with. But I know nothing about all the gadgets out there, and don't want some complex thing that requires a supercomputer, or something cheap that sounds like Nintendo.

fpublic

(58 posts)
2. You are wise to ask for assistance....
Sun Mar 23, 2014, 09:52 PM
Mar 2014

'cuz your intuition is to ask for piano-buying help at a political website. That intuition won't get you farther than your luck. You might receive some sympathetic anecdotal advice that helps you out but you are relying on luck.
There are numerous buying guides out there, put together by people who have thought the issue out and have good knowledge of the technology. My advice is try one of these.
One other thing, once you have browsed a couple of these guides and understand the basic decision points, ask someone who plays piano well to help you out, maybe even go to a showroom with you to help you learn to "hear" the features that the buying guides describe.

If you want anecdote: I bought a Yamaha P-150 (not a current model) but there's no way I could explain it's pros/cons that would compare to these buying guides.

In no particular order, ( I scanned them; they all look useful)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/syltguides/fullview/R1B69G1JW14G6V
http://bestdigitalpianoguides.com
http://www.sweetwater.com/insync/home-keyboard-buying-guide/
http://www.digitalpianoreviewguide.com
http://thehub.musiciansfriend.com/keyboard-buying-guides/pianos-and-keyboards-how-to-choose
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/audio/buying-guide/bh-2009-digital-piano-buyers-guide
http://www.tuition.ridgwick.com/buying-a-piano.php
http://erpiano.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/best-digital-piano-between-1000-1500-px850-ydp142-f120-mp10/
http://digitalpianoreviewssite.com/digital-piano-buyers-guide-tips-on-purchasing-a-used-digital-piano/

So good luck!

TrogL

(32,822 posts)
4. Get a proper electronic piano. You'll regret buying junk later.
Mon Mar 24, 2014, 02:00 PM
Mar 2014

My recommendation - http://www.korg.com/us/products/digitalpianos/sp_280/

Korg SP-280. I've got the previous model and it's been through hell and back and worked flawlessly. Excellent tone and touch.

eppur_se_muova

(36,261 posts)
5. That was a 250 ? It sounds like a great instrument ...
Mon Mar 24, 2014, 02:38 PM
Mar 2014

Still at the high end of my price range, though. I know it takes money to save money, but ... right now I can't afford to save very much. Might be some used 250's out there at a decent price.

ProfessorGAC

(65,010 posts)
6. Do You Want Weighted Keys?
Tue Mar 25, 2014, 08:49 AM
Mar 2014

Or will synth action do? I'd recommend looking for a used Alesis QS-8.1 on the net. It's a full range synth, but is 88 weighted action keys. Fairly heavy, so not the easiest thing to move around.

I've had one for a long time. The action is not quite what one gets with a high end Roland or Korg, but is pretty good. And, it has a lot of other tremendous sounds and layers.

No super frills like recording or sequencing. It's just an instrument, not a workstation.

There were quite affordable new, so there might be some pretty cheap ones out on the market. And, i never had any operating issues with any Alesis gear i ever had.

I've seen them on the net for as little as 450 bucks.

seg_the_way

(1 post)
7. Late to the party but...
Thu Jun 9, 2016, 12:41 PM
Jun 2016

Last edited Fri Jun 10, 2016, 11:56 AM - Edit history (1)

Interesting how my search for a new digital piano led me to this forum

Thanks fpublic for posting all those resources. I'm in between selecting a Casio and Yamaha in the $500-600 price range. The ones I'm strongly considering are the Yamaha P115B, and the Casio Privia PX160. I like the Yamaha brand better when it comes to musical instruments, as I still associate Casio with cheaper beginner keyboards. But the Casio PX160 is so well reviewed (as is its predecessor, the PX150).

Just wondering if you guys and girls looking for a new digital piano pulled the trigger, and if so, what did you get?

Edit: actually found another resource to add to the list above that's a little more up to date: http://equipboard.com/posts/the-best-digital-piano

KatyMan

(4,190 posts)
8. I've had a Casio PX-130 for years.
Mon Jun 13, 2016, 10:44 AM
Jun 2016

The built in sounds aren't spectacular, but with a USB connection and a MIDI program (like Addictive Keys or TruePiano or any number of others) you can get the piano sound you want from your PC. That might now be practical for some people, but I find it very useful and have no real reason or desire to upgrade. It has 88 weighted keys, seems pretty durable; I would assume the same goes for the PX160.

TommyP

(1 post)
9. Quality doesn't come cheap - usually
Mon Jan 23, 2017, 11:44 AM
Jan 2017

If you're looking for a very good digital piano with touch sensitive keys, you will have to spend some money, although not too much.
I think the Yamaha YDP103R Arius Series Digital Console Piano is the best you can get for a decent price. It's quite big, so nothing you can carry around on an every day basis. But it's definitely with it's money and has earned it's place among the best digital pianos that are affordable

eppur_se_muova

(36,261 posts)
10. Thanks, bookmarking.
Mon Jan 23, 2017, 11:50 AM
Jan 2017

For me, any piano that doesn't require hired movers counts as 'portable enough'.

eppur_se_muova

(36,261 posts)
12. Thanks ! Too bad their prices are messed up ....
Tue May 2, 2017, 09:17 PM
May 2017

I think they're supposed to be $, $$, and $$$, but all are $$$ for models ranging from $199 to $899.
Fortunately, the links to Amazon all work.

Response to eppur_se_muova (Original post)

Response to eppur_se_muova (Original post)

Response to eppur_se_muova (Original post)

Response to eppur_se_muova (Original post)

Response to eppur_se_muova (Original post)

Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»Musicians»What's the cheapest elect...