Buying a digital piano

[teachermom2834]

Is there any reason not to buy a digital piano online? I buy many things online but for some reason this seems like a big purchase. I know nothing about pianos. Is there a reason to go with a showroom store or should I just order one online?

 

This is for a 10yo beginner (in a non-musical family). I am set on digital for many reasons and am looking for the minimum decent piano to get him started. I have younger dc that will likely try it at some point but I am not expecting to have any concert pianists in my home.

 

I know I want a full keyboard with weighted keys. I'm looking for the most economical model that includes that. Any suggestions on specific models? Anything else I need to think of ? (stand, bench, headphones, etc)

 

Any opinions are appreciated. I'm used to buying baseball bats and cleats, not musical instruments :)

[OnTheBrink]

We have a Yamaha Clavinova, which is digital and has the weighted keys. We got the bottom of the line model, which does have headphone jacks, and I think it even has jacks so that you can add more bells and whistles later if you want to (we never did).

 

I'm the non-trusting type, so I'd go into a store and see one instead of ordering one online blindly. Maybe if you can actually touch and see one in a store that you want, you can find it from a reputable dealer online for less $$.

[K-FL]

We have the Yamaha Clavinova also. I got it from the local music store from their rental "fleet" that they were up-dating. Love the compactness of them plus that they don't have to be tuned. Oh and headphones are a wonderful thing!

[Maddysmom26]

Is there any reason not to buy a digital piano online? I buy many things online but for some reason this seems like a big purchase. I know nothing about pianos. Is there a reason to go with a showroom store or should I just order one online?

 

This is for a 10yo beginner (in a non-musical family). I am set on digital for many reasons and am looking for the minimum decent piano to get him started. I have younger dc that will likely try it at some point but I am not expecting to have any concert pianists in my home.

 

I know I want a full keyboard with weighted keys. I'm looking for the most economical model that includes that. Any suggestions on specific models? Anything else I need to think of ? (stand, bench, headphones, etc)

 

Any opinions are appreciated. I'm used to buying baseball bats and cleats, not musical instruments :)

 

 

:bigear: Im thinking about the same for my 10 yo beginner. who wants to learn piano, but who really has room for a huge piano. ;)

 

Im thinking for holiday gift so Ill be anxious to hear what responses you get here.

[merry gardens]

Is there any reason not to buy a digital piano online? I buy many things online but for some reason this seems like a big purchase. I know nothing about pianos. Is there a reason to go with a showroom store or should I just order one online?

 

This is for a 10yo beginner (in a non-musical family). I am set on digital for many reasons and am looking for the minimum decent piano to get him started. I have younger dc that will likely try it at some point but I am not expecting to have any concert pianists in my home.

 

I know I want a full keyboard with weighted keys. I'm looking for the most economical model that includes that. Any suggestions on specific models? Anything else I need to think of ? (stand, bench, headphones, etc)

 

Any opinions are appreciated. I'm used to buying baseball bats and cleats, not musical instruments :)

You might save a lot of money if you go to a music store and see what they have. I bought a barely used digital piano at the music store for much cheaper than new.

 

I wouldn't have bought a used electronic piano on-line, (even at the same cheap price and with a guarrantee because it's such a big item if I had to return it.) At the music store, I was able to see that the used piano worked fine, but if there was a problem they would have refunded the cost. That's not always as easy to do when shopping on-line.

 

Other equiptment to consider is a foot pedal, if the piano doesn't already have that.

[Maddysmom26]

Just found this article.. thought Id share.

 

http://www.yamaha.com/clavinova/internetwarning/

[nmoira]

I know I want a full keyboard with weighted keys. I'm looking for the most economical model that includes that. Any suggestions on specific models? Anything else I need to think of ? (stand, bench, headphones, etc)

 

We love our Roland FP-7 stage piano. Feature for freature stage digitals run significantly cheaper than "furniture" digitals.

 

The Digital Piano forum at Piano World is the place to go for up-to-date advice. The members there will help you find something in your price range.

[Nestof3]

We just bought ours at Guitar Center. It was cheaper than Amazon to begin with, but they were also having a 15% off sale.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YDP140-DIGITAL-PIANO-BENCH/dp/B001AZFA40/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1281119949&sr=8-3

 

It's great! It has a headphone jack too.

[nmoira]

 

You might save a lot of money if you go to a music store and see what they have.

I would recommend against this being your first step. The whole thing is rather like a racket. Brick-and-mortar piano stores usually aren't permitted by manufacturers to carry the full range of digitals (and the models they do permit will vary from store to store locally), to discourage shopping around for price. The exception is stage pianos at more generalized music stores. I'd get recommendations and price estimates online first, then call around to find out where you can see them locally. Don't pull out the internet quote until after seeing the pianos and getting the full pitch, otherwise they won't look at you twice. ;) Edited August 7, 2010 by nmoira
typo

[Forget-Me-Not]

:lurk5:

[teachermom2834]

We just bought ours at Guitar Center. It was cheaper than Amazon to begin with, but they were also having a 15% off sale.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YDP140-DIGITAL-PIANO-BENCH/dp/B001AZFA40/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1281119949&sr=8-3

 

It's great! It has a headphone jack too.

 

Thanks! I forgot we have a Guitar Center here and it looks like they have a bunch in stock there. I was thinking of the swanky showroom store in the more upscale part of town and was feeling intimidated.

 

Thanks for all the opinions. I'm still watching for more!

[Forget-Me-Not]

Has anyone ever purchased one through Costco? Our Costco has had 'shows' come through selling these once in a while.

[Matryoshka]

We have a Yamaha P-85. Our music teacher recommended the Yamahas - I think the P-85 was their "entry level" digital piano w/ weighted keys the year we got it.

 

We got a better deal at Guitar Center than we could get online, but we happened to get it on their big "day after Thanksgiving" sale.

[Guest CarolineUK]

We have recently bought a Yamaha Clavinova CVP-409 over the internet here in the UK. The only real problem was that it came flat-packed and was INCREDIBLY heavy. There's no way I could have put it together on my own, not that it was technically difficult, just too heavy, fortunately I have a very clever husband who worked it all out. Other than that it has been brilliant, DS11 and DS9 spend hours playing with it, DH is thrilled with it, and it was hugely cheaper than buying it at our local music shop (though we had looked at the model there beforehand). DH was quite careful checking out the company we bought it from, I suppose that's possible in the US too.

[lulubelle]

We purchased the M-Audio 61es from Amazon. We wanted the absolute minimum keyboard that offered semi weighted keys. With this keyboard you pay for the keyboard and that's it. There isn't 345 different voices and synth options, just keyboard. We plug it into our mac and play it through garage band. Our 8yo ds has gone through two years of piano lessons so far and our 6yo ds will start this fall. I can't see paying 800+ for a piano that young dc will bang, hit, and otherwise mutilate. When they get older we may invest in something more but this keyboard is *more* than sufficient for absolute beginners.

[Nestof3]

I came back to say the same thing -- get the advice of your piano teacher. Our teacher is also a professor and performs quite a bit on her own. She practices three hours a day. :tongue_smilie: She gave two thumbs up to the piano we bought and the price we got.

 

We have a Yamaha P-85. Our music teacher recommended the Yamahas - I think the P-85 was their "entry level" digital piano w/ weighted keys the year we got it.

 

We got a better deal at Guitar Center than we could get online, but we happened to get it on their big "day after Thanksgiving" sale.

[Penelope]

Don't know if this has been mentioned, but check pianobuyer.com. Free ebook on line, all about buying pianos, digital included.

[AngieW in Texas]

We have the Roland Digital Piano MP300. We bought it about 10 years ago. It feels, sounds, and plays just like a real piano.

[sparrow]

May I just add that if you have the room, your least expensive option may be a real piano. We always just assumed we'd go with digital due to price, but found that if you're willing to pick it up (no easy task, I won't lie!), you can often get a piano for less than $100 and sometimes FREE! We paid $50 for our upright piano. Tuning was less than $100. So, for less than $200 we have a beautiful piano.

 

My kids have been taking lessons for about a year. Lo, and behold, they're more talented than we we expected :001_smile:. That was a pleasant surprise!