Piano-like keyboard?

[PinkTulip]

I would like to start playing the piano without having to find the money and space for an actual piano. Is there something out there that is more “piano-like” in terms of keys, feel, and sound, and less “synthesizer keyboard?” I don’t need mixing, harmonizing, etc - just something to play a little Bach and Mozart on (I used to play when I was in high school, but haven’t really played for 25+ years). Or should I just look for a decent used piano?

[PeterPan]

Well you might find a used piano on craigslist for $150 or less, so I guess start there. You might need to have it tuned, but it will be a piano. 

I was just at someone's house who had a lovely clavinova type keyboard that had a very nice touch. Yes they're out there. But you might find they're more than a craigslist piano. 

[Danae]

There are very good electric pianos. They have weighted keys to feel and play like acoustic pianos but are much easier to move and never need to be tuned.

[Arcadia]

I have a piano but my husband is working from home until fall so we are looking for an entry level keyboard instead. I am currently using GarageBand on my 12.9” iPad Pro with headset when I want to play a tune.

So much as I prefer a piano over a keyboard, I would go for a keyboard.

[PinkTulip]

26 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

I have a piano but my husband is working from home until fall so we are looking for an entry level keyboard instead. I am currently using GarageBand on my 12.9” iPad Pro with headset when I want to play a tune.

So much as I prefer a piano over a keyboard, I would go for a keyboard.

Let me know what you are looking for or end up getting - I need a good starting point for what might be decent. Thanks!

[PinkTulip]

30 minutes ago, Danae said:

There are very good electric pianos. They have weighted keys to feel and play like acoustic pianos but are much easier to move and never need to be tuned.

Any suggestions of brands or models to get started? Thanks!

[Danae]

Roland and Yamaha are the two I know.  

[Arcadia]

1 hour ago, PinkTulip said:

Let me know what you are looking for or end up getting - I need a good starting point for what might be decent. Thanks!

This is an old thread but it has useful suggestions of models.

I tried many models at Guitar Center. While I am biased towards Roland, I do find the cheaper Yamaha and Casio models okay. My husband is the one who plays classical music. I tend to play folk songs, pop songs and drama soundtracks. 

[Tanaqui]

You're looking for two things, both with the keys - weighted keys that are *pressure sensitive*, that is, that play louder or softer depending on how hard you press the key. (That's what piano-forte means, after all.)

[catz]

I would not buy a used piano without having it looked at by a technician.   I know more one that one family who was disappointed because their free or cheap used piano they found online wouldn’t hold a tuning and had to pay to dispose of it.  You can find decent deals in used, but it may be better to buy from a shop that will back it up or have it looked at first.  
 

I have a young adult who took classical piano for 13 years and can play pretty much anything.   He is doing vocal performance at college    He has a basic Casio 88 key weighted model that is working just fine for him at college when he cannot get to a practice room.  

[alisoncooks]

We bought a digital piano a few years ago. It's a Casio Privia PX 770 - full size, weighted keys, hammer action. 

I like it, but no one plays it so it's listed for sale currently. (Hence the recent Craigslist rant thread.) BUT...what little I've plunked away at it, it has a nice, piano-like sound. 

I used this website for a lot of comparison/research/reviews. https://www.pianodreamers.com/

[Alicia64]

For years my poor kid played on a Casio. He was on it from age seven to fifteen. Now it's in his bedroom and I hear him playing it a lot.

https://www.amazon.com/Casio-CTK4400-Keyboard-Behringer-Headphones/dp/B01MY9B25R/ref=pd_day0_267_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01MY9B25R&pd_rd_r=1N2SW8VP37HQ6PNTHGXM&pd_rd_w=833jJ&pd_rd_wg=2asbY&psc=1&refRID=1N2SW8VP37HQ6PNTHGXM.

 

A little over two years ago, we finally bought him a standard -- 88 key -- keyboard at Costco. The brand is Yamaha. He loves it.

 

And his piano teacher who he's had for six years now is fine with it. To me, it sounds like a piano.

 

Plus it has a very small footprint. I think it's this one here.

 

It has what @Tanaquiis talking about: weighted keys that are *pressure sensitive*, that is, that play louder or softer depending on how hard you press the key. Thank you @Tanaqui I know mostly nothing re: pianos.

 

I hope this helps!

Edited May 29, 2021 by Alicia64

[elegantlion]

I bought a Yamaha a few years ago. I've always had good experience with Yamaha products. I wanted weighted keys, full keyboard, and some level of portability (it's 25 lbs). https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LY8OUQW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[domestic_engineer]

We currently have a Yamaha DGX-660 and are pleased with it.  (I wanted all the extra sounds to entice the kids.)

One unforeseen consequence of owning this digital that I never anticipated is that it trains your ear to a perfectly tuned piano. We recently went to a piano showroom of acoustic pianos, and there were so many pianos there whose sounds just made me wince.   They were in tune, but I can now hear a big difference between a spinet and a full upright and a grand. In other words, my tastes in acoustic pianos have gotten more refined (i.e. expensive) due to owning a digital keyboard. 😜.   A decent, used acoustic piano will cost me thousands not hundreds from a reputable piano store unless there’s a Craigslist miracle out there.

[Dmmetler]

You want a digital piano. I have a Privia Pro and like it. Many of my students have Yamahas