Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Korg LP350 -vs- Williams Symphony Elite

I'm in the same boat. My 61-key Casio lights up too. I also want a full sized DP but it's hard to find one that has the guide lamps.

Maybe I'm an idiot but I've scoured this forum and I've asked the teachers in the teacher's forum and I seem to be the one-and-only person on the planet who thinks that lighted keys are a capital idea. What could be better for learning to finger chords and learn the notes? Once I learn the notes I turn the lights off and play. The problem is that the only full size DPs I can find with guide lights are some of the Yamaha Clavinovas which are a bit spendy for me.

Anyhow I've lurked here long enough to know that you can get a reasonably decent keyboard for $1000. I've read good reports here about the Yamaha YPG-635 but haven't laid hands on one so don't take my word. You'll probably be told that Williams isn't the best brand. And there's a guy named Gyro that tells everybody that all DPs are the same thing from the same factory, just packaged in a different box. Good luck.

Between those two, the Korg has a better action and possibly better sound. I would strongly recommend that one. Of course, if you're in a position to play both, by all means try to do this and decide for yourself.

It sounds like you really want a console-type model. There aren't many good choices under $1000. For less than $1000, you can get a stage-type Yamaha, but the very cheapest Yamahas are not that great. They have significant compromises in their action and sound samples. If you can afford a YDP-160 or CLP-320, those are strongly worth considering. A Kawai ES-6 is also nice, but would also be slightly over $1000.

Casios are not bad. Some people say that they don't hold up over time, but any others have had good luck with them. The AP-200 has just been replaced by a slightly upgraded model (I think AP-230). If you can find the older model on special it could be a good deal.

For me, the light up keys were just to help me with learning some simple songs .
Uhh, I never really used the 3-step lesson ._." it just made it harder for me ...
But yeahh- The Korg seems really nice, but my grandpa is paying for it.
He's retired, and you know- the $$$, and he encouraged me to buy a new one, but I dont wanna make him broke buying a Yamaha Nocturne N100 :\ [ my dream piano. ]
The Casio AP-200 is what my mom wants to buy cause we can get it cheap at Costco for $800.00- my grandpa is only paying for a portion of the piano, not everything. He's paying for $800.00, cause my grandpa thinks i'm getting the AP-200 and not the Korg.
My Williams piano looks good BUT i've never really heard of them- how is their customer service, and how well do their keys play?

You will be hard-pressed to find any favorable Williams feedback here. They're pretty low-end with an awkward and light key feel. I would spring for the cheapest Casio DP before I considered the most high-end Williams.

What about the Yamaha YDP-S31? I'm trying to aim for a Cabinet-styled digital piano, as a cheap sub for an acoustic. I also want it to have an either slide or falling key-cover... That's why I'm specifically looking at the Yamaha Arius series, or Korg.

PS- I can't find any Yamaha under $1000 .

Williams rarely get good comments on these forums. So honestly, I would stay away from them. The Korg LP350 was just released within this year, so that's always nice. Although it shares the EXACT same stats as its portable brother (SP250) and it's 300 bucks cheaper and was released three years ago.

I also have heard Korg has very bad costumer service and won't own up to warranties.

The only other thing I can think of under $1000 is Casio digital piano's. Great bang for the buck, but like Geoffk said, they are rumored to wear out quickly.

Good luck!

The Korg SP250 is nice, but I am looking for a cabinet type of digital piano ... but i will DEFINITELY keep that in mind ... Anything from Roland? From my observations, they are mostly stage/studio pianos. Yamaha isn't in my price range, and I don't know much about Kawai ... any other suggestions?

- Compact
- Under $1000
- Durable [ lasts long ]

So far, my best bet is the Korg SP250, but that's still a hugee MAYBE.
Gotta figure it out by the 25th :\

The cheapest cabinet-type Roland is the RP-101. This is a great piano, but will cost about $1500 or so.

The reason why light-up keys are disparaged by some teachers is that they encourage you to look at the keyboard and your fingers while you're playing. This discourages proper sight-reading and muscle memory for feeling the keys. I also think that they're a bad idea. In any case, you'll be hard-pressed to find them on any serious keyboard.

Based on what you've written either the Korg or the Casio AP-200 would be a reasonable choice. Unless you find something used, you won't do any better than these two within your budget. And both are good instruments.

LP350 has very good speaker for the price. And it looks freaking nice
RH3 keys are good, used in their high end M3-88 synth too

No wonder I'm not very good at sight reading o_o
Especially ledger lines, ahaha.
What about Yamaha? None under $1,000?

I'm not sure if that matters to me, Geoffk. I've no intention of learning to sight read. I find that I can learn music from the guide lights driven by MIDI files. The MIDIs are easy to find on the web or with a little work I can make my own. What's wrong with that?



You mentioned Costco. Costco.com is advertising the Yamaha DGX630 for $750 if that appeals. Not a high-end DP but a step up from your 61-key Casio....if you can live without those cool light-up keys.

Ahaha, well- I was looking into buying that.
Although, I hear the speakers aren't of the best quality.
My mom is leaning for the Korg, but she won't give me a Christmas present this year :P
[ to think of it, what about the past 3 years?! xP ]

But yeah- she's probably gonna pay around $300-400 more...
$800.00 from my Grandpa for the Korg LP-350
$200.00 from my mom to pay for the REST of the Korg
$200.00 for this fancy bench ;D

But that's still a maybe on the $400.00- but I don't think that the Guitar Center i'm going to sells the Korg with a bench.. I think I'm gonna have to get it separately.

Anyone know any good benches? xP
Height Adjustable, with a 2-3 inch compartment for music, and padded? Nothing over $125 :\

Use the coupon below to get a Yamaha dp for $850.

http://www.music123.com/Yamaha-Arius-YDP140-Digital-Piano-703247-i1393192.Music123

1 Spring Fever Party Instant Savings for Yamaha
Coupon Code: YAMAHAOFF
($200.00)
($200.00)

Yamaha Arius YDP140 Digital Piano (#703247)
Availability: In Stock

$1,049.99
$1,349.00
Free Shipping! $1,049.99


Enter coupon code YAMAHAOFF

Subtotal: $849.99 Shipped

I would use that code [ cause that's a REALLY good deal! (= Thanks for post! ]
But my mom has to get it through the store- she, like me, wants instant gratification.
Although- if she won't buy the Korg, i'll tell her about that
And she'd probably want to get that rather than the Williams or Casio AP-200
Any stores in California Los Angeles / Long Beach area that sells the Korg LP350?

If you print out a copy of the Music123 cart and take it to a Guitar Center store, they will likely match the price (or at least come close).

You should call the store before you go to make sure they have it in stock, but I wouldn't ask them to match the price until you are in the store. If they don't have it in stock, ask them to check on their computer if any other guitar center stores in your area have it. The YDP-140 is fairly popular, so most likely they will have it.

So what do I tell them when I walk up to the register?
Because if I print out the cart, I think Guitar Center would be confused.
Are Music123 and Guitar Center related - in any way ?

Both stores are owned by the same company and Guitar Center has a 110% price match policy. That means they might even sell it for less than $850. However, I wouldn't push it because the 110% price guarantee is usually after the sale. They will likely match the price though.

Price match policy:

http://guitarcenter.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/guitarcenter.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1280

I thought that was Musiciansfriend.com that was the Web store for Guitar Center.
Did they acquire music123?

My 2 cents on the topic: if you can get the YDP-160 for under $1000 (and that is not impossible with such economy), it is a good cabinet DP, significantly better than the YDP-140 (action, amplification and piano voices are better).

EPIC thanks (=
Much appreciated! ^.^
Uhh, where do you find the promo codes? xP
I wanna get one [ for the korg ]
Ahaha :P
But that will be a second choice- definitely.