I have been a happy owner of a fine grand piano located in the great Pacific NW. We have a second home in Arizona. I miss having a piano and have started shopping. I hadn't even thought of getting a digital piano until I spent some time at a Yamaha dealer's showroom yesterday. I played several acoustics there without falling in love, then on the way out spotted the digitals. A digital piano would solve some problems: I wouldn't have to worry about watering a humidifier while gone during the summer, I'd never have to have the instrument tuned, and it has some fun features to play with. The dealer is suggesting the Yamaha Clavinova CLP-340 and is asking $2400 (for a gently used instrument). Is this the best digital in this price range? Is that good price? Are there other brands/models that I should consider? I don't really want to spend more and would actually prefer to spend less. Thanks for any input!

To most closely match an acoustic piano, a solution with Pianoteq and some good 8-inch studio speakers plus and a good keyboard are your best solutions or the V-piano.

However, the V-piano is 5000-6000 dollars plus 500-1000 for a good set of speakers.

Pianoteq is 350 plus the speakers.

As far as keyboards go, a yamaha p155 or cp33 are among the cheapest that will give you true GH action, and run about $1200.

The clp-340 is fine regarding response and action, but IMO the sound on the clavinovas and basically any sampled piano falls well short of an acoustic. The v-piano and pianoteq use modeling, which simulate each individual string and their interaction, sympathetic resonance, etc and if you really love acoustics but want a digital are the best ways to go.

Anna, it sounds as if a digital would be a good choice for your second home. There are a lot of decisions to be made if one goes the digital route. But it can also be lots of fun to shop.

I'd recommend that you start by reading the online Piano Buyer guide. There's a link right on this site. Then, once you have an idea of the features you want, you can head out to the music stores/piano dealers with headphones in hand to try some DP's. There are no absolutes when it comes to action and sound. Ultimately, these things boil down to personal choice.

Additional reading on this forum is a good idea. You'll get a sense of posters' personal experience, good or bad, with various DP brands and models. The "Prices Paid" thread can be helpful, with more recent posts and those in your geographic area being most relevant.

Having said all this, here are three options I'd personally consider in your situation:

1)Buy a $500 DP with the assumption that I'd probably be replacing it in a few years. I'd look at the Casio PX-130. The jury is still out on whether Casio has solved the "key clacking" problem but the PX-130 is generally considered an excellent value for the money. I'd get the stand and pedal unit (jury still out on durability) bringing price to around $650. These instrments are sold in stores like Guitar Center and also by online dealers. (I had good experience with a Kraft Music bundle on my recent DP purchase. See below.)

2)Buy a Kawai CE200 for $1700. I bought this myself because of the wooden keys, speakers and line-in, features I want for teaching purposes. It was a gamble since I couldn't find one to try. I'm very happy. Much as I love to shop for pianos, I don't expect to replace this for ten years. (I reserve the right to get a new stage piano/midi controller before then.)

3)If you want a DP that you can expect to enjoy for many year to come, read all you can about the $2000 and up DP's by Kawai, Yamaha, and Roland. Then try them at piano dealers. BTW, both Kawai and Roland have new models in the pipeline. As the post by Alpha Terminus indicates, we seem to be in the midst of a sea-change in digital pianos, with modelling technology either replacing or augmenting sampling. Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about all of that. Use you own ears. Take some music you enjoy playing to the piano dealer. If you can get lost in the music and stop thinking too much about the sound of the DP, you'll probably be perfectly happy with your purchase.

BTW, I happen to have a software (sampled) piano that I enjoy playing and I've tried the demo of Pianoteq (modelled). If you enjoy working with computers and have the patience to work through the learning curve to master ASIO drivers, USB-MIDI connectors, etc. that can be another route. But you would still have to buy some kind of DP/midi controller. I'd recommend buying a DP with which you are content. There is always the option to go the software piano route in the future.

CLP340 is a good choice, as long as you like playing it. $2400 is a fair price for a new one or maybe a slight used? maybe you could bargain down $100-200 with the dealer.

Digitals do have advantages over a acoustic piano. They can not quite emulate one yet but we have to get away from thinking of a digital as an emulation. It is a valid instrument in of itself. Just like an electric guitar is not just a louder acoustic guitar.

If you like the CLP-340 then you might like the Yamaha PP-155 for exactly 1/2 the price. They have about the same features except the 155 is in a "stage" type enclosure while the CLP series is not nearly as portable.

The GH3 keyboard mechanism in the CLP is slightly better in that it has some additional sensor so you can do the very fast repetition of a note (as on some grand pianos) without fully lifting the key. I think you can do this on either Yamaha keyboard but then I'm more of a beginner.

Yamaha seems to have two lines of digital pianos, one marketed to home users and sold through piano shops and another line marketed to performing musicians (who need to transport their gear) and this line is marketed through music shops, the kind of shops who also sell electric guitars, drums and flutes. There is some mixing.

You can get better features at lower price in the "stage piano" line but the home CLP line does have some nice things you can't get in any stage piano.

Here are some examples in the Yamaha line
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/P155B/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CP300/

With your budget I'd prefer a Kawai. The make a very nice one. I think Kawai's "real wood" keys are the best keyboard I've seen in any digital.
Kawai makes DPs with these keys in a few different styles
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CE200/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MP8mkII/
If I had a couple thousand dollars to spend I might go for one of the Kawais. But them some people like the sound of the Yamaha or Roland

Also look at the Korg Lp-350 and SP-250. They are quite a bit under you budget. The 350 and 250 are the same except of the case

Maybe the best sounding digital on the market is the Roland v-piano but it costs more than twice what you were looking to spend
http://www.roland.com/V-Piano/

This would allow you to buy a slightly less expensive DP now, knowing that you could upgrade the sound generation and speaker system as technology moves forward. So, you'd only need to shop for a DP with a keyboard feel that you were happy with. The keyboard escapement can never by upgraded but everything can be done in side the computer.

It's not a lot of hassle to setup. Just buy an Apple Macbook and it works out of the box pretty much as you'd expect. The recording and notation editing and software instruments come with the computer all preinstalled. Then latter you can replace the bits of software with better over time. But it's really pretty much plug and play.

The trouble with this is, and I know this first hand, it that you'll think "wouldn't it be fun to make recording where I play the piano part the then a string or flute accompaniment and then rather then playing on the piano you spend hours on the computer working as a recording engineer to mix to get all the parts and then you'd hear mistakes ad want to rplay segments and patch them in and so on and so on.

anna m, the Yamaha CLP-340 is a very popular digital piano among users on this forum due to its strong price:performance ratio.

However I am also inclined to agree with susanmusic: consider purchasing a budget digital piano such as the Privia PX-130 as a temporary solution, enjoy playing while learning about the strengths and weaknesses of the product. Then upgrade to a higher specification instrument at a later date.

Roland recently announced a new range of HP models. The existing range are already widely considered to be the best digital pianos currently available, thus any future enhancements will surely extend this superiority even further.

AlphaTerminus makes some excellent points regarding computer-based software pianos, however I still believe that the process of setting up a computer, installing software, and connecting cables is too complicated for most individuals who simply wish to turn on an instrument, sit down, and enjoy playing. Similarly, the V-Piano is a incredible product - truly revolutionary - yet it's geared more towards professional studio musicians and piano 'geeks' than typical consumers.

The new Roland HP range may help to bridge this gap - these models will have the potential to offer V-Piano levels of sound quality and authenticity, yet in a package that is suitable for everyday musicians.

Good luck with your ongoing search!

Kind regards,
James
x

The sound quality between the casio and 340 yamaha is extreme, especially out of the speakers.

Thanks, everyone for your information on digital pianos. I need to do my homework now and try out more models!

I bought a Yamaha CLP-340 2 months ago to replace my 2-year-old Boston GP178 (5'10" grand) because I was moving to a condo. Although I miss the grand, I find the Yamaha sound acceptable. Quite surprisingly, I find the dynamic sensitivity of the Yamaha (ppp to fff) superior to the grand. I have had to do quite a number of technical exercises at a quiet level to get better control of my fingers.

I know I could press the "Touch" button to "Hard" and reduce this dynamic range, but I would rather work with the "Normal" touch setting and improve my technique. I would recommend this piano to anyone wanting a digital.

I grew up with classical lessons
and acoustic pianos only, an upright
at home, and uprights and grands
in the teachers' studios and at
recitals--there were no digital
pianos back then. I quit in
high school and didn't play a
note for 20 yrs.

When I restarted as an adult
in the early 1980's, the first
piano I bought was a quality
acoustic upright, at around $6000
(a similar model today would be in
the ~$20,000 price range), but I
soon became disillusioned at lack
of progress--which the expensive
piano didn't help at all--and put
it into storage, where it has
remained till this day.

Then I moved into an apt. building
where an acoustic piano was not
practical. I investigated alternatives
to an acoustic, like an old silent
keyboard, but I couldn't find one.
This was in the late 1980's, and
at that time digital pianos were
already available, but I never
for a moment even considered one,
due to my classical training; I
in fact had never laid eyes on one.

Then one day I happened to wander
into a piano store, and I was
absolutely stunned by the digital
pianos they had. This was in
1989, and even way back then the
digitals played like an acoustic
piano. It was a revelation. Here
was the solution to all my
problems at the keyboard. I
was so impressed that I bought
one on the spot, a Korg C-800,
for $1700.

Since then I've owned four digitals:
the C-800; a Casio AP-24, bought
sight-unseen online in 2005 for
$700; a Korg SP-250, bought
sight-unseen online in 2006 for
$900; and my current piano, a
Williams Overture, bought sight-unseen
online in 2009 for $600.

I've been satisfied with all four
digitals, and I've played the same
difficult classical repertoire
on all of them. The Williams
is a budget piano, but it's
okay for playing anything, from
jazz improvisation to big-time
classical repertoire like the
Chopin op. 14 Concert Rondo.
I don't even think about taking
that expensive upright out of
storage because the Williams
is much better for practical,
everyday playing.

$2400 is way too much for a used
CLP 240. It's worth only half
or less of that price. A digital
piano is essentially a computer
with a keyboard and speakers,
and because of this inherently
digital nature, used ones lose value
fast, like a used pc.

I have never seen, or heard, a Williams Overture DP

Gyro, would you be so good as to post a recording of you playing this instrument?

I agree that $2400 is too much. But consider:

The current close-competing model (the CLP-330) sells somewhere in that same range. The next lower model (the CLP-320) is substantially inferior (for perhaps $1800?).

So, if the used CLP-240 is is top shape, it still has considerable value. Not $2400, IMO. Maybe not even $2000. But perhaps $1500?

Mitigating factor: People often dump pianos for a low price. A willing seller might part with a CLP-240 for even less. You might even find a new CLP-240 that a dealer needs to unload (slim chance).

So shop around.

anna m, the original poster, said CLP-340, not 240.

Hey Gyro, you keep that text in your clipboard, don't you? Hope you don't write it every time.