Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum should I buy Yamaha CLP 550???

Is CLP 550 too old a model? I just started learning piano 3 months ago. I've been practicing on friend's baby grand. I'd like to get something for myself so that I can practice more. But living in an apartment doesn't allow me to get a acoustic one.

Thank you very much for your advice.

With digital pianos, they get outdated much faster than acoustics, which can be passed on for decades. Are you getting the older model because of your budget?

I can't speak personally for the CLP 550, but I've played one of the CVP series and I just love how they have beautiful sounding voices and was thinking about buying one myself.

I would maybe be a little hesitant
about getting a piano for yourself.
Piano can be funny. Practicing
on your friend's grand may be
why piano has been so
enjoyable for you thus far. If you
start practicing at home, that can
change the dynamic drastically and
take most of the enjoyment out of it.
And you should probably not be concerned
about imposing on your friend.
He maybe enjoys the fact that you're
using his piano, which is a part of
the current dynamic. Grand pianos are
notorious for ending up as never-used
pieces of living room furniture.

I don't want to use/keep digital piano for long term. Therefore the new CLPs are too expensive.

CLP550 is 1988 technology. It will work but, you will find newer models much more satisfying in touch and tone.

As long as every key is still functioning, it may be worth the $300 to $500 you would pay for one. If you've only play the piano for 3 months, you have not gotten to the point where you would have the skills to "out grow" the CLP-550 for perhaps another year or two. It would give you some time to tie you over until you have the budget for a new CLP that cost thousands or even an acoustic piano. I am of the opinion that practicing on just about anything is better than no practice at all. If you are thinking this would last you several more years like 5 years or more, then no.

You don't need to spend thousands on a piano to get started. The CLP 550 was a respectable Clavinova that sold new through the early 1990's. Thousands of people began studying piano on a CLP 550 and played it for years without thinking they were missing out. If the one that you're looking at works OK now, you will probably never had a problem with it because they are built like tanks.

I have a CLP 250 (slightly older than the 550) that I take to funerals, parties, etc. when there is no acoustic piano. Sure, I would rather play on any number of other instruments, but it works, was cheap, and no one has ever complained about it.

All in all, you could do much worse (gigantic old upright, spinet, lesser quality new keyboards). If you can pick up a CLP 550 for a couple of hundred bucks, do it.

Karen

It all depends on the price. The CLP is not by any means new and the new digital pianos are much better. So the way to look at buying a used digital is look at the price. If it is selling for $500 then you ask your self "What other digital pianos can I get for $500?" And then compare the used CLP to the new $500 piano.

If the CLP is selling for $1,000 then compare it to new $1,000 pianos and buy the one that is best

When you do this exercise, I think you find that new $1K pianos are better but at $500 the old CLP is nicer. New Yamaha DPs are all going at 20% off right now which makes the new models slightly more attractive right now. But the old Clavinovea are good as long as you don't pay to much for them. You can get a nice new digital for $1K and a decent playable one for $500. If you can get the used CLP for $400 or less it woul be a good deal.

The problem is that sellers many times ask way to much not knowing (or wanting to believe) that Digital pianos hold their value about as well as used cell phones and computers.

I'll second what Chris writes about sellers being in denial about the value of their digital pianos. The CLP 550 sold in the $2000-2500 range new. A seller may believe that he/she is giving you a considerable discount by selling it to you at 50% off their price, or worse still, 50% off list price.

If the seller doesn't understand that digital pianos, like all electronics, drop value quickly, show the seller this thread.

Karen