Hi,

I'm new here and also to playing piano. I pretty much just started this past semester of college after one my friends and I found a piano on campus and it immediately captured my interest. I would practice on it more often except that most of the day a class is going on in the room with the piano and by the time classes are done the school is closed (it's a commuter campus).

After researching for almost a month, I still can't decide on what DP to get. Since this would be a gift from my sister, the price range isn't too high, probably $400 max. This pretty much narrows it down to a few lower end ones but I'm ok with that. Also, I'm not sure how serious I am going to get so I don't really know what features to look for. If there are any more questions that can help with feedback please feel free to ask. I hope to become a part of the community and more knowledgeable as I grow. Thanks in advance.

in that price range, you may have to look at Casio PX130, which you might be able to get with a coupon or discount. music123.com has 20% off $500 with code "CCABIN" till 12/31 (tomorrow).

Thank you for your response.

I think that the CCABIN code doesn't work for Casio products. I remember trying it earlier this month and it didn't work. However, I was able to get a price quote from music123.com for $390. Is this a good deal?

ZZounds has some Casio PX-120 DPs for $400, or $500 with stand and pedal board. If you are absolutely limited to $400, you can get just the piano now and get a stand and damper pedal later, but if you can find the extra $100, the included stand is well worth it. I've heard that some people had problems with the pedal board breaking, but don't know how prevalent that is.

I have pretty much narrowed it down to the Yamaha NP30 for $254.99 or the Casio PX130 for $390.

I know that the NP30 doesn't have weighted keys, but for it's low price and portability it seems like such a good bargain. Also, I have access to acoustics at school, my friends house, and pretty much all my relatives have one except me lol. The only problem is I don't have unlimited access as it depends on whether they are home or not.

As for the PX130, I was really leaning towards it because it is probably the cheapest 88-key, weighted DP that is available right now in my price range. If I had this at home, then I would not have to rely on other places to practice.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

You'll deffinately want a full weighted keyboard, and a Casio PX 130 sounds awesome for that price!

If you play for any length of time you will almost certainly begin to hate the NP30, the non-hammer key action will drive you crazy.

Well shucks...now I know why I'm insane.

Actually, the NP-30 is a nice play...reminds me of a semi-weighted synth action, but is not a piano action in any sense of the word other than being graded.

I tend to the extremes in keyboard actions...weighted 88 hammer, or very light and extremely fast synth/organ style keybeds...semi-weighted seems like such a half-hearted attempt, and definitely a compromise.

What I can say in the NP-30's defence, is that it sounds pretty darn good, is extremely portable(12 lbs) and is well made and very durable, like most Yamahas.

Snazzy

Well, my wife complains, when going from our real piano or our P120 to the toy she plays at church, that it is way too easy to accidentally play notes on the toy. Unplayed keys adjacent to played keys often get slightly pressed, which is generally harmless on a piano or hammer action DP, but you can almost just breathe on the toy and it's off making noise.


If they hadn't blown the speaker placement, it might be something I'd consider if we really, really needed the portability, at the expense of playability.

Yeah, that was a dumb move putting the speakers at the ends...still, it's shorter by a few inches than my P-85...49" to 52 3/16".

I found I had to play it a bit before I stopped hitting too hard...strange, but the light action on my PSR-S910 and on my Hammond don't make me do that...psychological? Who knows.

For the money it is pretty much a bargain...but, one would seriously have to weigh the pros and cons of practising on the light keybed, and then playing lessons (or performing) on a real piano or a properly weighted digital.

Strangely enough, when I gigged professionally some years ago, I had no problem switching between the different actions of a Solina, a CP-80 electric grand and a B-3 during a performance...maybe it's the look of the NP-30's keys helping one think they might be weighted.

Snazzy