I think I have narrowed my DP's down to 2. I need to decide which one would work better for my 8 yr old son. I really like the Yamaha YDP160 and the Yamaha P155. Which one do you think is better for an 8 year old beginner? I can get both pianos on Kraft music for almost the same price, when I buy there complete home package. Is yamaha coming out with a new replacement model for either of these? Sorry for so many questions but you guys been a great help.

Both will do well. I don't think 8-year-old enters into consideration.

The YDP160 is a console with a proper stand. The P155 is a better keyboard, but it has no stand unless you buy one separately. Figure that into to the total cost.

Then choose whichever one fits your budget.

I think age may be a consideration as very young children often have weak fingers, and may have trouble playing a DP with return springs that are too strong, or any too-hard action for that matter, whether on a DP or real piano.

I loathe furniture looking DPs as the cabinetry is generally cheap and non-durable, and definitely not worth the premium price. A stage piano is much more portable and will be an easier re-sell if/when you upgrade later.

If you have to buy something right now get the P155 with a good metal 4 legged stand or Z stand and a good bench. I would avoid any package deals unless they are exactly what you would have bought anyway (I don't see any at Kraft that I like) and are really priced right.

If you can wait and spend a little more, the Yamaha CP50 (so far) is looking better than the P155, though it hasn't been spotted in the wild yet. Release date is mid-March, and I've seen pre-order prices of ~$1700. The piano sound in it may be quite a bit more realistic than most other DPs, though no one here has played with one so take that with a grain of salt. If so, your kid could ride a DP like that all the way to college.

It's not hard to find ones that are quite duarable. And a piano needs a stand anyway, so better to get one that at least looks like a piano.

Oops, I seem to have left out the all-important IMO.

for kids, YDP160 might be the better choice, since it has 3-pedal and proper height and more like a real piano, especially for kids taking lessons at teacher's piano. P155 is definitely functionally better DP and portable.

^No, i don't think the 3 pedals are that important for a kid, when they first start they won't even use the sustain pedal.

I say go for the P155, it has a great sound, a nice action, which is IMO on the lighter side and I think it's cheaper than the YDP160.

My wife was a piano performance major, though she switched to piano pedagogy part-way through undergrad. She claims she's used the sostenuto pedal only a few times in her entire life.

I don't think you'll be crippling your 8 year old musically for life if baby's first piano doesn't include one (or the soft pedal either, for that matter).

The ydp160 and p155 are both relatively new and likely not to be replaced.

The P155 is the newest and has the newest sample technology inside and should have better sound. I disliked the controls on the YDP160. You need the user manual to change even simple settings. But the P155 has a row of buttons that are labeled. You might want to read both user manuals (they are available on-line) and see which you can understand. Try simple tests like a split keyboard or recording and playback or switching to a church organ sound.

Some like the look of the simulated wood on the YDP but I think it looks "fake". The P155 has a matching stand that is about like the YDP's stand except it is charcoal grey

Which is best for the 8 year old? The key actions on the two are identical and I'm sure he will learn equally quickly on either piano. A kid this young does not need a portable instrument. So either will do. You will have to decide based on secondary factors.

[quote=dewster]I think age may be a consideration as very young children often have weak fingers, and may have trouble playing a DP with return springs that are too strong, or any too-hard action for that matter, whether on a DP or real piano.

So is the P155 and YDP160 have the same type of feel for a young child? He plays a real piano at the teachers house. Do you think the weighted keys on either of the DP's is too heavy for a child?

^No, most real pianos have a heavier action than the P155, at least from what I've played!

They do not make special grand pianos for children. Kids have to play "normal" acoustic pianos. So why look for a special "children's digital piano"

We really can't know if the action in a Yamaha GH based piano is comparable to your teacher's acoustic piano because there is a HUGE range in acoustic pianos. That is part of what learning to play piano is about, learning to deal with the large variations found between pianos, each is different.

I doubt that a 8 year old beginner is going to have a problem. He will not be playing loudly for hours a day so attentions span will be more of a limit then hand and arm strength.

Also almost all DPs have a seting where you can adjust the keys from"hard" to "soft". This does not change the physical keys but only the mapping of key velocity to loudness. But when set to "soft" it does not take much effort to make sound.

I can say that my P155 is much easier to play then the Kawai upright pianos in the school's practice rooms. Those pianos are used about 60 hours a week and tuned maybe every couple years. After 10 or 15 years the keys are, well, ... ah "broken in" or "have character". Digitals always play well because we simply replace them every few years.

My teacher's Vogel grand is the only acoustic piano I've had any real experience with -- I swear it feels a little lighter than my P-155.

A couple of replies mention that the P155 has lighter touch than an acoustic. The P155 has 3 selectable "touches" (SOFT/MED/HARD), and I have mine set to HARD. How does this firmer setting compare to a "typical" acoustic? I haven't played on an acoustic yet, so I have no opinion.

My wife uses our P120 (very similar to the P155) set to the soft velocity for her very young students, which works well. Like other are saying here, it doesn't alter the mechanical touch of the keyboard, but it allows softer playing to make the same sound.

If he's able to play a real piano he should be fine with the P155 (or similar).

I wonder why they don't make (here I go again) pianos for smaller hands? I believe most players are actually younger people and/or women - one would think most pianos and keyboards would be adapted more to them than to the larger hand of the male concert pianist. But who am I to ask such a thing, a mere peon in the consumerist ranks.