I started a thread in the piano forum about a Schulze Pollman SP114 (acoustic) for my 10 year old son (lessons for a bit over a year). He is very interested in composing, downloading and then playing, etc. - in addition to the more serious "piano lessons" in classical, etc. on an acoustic.

We stopped at Costco last night and they had a Casio CDP 200 on display. He played a few pieces - some classical and some modern (Star Wars, Indiana Jones)and had a cluster of half a dozen shoppers around him and they gave him a round of applause after he finished. That's fine, and appreciated, but the real enjoyment came from me seeing him looking at new opportunities to do more than traditional playing. He has composed a few simple songs but the are only committed to memory - being able to compose and put notes to paper would be something he would like.

I had considered a Yamaha Clavinova, but really want him to continue learn on an acoustic piano. So...my thinking is that perhaps a good, but relatively inexpensive, digital (88 keys) such as the Casio CDP 200 or a Yamaha DGX 530 or 630 AND the Shulze Pollmann or some other more traditional acoustic upright would give the best of both worlds; allowing him to continue to develop as a traditonal pianist but to encourage him to explore composing and all of the other things you can do with a digital. Traditional upright in our family room; digital in his bedroom?

Any advice on the digitals I've mentioned? They range in price from a little below $500 to about $750.

Thanks, very much for any advice.

Best,

Vermonter

Vermonter,
Since your son is already accustomed to playing a piano, you might want to consider keeping him on weighted keys. I'm not sure what the DGX 530 has as far as weighted keys, but if it has synth keys with light action, you might want to stay away from it. The CDP 200 is below Casio's Privia models in price and quality, but does offer a lot for the money. The sound source used is older and has limited polyphony, so he could quickly run out of notes on his original compositions(sound dropping out/not sustaining) when playing arpeggios, scales or using the sustain pedal excessively. This could easily happen because the CDP 200 has a lot of sounds on it that can be layered with on board rhythms. The action on these is also loud and you will hear clacking as the keys return. This might not be apparent until after you have had it for some time. A better choice would be the Casio PX 330. DGX 630 would also be OK, but he would have to decide if he likes the lighter action it has. Yamaha uses GHS on these which tends to be too light for some, and these can also have noisy action. Your son might actually prefer the digital to the acoustic after some time because of all the things it can do. Digital pianos can be extremely fun to play.

Hi galaxy,

Thank you, very much, for your response. The Yamaha DGX 630 has 64 note polyphony vs. 32 for the DGX 530 and 48 notes for the Casio CDP 200 (actually 24 notes for certain tones). Given that, I think the 630 is the one of choice with respect to the three I've mentioned.

Incidentally, the DGX 630 is the same model as the YPG 635 (as I understand it) - just one model is sold in "music" stores and one (the 630) in retailers such as Costco.

The Yamaha has the graded hammer keyboard - but an overall light touch. That may be an issue at some point, but I'm not sure how important it is for the next year or two (he'll have a very good acoustic to use) and with a price of all being under $750, if we upgrade to something else in a year or two, it wouldn't break the bank.

However, you mention Casio Privia. I don't know much about them but they are 128 note (polyphony). Do you have a model(s) that you would recommend for consideration? Realizing objectivity is hard in many cases, but do you have a general recommendation of Casio vs. Yamaha?

Thanks, again. I appreciate all feedback.

Best,

Vermonter

My vote is for the 630 (same as the ypg-635)
I have it and could not be happier. The sound is amazing and the number of sounds beats all the other keyboards in its price range (and some in the upper range!). And the recording capabilities, change of setting, built it rythms have no comparison.
Editing this post (just read above about the Privia question: I also have the PX-130, very good for the price, very happy with it. But if I had to choose between the two at the same price I would take the 64 poliphony of the 630 vs the 128 of the PX-130.

Thanks, BSC.

Price, delivered, from Costco is $749.99 for the Yamaha 630. Unfortunately the local Costco (the only one in Vermont!) did not have either Yamaha in the store for him to try out.

I appreciate the feedback from the owner of one - I'm probably going to go that route and with Costco, if my son doesn't like it for any reason, it is an easy return.

We're still trying to decide on an acoustic for his "main" piano (perhaps he'll wind up going the digital route and we'll move up in that type) and are leaning to a Schulz Pollman SP114 but need to get the dealer to bring his price down quite a bit (he was non-specific but was over the current list price). Also looking at Kawai and Yamaha.

Thanks again!

Vermonter

Vermonter,
You could take a look at the Casio PX-330 if you would like to compare it to the YPG-635 (DGX 630). The 330 has 250 onboard sounds, 128 polyphony, 180 rhythms, a digital display, and a pitch bend wheel. It also has MIDI in/out, USB MIDI, Line In, and Line Out jacks. It weighs 26 pounds and can be easily transported if the occassion ever arose. The piano sound is very nice on it using a 4 layered sample like some of the more expensive pianos have (Yamaha P-155). The selling price is $699.

For what it's worth department:
Since you mentioned Costco, costco.com is listing the Yamaha DGX630 for $750.

I've tried both at home side by side. The other voices on the YPG 635 are much nicer than those on the PX 330, altho' the piano sound is just as good or better on the Casio. I've had the YPG for a few months. The PX30 I had to return for 2 defective keys.

The YPG has a lot more features, but the action on the PX330 might be better, depending on your preference. I like a very light action.

Thanks for the info / specs and owner report on the PX 330. I'll see if either are available locally to actually try out. At this point I envision my son using the digital as his "second" piano and learning the range and use of features that a digital piano can offer.

Any other opinions or "use feedback" is very welcome.

Best,

Vermonter

HI all,

Just an update. I did a lot of "reading research" on various sites; some technical, some subjective. I have ordered the Yamaha DGX 630 for my 10 year-old; a new upright, acoustic piano is next.

It appeared that the one concern for the Yamaha "might" be the touch vs. a Casio PX330 but I think at this stage in his piano playing development, that isnt going to be a major issue (hands still can't span an octave...). If it is, then Costco has an unbeatable return policy and I can switch and try the Casio.

Thanks, very much, for the help. This forum is great and I will be checking it frequently.

Best,

Vermonter

It is sometimes frustrating to learn on a digital, then try to play an acoustic, but I discovered that, if I have really learned a piece well, even on a light-touch digital, there is not so much of a problem. If I don't know a piece well, sometimes on a heavier-touch piano, my fingers seem to "jam" or I forget parts because of concentrating on the feel of the keys. I have a Korg that I bought about 25 years ago. Other than adapting to the touch, my main problem with digital pianos is lack of dynamic range on the digital compared to an acoustic. So, whenever I see a piano, especially a real one, I try to get my hands on it for practice with it's different feel. Practicing mainly on a digital is finally working, but I always long for a real one. My main pieces by the way are Chopin's "Fantasie Impromptu", Guaraldi's "Linus and Lucy", and a Chopin posthumous Mazurka in A minor, and I am trying to learn a bit of Blues, Jazz and Rock.