I play acoustic double bass (classical only), but I am constrained to say that James Jamerson and Vic Wooten have done some unbelievable things with an electric bass. Zachary, have you heard the N1 recordings that came with the CD for issue 64 of Pianist magazine? I just got it and look forward to listening to those tonight.

No I haven't heard them yet. Please let me know what you think! Also, when do you get your Steingraeber? You are so blessed...what an extraordinary instrument.

Sorry to pick nits, but this is not true. There are 127 MIDI velocities available in digital pianos, not infinite. It is possible that internally the V piano may calculate more levels than this, though by no means certain that it does so. The differences between modeled and sampled pianos is quite overblown sometimes. The Imperfect Samples Fazioli is sampled and has 127 sampled layers, so it has as much timbral granularity as your V-Piano. Modeled pianos do have advantages but this one is often overstated.

Back to the point, someone mentioned shorter sustain in digitals. This is not a limitation of the technology, but a choice by all the major digital manufacturers. Onboard digital piano sounds almost all decay more quickly than an acoustic would. It can get you used to mashing the pedal too much. That is one of the reasons I can't abide onboard sounds any more. The V-Piano does not suffer from this, nor do software pianos, which is what I use for home practice.

So besides the apparent choice of manufacturers to cut corners in digital pianos (looping, compression, short sustain, etc.) the most real technological limitation of digital pianos is the speaker. It takes a pretty amazing speaker to compare with an acoustic soundboard, and digitals do not come with amazing speakers. Still, speakers are nice because you can turn the volume down. Perfect for home use.

I guess the other limitation is the action in digitals, which I do think is a compromise relative to a well-regulated high-quality acoustic. But then, many acoustics are compromised in this respect as well.

Also in reference to the original post, I do think the music world (people who play music, especially classical) is dominated by people who are reluctant to change and, rightly or wrongly, tend to think the old way of doing things is better. This hinders the spread of digitals somewhat. The other problem is that there are "digital pianos" at very low prices and qualities that are easily purchased by those not in the know and give teachers a reason to think a digital piano simply can't be a good practice instrument.

Well said. For those times I need silent, such as when the family wants to watch TV or someone's napping, I use my Casio Privia with headphones. I also use the Privia if I'm working on something like scales, chord progressions, or just starting a difficult piece. Headphones are a blessing. Also, being able to change voices, add accompaniment, and record really beats a metronome. If I'm trying to learn a duet, I'll record myself playing the other part and then practice my part. I could use a portable recorder, but having the SD card right there is handy.

I much prefer the sound, action, full lush bass, and clear treble of my Yamaha C3. Practicing on it is much more satisfying. I love having the ability to go from fff to ppp so quickly and smoothly, which I just haven't found yet on the DP's I've played so far. But then, when I was shopping for a stage piano, I was looking at weight, graded hammer action, built-in speakers, separate amp output, the ability to take memory cards and the ability to use it as a MIDI player. I wasn't focused on duplicating the acoustic grand experience. I did play the Yamaha Avant Grand and was really impressed. If I lived in a small upstairs apartment or condo and had to worry about downstairs neighbors, that would be the way to go.

My university piano class uses Roland DPs. Most of the class is conducted with headphones and occasionally, we "unplug". Those DP have to stand up to hard student abuse and seem to fare well. If the class used acoustic pianos, I couldn't hear myself play or the professor talk.

My Saturday group piano class also uses DPs of various makes and models, but I always sit at an older Clavinola. I like the touch (but it's nothing like my C3) and all the different voices. After the group has learned the song, we change from the metronome to a matching rhythm and play together with the instructor playing the guitar. It's a lot of fun and a small reward for our work learning the piece.

Acoustic pianos and DPs are both wonderful in different ways for different venues. I bought an acoustic first, and then traded up to a better piano twice. I bought my DP after reading really positive reviews and watching an unboxing on Keyboard Magazine. Whether you learn on a DP or acoustic, it's truly fantastic to be able to play a piano

With the continued improvement of DPs and synthesizers and with acoustic piano makers striving to improve their designs, why does it have to be DP vs Acoustic? I'm loving having and playing both Acoustic and DP.