Are Casio digital pianos as good as Tim Praskins says they are?

I called lots of stores and each one told me that Casio is inferior to Yamaha,Roland, Kawai, Kurzweil etc. I am very confused.

I emailed Tim Praskins a couple of times asking him which piano to choose from a choice of models and he always points out that Casio is the best, even when other posts on this forum contradict him.

I would really like to believe him because Casio pianos are a lot cheaper than other makes. Please tell me, does anyone know Tim Praskins? And is his advice unbiased? He says on his website that he is the piano expert.

I have been going round in circles trying to choose a piano for my son. Please help me.

Dealers can have good info, but you should expect bias toward the lines they sell. And if they sell multiple lines, expect bias toward the lines they make more money on.

Also, there is no single "best." Each line and model has its own strengths and weaknesses. If everyone agreed on what was best, no one would buy any of the others.

Also, things like sound and feel have strong subjective elements.

Also, there is no single "piano expert" whose judgments are the end-all.

So either you put in the time weighing all the advice you find and trying products for yourself to try to make the very best decision you can, or you just choose something that sounds like it's probably good, and console yourself in knowing that, while it may not have been the single best possible choice, it's very hard to make a truly bad choice if you put any effort into it at all.

If you want to list specific models you're looking at, and the qualities you're looking for (price range? portability? built in speakers? non-piano sounds and features? etc.), you'll probably get a number of opinions from people here. People's opinions about the pianos themselves and their suitability for you will be more helpful than their opinions about Tim Praskins. Even if he is the most sincere and non-biased dealer in the world, that still doesn't mean it is best to take his advice as gospel.

I don't know Tim Praskins and don't know if his advice is unbiased as he is a piano dealer who sells Casio. As for the Casio Privia and Celviano pianos, they are not considered to be in the league of Roland, Kawai,Yahama or Korg. Because of their association with toy keyboards, Casio has made a conscious effort to improve their products and reputation.The Musical Instrument division was reorganized about 4 years ago. You are starting to see some of those changes reflected in their product line. Privias are now used by professional musicians and they offer a lot of bang for your money. They carry a 3 year warranty. Casio recently re-entered the synth market after a 20 year hiatus. They make a decent musical instrument and have been steadily improving their products. Like most will tell you hear how good or bad a piano is is highly subjective and you have to make the decision yourself based on your own research and trying out each one your are considering.

I think your first statement muddles the truth while the second cuts right to it.

Roland, Yamaha, Kawai & Korg have long developed flagship products for professional and studio musicians. Their more affordable lines have always been derivatives and naturally offer less for less money. You can buy a Yamaha DP for $15k+ or below $500. Roland's range is similarly wide. Korg hasn't done anything significant for the consumer market in years, but in that same time, Casio has been hard at work. Their association with toy keyboards has always made them a target with prestige brands.

If you are comparing a Yamaha P105 to a PX-150, who cares how great the CP1 is or that Toys R Us sells "lighted key" keyboards from the same brand. But it is a popular jab for competitors to throw.

The opinions of Tim Praskins are something else entirely.

Products compete at a very different level than Brands do. Brands compete for image and market share. Products compete for your appreciation. Brands compete for your money.

Tim Praskins. It's a joke surely? He's just a salesman and as far as I can tell he is a whole lot more biased than most. And he is very sneaky in trying to pass off his salesmanship as unbiased "expert" advice on his awful blog/website thing. Just ignore him.

If you want to know what's good go out and play some pianos and make your own mind up.

PX150 or PX350 is a good choice for a beginner as well as intermediate piano student.
They are also good for people that want to move them around with their friends(which kids like to do). The 350 has more sounds than the PX150, which can lead to more fun as well.

Fact is Casio`s range of Privia Pianos have Roland, Korg. Kawai and in particular Yamaha on their toes.
Not a product by any of the big hitters costing under £1200 (UK) can touch the Privia PX-330 or PX-350 for sound, playability and features.
I think Ghandi once said first they Ridicule you, Then they Attack you and finally they leave you alone.

Is it possible he makes a bigger profit margin on Casio? Kind of like the real estate agent who tells you "Its the right house for you" but might not realize you want a different brand of a home.

The only thing I know for certain about Tim is if I were to buy a Casio, which I am getting the PX-350, would be I would order through him. He is a wholesaler and gets a better price than any internet site I have found advertises them. The deal he can get on the stand and pedal bar is really a good deal since he orders them as one unit. As far as his advise I can't comment on that.

As Mr. Dooley said, "Trust everyone, but cut the cards.". Read the reviews and consider what they say, but play the board and make up your own mind.

Tim Praskins is paid blogger for Casio,so anything he reviews is biased and irrelevant
Just look at these links!


Visiting casio factory Tim Praskins

http://azpianonews.blogspot.ca/2010/02/tim-praskins-visits-casio-yamaha-piano.html

Casio reviews by Tim Praskins

http://azpianonews.blogspot.ca/2010/01/new-updated-casio-celviano-pianos-for.html



Tim Praskins lying

http://azpianonews.blogspot.ca/2010/03/piano-press-release-acoustic-console.html


Casio review of Tim Praskins

http://azpianonews.blogspot.ca/2012_08_01_archive.html


Another Casio review

http://azpianonews.blogspot.ca/2012/10/review-casio-px850-privia-digital-piano.html


Another casio review

http://azpianonews.blogspot.ca/2012/07/review-casio-px350-px150-privia-digital.html


Another Casio review

http://azpianonews.blogspot.ca/2011/02/new-yamaha-clavinova-pianos-clp-430.html


Tim Praskins will do anything to sell Casio.

You don't even need to read all those reviews to figure out that Praskins is an all-out salesman pretending to be your 'friend who knows all about DPs'. His comments are merely a list of specs written in prose with not much insight, and no apparent effort in concealing the typical salesman jabber.

I've got nothing against him, and wish him good in his business, but I wouldn't have written all of this if he were more transparent on his status as a dealer. And I don't like to think his musings might affect negatively another person's decision, especially if it involves a lot of money and effort. On the other hand, this kind of unsuspecting customer might already settle with Praskin's 'honest and unbiased' reviews. These people are probably his main target anyway.

For the record, Arizona Piano is a Casio dealer, he is not paid by Casio. He uses an editorial blog to promote his business. Plenty of companies do this in different ways on their own websites, through videos and catalogs.

My $.02

Mike, I have no problem with him selling Casio. But he masquerades as an "independent expert". The casual visitor to his site would assume he is offering educated, unbiased opinion. This is misleading - in fact, it is downright deceitful.

My $.02

Of course Mike, is well known fact that Tim Praskins bloggs for Casio, I can prove it!

Who is Tim Praskins? Never heard of him. He must be less famous than even me!

Go to www.azpianonews.com

Tim Praskins' exuberance for the product strains his credibility with some who read his blog. Others find his details fascinating and helpful. I guess I just don't expect a blog to have the credibility of Consumer Reports. I practice reading between the lines or look elsewhere for my information.

It's not unlike various famous political talking heads that strain their credibility on the left and right "News" channels.

EddieMorgan44 is an anonymous new member of an online forum. I'm not trying to discredit you, but you must see the irony in your first posts.

I wonder what solahaji's thinking

I once wrote to him about a certain model keyboard -- this was before I had "caught on" that he was a dealer in disguise. Once he got my email he tried to sell me a Kawaii keyboard, and actually wanted my phone # to discuss it further. I told him I wasn't "that" interested and would probably go the acoustic route.

When I walk into a store, I expect to be approached by a salesman. When I walk into a library for information on a subscription database, I expect to get free information. If I think I'm reading an expert's review or blog, and then he turns out to be a salesman... that's deceptive.

For me he's living proof that you can't simultaneously be an unbiased reviewer and take money from or be associated in any way with industry. Not his fault perhaps in this crazy sell your soul to the devil for a dollar world.

I was very much confused! at the end I did get Roland DP990F and not followed cleverly created blogg of Tim Praskins and Casio.

I don't need to know what someone else's opinion is to buy a piano, I try them out for my myself.

Using the opinions of others can be a good start in narrowing down your choices though at some point you really have to try the pianos and come to your own conclusion.

I also remember a saying from my father ... You never hear a fisherman selling rotten fish.

Except in Scandinavia?
eg: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surstr%C3%B6mming

Indeed: Rakfisk

I'd like to thank Vectistim and spanishbudda for their enlightening posts.

And, not technically rotten, but I believe fermented seafood could be considered such. It's a matter of semantics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A1karl

So what is your point here? YOU ASK THE QUESTION AS THE OP USING ANOTHER SCREEN NAME.. Then you answer yourself under this screen name...

"I don't need to know what someone else's opinion is to buy a piano, I try them out for my myself.

Using the opinions of others can be a good start in narrowing down your choices though at some point you really have to try the pianos and come to your own conclusion."

Dave H -- This is so true, and yet the OP was looking for a keyboard for her/his son. In this case, the opinions of others matter. I was curious about the Kawaii MP6 and MP10 about 2 years ago, but not one dealer near me had them -- so I was relying on reviews and opinions before driving an hour or so to try one.

Rather than try an online forum, I'd ask the kid's teacher.