Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Yamaha digital question. New player.

Hey all.

Just joined the forums. Recently I've been interested in purchasing a digital piano and taking lessons. I played the alto and bari sax in high school (10 years ago), but can not practice here in our condo as sound is an issue. A friend of mine who used to work at Long and McQuade up here in Canada said that Yamaha makes a popular product. So I've started to research and there are SO many...

- I would like to play through midi (practice with programs such as Synthesia on my PC).
- weighted keys would be a must.
- A good quality sound with good speakers would be nice when the headphones aren't being worn.

Price range would be up to about $1200-1300.

-The DGX-640 looks like it could be alright (not a fan of whoever designed it tho)
-What about the P Series? I have one here on craigslist (P-200) for $850 with accessories etc. I think this model was manufactured in '98 tho..
-How about the P-155?
-CP series?

Thanks for the help and I look forward to learning more.
Cheers,
Bo

Look, the dgx-640 is a good starter option, but, If you keep working, you probally will want to substitute with something better and with a good touch.
The P155 series have midi (5din and usb as well)... so it's a good option if you dont want extra sounds, rhythms and etc... The CP50 is a good board, but you'll have to buy good speakers, 'cause the cp doesn't have speakers.
I don't know how much it costs where you live, but a good board would be the FP-7F from Roland. A good board, people here like its action and have good piano sounds, no better than vsts but, good piano sounds, midi 5din and usb, and auto-accp in the case you need or want.
But anyway, you have to try by yourself... it's AWAYS the best.

There is some choice of models fitting into the price range - Yamaha YDP-141, Korg-250, probably Roland F-120, shop around in the specialized stores, Long &McQuade does not have huge piano selection.

Awesome thank for the input guys. I'll look into them.

The Yamaha P155 has a nice action, and good sounds. It's within your budget. I believe the keyboard is better, and the sounds are better, than those in the DGX-640.

Long & McQuade doesn't sell Casio keyboards, or I'd suggest trying the PX-150 and PX-150 (which I bought).

. charles

For your budget, I'd eliminate the DGX series. These are a step above the Yamaha toy pianos sold at Wal Mart, but they're not much better.

The YDP141 is better, but in the Arius series you really need to move up to the YDP161. The keyboard is MUCH better. But it's probably outside your price range.

So, as Charles suggests, the P155 is a best bet. It has the same keyboard as the YDP161, but simply lacks the cabinet. It's a slab piano. And it's a real winner in that price range.

These are a step above the Yamaha toy pianos sold at Wal Mart, but they're not much better.

I tend to disagree on that. While they are not the best for an advanced player, they may serve relatively well to a beginner or intermediate player.
Although extending the price range to at least $2,000 will give a better choice of pianos, and 2,500-3,000 will ensure buying a very decent instrument.