Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Why pre order an Alesis Coda Pro?

Hello, I was checking to see if there were any new portable digital pianos available in 2015. I saw some mention of this Alesis and tried to find out how it sounds, looks etc., but only people discussing it! Furthermore, on some sites it seems people are pre ordering it as it's not available until March this year. I don't get why someone would order a piano when it's never been heard or seen properly. I wonder also why we haven't heard it being played when its a new item people would want to hear about in detail.
Always in threads on PW, people are advised to play the piano of choice to make sure it's right for them.
I wondered if anyone here has ever pre-ordered a piano unheard and unseen? It is inexpensive, so that might be the main factor, just thought of that.

Two things stand out looking at the info online:

They don't say who makes the action. So if not them, then Fatar. If it's Fatar, then the question is which Fatar action?

They don't give specs on the polyphony unless I missed it. That is a big red flag, as polyphony is pretty basic information.

On the other hand, it's supposed to be really light.

Alesis has been in the keyboard game before. Some might remember the QS (6,7 and 8). The 8 had a hammer weighted action with velocity, release velocity, and after touch. Or more recently they had the Fusion (6 and 8). The 8 also had weighted action and I'm going to assume after touch (since they never seem to offer much info in their tech specs about where they get their actions from, best guess is its Fatar, but who knows). On the Fusion they licensed their piano sound from Q Up Arts Holy Grail and in this latest Coda line they are licensing the piano sound from AIR Music Technology and SoniVox. If you're a ProTools user you'll be familiar with AIR's MiniGrand and xPand!2 sample player, the sounds are good and definitely usable. My guess is they went with SoniVox for their electro-mechanical keyboard sounds.

I think most here will agree that Alesis has historically been able to bring decent products to market at a reasonable price point. However, I wouldn't recommend being a first adopter only because we also know from past experience that they rarely get their firmware and features complete right out of the gate. Expect to have to do firmware updates. On the other hand, with the way things have been in recent years... You could say the same about Kawai, Korg, Roland, Yamaha and the rest of them. We're all beta testers in the tech world. Ha ha

We bought our RD-700NX sight unseen, but I had played around with its predecessor in a store, and had heard SN up close via testing. Can't imagine ever doing that with a totally new DP like the Coda, and coming from a company not exactly known for making DPs in the first place like Alesis.

Yes, well that is just what I thought. The companies online are saying they have many pre-orders for this particular piano, I was wondering who are the people who are pre-ordering and how can you order something you know nothing about? So I don't think anyone here would, because of the very good advice we get here. Exceptions are having previous knowledge of a piano maker and good advice from others here. So I think I have answers to my question.

But, there are no videos of anyone actually playing this particular instrument and so we cannot hear what it sounds like, so that was why I couldn't understand why anyone would pre-order it.

It's $499 for an 88 key hammer action board. You can return it in 30 days.
Be the first kid on your block.

Here's somebody playing it.

[/quote]

A few more videos:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=alesis+coda

As to Shey's question, I don't believe it really matters how many individuals have pre-ordered this board (if indeed this is truly the case...). What matters is how the instrument feels and sounds when played.

If you're in the market for an entry-level digital piano and have the money in your pocket, why not take a punt?

Cheers,
James
x

I still cant wrap my head around the fact that it's only 17lbs. PLUS graded hammer action with on-board speakers.... where's the hidden camera?

Will this be the PX150, P105, ES100 killer or a re-branded Williams Alesis Allegro? I dont want to sound cynical... but is it too soon to say buyer beware? Hopefully Im dead wrong and it will be a decent entry level digital piano.

Alesis clearly saw an opportunity in the sub $499 digital piano market and went for it. So, someone needs to play this thing and report back to us how it compares with PX150, P105, and ES100. And that's the Pro, the regular Coda is $399. If it's half way decent, could be a win.

Emenelton, yes of course first owner thing, very important to some people. That explains the pre orders.

I would be interested to know what happens to all the returned pianos, any make, with regard to the 30 day return policy? Are they resold as new or discounted because they are then used items? I have often wondered about that as some people buy two pianos to try out then return the one they least prefer for refund. Maybe used for showrooms?

I honestly don't know why something like the Yamaha P105 doesn't have a street price of $299 USD or thereabouts. There isn't much inside, and the labor can't cost them much with today's legalized slavery. I can buy a fantastic Yamaha classical guitar for $220 which has got to be more labor intensive to build.

The $499.00 price tag is a big factor. It's size reminds me of the PX575, which was a Privia that was oversized compared to the rest of Casio's Privias.

Honestly, the Coda Pro looks very promising, and I think at its price, it's a zero-risk buy.

I bought my first DP, a Yamaha P85 (like the P105) for $500, sight unseen and unplayed. If you go on Amazon, there are plenty of others that do the same for the P105, Casio PX150, etc.

So I just bundle the Coda Pro along with those DPs. Add in the fact that it's very light and that there hasn't been another serious $500 DP in a while (we have the P105, the PX150, and the Korg SP-170), and the pre-orders make more sense.

OK. I may be the only one on the pre-order list at Sweetwater for this, but here is why I am pre-ordering this piano. The biggest selling point for me is weight, or, more specifically, lack of weight, and I know Sweetwater can verify this info for me before they ship it out. With my back, the weight of instruments and amps is really, really important. I just received a catalog from Sweetwater that listed all the weights of their digital pianos. Nice! As for the Coda, I read the reviews, saw the NAMM videos, kind of sorry I did not go to NAMM this year to play it, but it looks promising, and, yes, I thought about this being a possible firmware, whatever issue, but I am impatient. If it is like a Williams piano, it is being returned. But, I think it will be better.

I do not expect this to be my main piano. But as one who is getting her jazz chops together, but not a beginner at all with piano, I want a portable piano to take to rehearsals, jam sessions, and possibly gigs if there is no acoustic piano available that is neither a toy or a bear to load and unload. I have an Acoustic Image amp, lightweight, sounds great with pianos, so combined weight of amp and piano is under 50 lbs. Perfect!

There is a high end digital piano for me in the future, but I am not ready to make that decision, and weight will also be a factor. For now, the Yamaha P95 is my home practice digital piano, but not that portable to me. I am willing to take a chance on the Coda, because it is easy to return as well for something else and I have had positive experiences with and returning instruments to Sweetwater.

As far as my really nice 22 pound amp, I am going to plug this for information, as I just do not see it mentioned here. My pianist fell in love with the sound of the bass version of this amp, so I can only imagine the piano version of this amp sounds even better.

http://www.gollihurmusic.com/product/2391-ACOUSTIC_IMAGE_CORUS_SERIES_4PLUS_COMBO_AMPLIFIER.html

Gracegren, just the kind of answer I was wondering about. You pre ordered a piano you feel will suit your needs, after some research and you say you are impatient too so of course you do not want to wait longer than necessary. Thank you for your clear answer.

I am still unsure about what happens to all the 'returned' pianos, are they resold as new, or discounted, because to my mind they are 'used'. Also Grace, you said yourself you will return yours if not suitable or Williams like. Do you receive all your money back or do you have to pay something for the period you have it?

I hope some one can give me an answer, if I want to buy a piano from a store I want it to be brand new, not one returned even if in new condition.

Grace, please let us know how you get on with the Alesis, I hope it's all you wish for. Shey

Shey,
Here is my "take" on this. I went through a period of auditioning electric basses from Musicians Friend and Sweetwater, and did a number of returns, shipping them back. I played each a few times and returned them. I took extra special care of all of them, packed them with care, and they were sent back good as new in the original packaging, so I did get a full refund. I suspect they will be sold as new as they had no damage, but cannot be 100% sure. I have seen a number of instruments on Musicians Friend that are listed at a discount in their "scratch and dent" area. I suspect whoever returned these items did a little damage to them and Musician's Friend had to mark them down a little. So, in answer to your question, yes, if I find the Alesis lacking, I will ship it back in its original packaging, which I will save, and as long as I do no damage to the piano, I will receive a full refund. That has been my experience.

My suggestion..if you are looking for a brand new, untouched, piano, then buy from a store and observe them opening the new box at the store, if possible. Even places like Guitar Center have that 30-day, no questions asked, type of return policy.

I've purchased demo items (although not a digital piano) from Sweetwater that I would otherwise not have known were used. They were packaged perfectly as if they'd never been out of the box.

I just checked Sweetwater's site, and it looks like the Coda Pro, weighted keys, is going to be 27 pounds, way more than the 17 mentioned on the NAMM video. The semi-weighted model is checking in at 24 pounds. So, I cancelled the order.

Still looking for that lightweight stage piano with a good key action.

Looks like Coda's action is weighted but not scaled or graded. PX150 or P115 might still be better choice for action in that price range. We shall see