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I currently own a Yamaha YDP-223. I bought it second hand for $750 and it is a decent piano for the price. However, my wife has recently taken up piano lessons and she does not like the feel of the Yamaha when she plays, especially after a lesson on the acoustic upright at the music store. This sounds like a hammer action issue to me.

There is a used Roland KR-105 at my local music store.

Would the feel of the KR-105 be an improvement over the YDP-223?

At $995 the upgrade to a KR-105 would cost next to nothing compared to what a KR-105 sold for new. If I am correct it was released in 2009 where as the YDP-223 is from 2002? I also REALLY like the fact the KR-105 has a built in arranger. If the action is an improvement for her it is a win win.

Thanks in advance for the help.

I don't think your wife will be that much happier with the 105 either, compared to the acoustic she takes lessons on. But why not just get her to try and see.

If we knew your budget and preferences, especially slab or console, we could suggest models with decent enough key actions for most, but IMHO none except the hybrids are really close to an acoustic. Whilst your wife is trying the 105 in the store, get her to try others, let us know what is OK and we can suggest alternatives with the same key action.

We both like the idea of a Roland RD-800. Modern action and supernatural sounds. Also, space is tight in our house. An RD-800 is less overpowering and easier to move if needed.

However, there are two issues with an RD-800. 1. It is significantly more money and 2. there is no built-in sound system which adds to the cost and generally means a more complicated setup (speaker stand, speakers, cables, ideally a sub etc.).

Other than a the sound issue and of course added cost an RD-800 with a BK-7M arranger would be excellent.

The KR-105 however seems like a good price. Built in speakers with double the wattage of the YDP and also the built-in arranger. But will it improve the main issue which is feel? I agree I need to get her to try the KR-105 and see. Just curious if the KR-105 is known to have a better action than the YDP-223 overall.

It's a tough question to answer. Certainly there are bad actions, but the YDP-223 is decent. I'm not sure about the KR-105. I played that a long time ago and liked it, but it wasn't what I was looking for at the time. It's my understanding that the action on the KR-105 is not as good as the RD-800. But again, that doesn't mean your wife won't like it. Generally, it's a personal choice.

If your wife is wanting something closer to what she takes lessons on, she will have to test them out. But even if she got an acoustic upright, the action would be different. Each piano is unique, and the challenge that every pianist who plays outside the home has is getting used to the instrument they're playing on. So if that's something she's trying to minimize or overcome, getting a similar action at home may help somewhat, but mainly it just comes with the territory.

Have her try out some newer models, as all of the big companies (Roland, Kawai, Yamaha, Casio, Kurzweil) have all come out with nicer actions in recent years.

Hi, try a Kawai MP7, IMHO it has a slightly better key action than RD800 for much less money ($700). Cheers...!.

The Roland FP-80 would be another possibility. Less expensive than the RF800, and it has built-in loudspeakers. Also has the "Ivory Feel-S" action, which I liked.

You might enjoy this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Msv5-3xVqOc

FWIW (pure opinion):

If you're even _thinking about_ pianos in that "over $1000" price range, I'd ignore every used DP more than about 5 years old. There have been substantial improvements -- in action and sound -- since then.

+1 Plus, unless you have a very motivated seller, they will most likely want to get what they paid for it 5 years ago, and DPs usually don't retain their value very well.

I agree, FP80 is very nice if you like Roland SN piano sound, but IMHO you must try Kawai ES7/ES8 for a quieter and slightly better key action if you need included speakers. Cheers!.