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Hello folks, I will buy a portable digital piano in the next 4-5 weeks. The last 5 years I have been playing keyboard, and I can say that I'm a intermediate player. But after 5 years, I don't think that keyboard lessons can learn me anything more.

So I decided to go on with piano lessons, and buy an actual portable digital piano! What I want is something that has a very good key mechanism, one that will satisfy me for at least 8 more years (in that time I may be a very good player). So a good key mechanism is important, the sound doesn't have to be top end though. Just want it to be decent. I would like it to be as cheap as possible, but not sacrificing on the essential stuff that a advance piano player needs.

The reason why I am asking this to you guys is because I'm baffled. Baffled by all the features you can get and not get. And I haven't found a good comparison site for this yet, I don't know what the list of good to worse mechanisms is, I don't know what's actually important. Can you guys give me a list of needed things, a list (or link to a page) that explains all the mechanisms and a good piano comparer with prices (like as they have tweakers.net for Dutch people who are into tech *that's me* or pcpartpicker.com)

Thanks for having patience to read this, I sincerely hope that you guys as a community can help me!

PS: This is my second topic with the same motive, I'm sorry that I have to bother you guys again for the exact same reason but yeah...

Not all digital pianos are intended to be portable. By portable do you mean you're looking for a stage piano? Something you might need to move frequently? That narrows the selection a bit.

Yes exactly. With portable I mean something that's not always attached to a big stand, because I want to take it to places frequently and I have a table where I can put the piano on.

I don't really know about a site you are looking for. I think it's more than just specs that you have to look at with a DP. Yes, it's electronic equipment, but things like the feel of the action is such a personal decision that it's hard to just put it down to specs. A lot of it will be personal opinions.

Generally, the better actions are put into the higher ticket-price digitals. The exception is Casio Privias, which use the same action on all their DPs in the Privia line. While it's not the best action I've felt, for the sub-$1000 category, I think you get the most bang for your buck.

In DPs priced over $1k, I feel Kawai presents the best actions available. Yamahas are good as well, but I do not care for their GHS action, so look to avoid that if you decide to stretch your budget beyond $1k (the GH action, for example, is nice). Rolands have come a long way in improving their actions as well, so worth looking into.

They all sound decent, and these 4 manufacturers all make high quality instruments. Any DP you buy today will have features like USB MIDI which will allow you to use software pianos and other software instrument libraries, and recording software. Many of them will have audio Line Out which is good if you ever want to beef up your sound a bit with monitors. Ideally, you would have a Left and Right channel for line out, rather than have to use the stereo headphone jack, but the latter is possible too and may not be that important for you. On-board speakers generally are underpowered unless you are looking at the nicer console (non-portable) types, so monitors may be a necessary upgrade at some point. Or a good set of headphones would suffice.

A specification you want to look at is the polyphony. Most new models have at least 128, many are around 192 notes. This is very important when playing with the pedal or using layered sounds (piano & strings, for example). Once you reach that maximum number of notes, then sustained notes will start to drop off. Usually the oldest ones first. If you're playing strictly solo piano, however, 128 should be fine.

Something else that is really nice is to be able to play half-damper pedal or continuous damper. This allows you to use the damper in more positions than on/off, which allows for a much more musical experience. If you're doing classical music at all, this is a must-have. Also, some DPs will have the ability for 3 pedals: damper, sostenuto, and una corda or soft pedal. If the DP comes with this, great, but even if you play classical you will hardly use the latter 2 pedals. So it's a nice feature, but not a must-have.

Many of them will also have some ability to tweak the sound to tailor to your personal tastes, but the higher end DPs will have the most options. Also, many will contain the ability to record on the DP itself and store on a USB thumb drive. Some may contain sequencers on board, allowing you to record several tracks in a song (drums, bass, piano, strings, etc.). This is a fun feature, but probably part of those bells and whistles that many people don't want.


TLDR; Action/feel is the most important, polyphony is important, but most new DPs should be fine so it's a non-issue, consider monitors or a good set of headphones, and half-damper pedal or continuous pedal is a must-have.

Hope this helps prioritize things for you!

So... what would be the best 'bang for your buck' digital piano at sub-1000? (preferably under 1000). Tomorrow, I will go to a big store and try all kinds of DPs out. Just say that I don't have a personal preference since I always have played on a keyboard that isn't weighted at all. Another important thing is that it needs to be portable, or more like a DP that you can take with you / put on a table. If there really is a better option that's not a portable (or what I described), list it as well!

I answered this in your other thread: Casio PX-360.

FWIW, putting a DP on a table is a pretty bad idea and I'd only do it if there really is no other option. Even then, it should only be short-term, as having the wrong height can cause injury. Get a good stand that can be at the proper height for playing.

edited ot add: many of the stands you can buy (non-furnitue looking ones) are foldable and portable as well. Avoid an X-stand, but you can get Z or table stands that are sturdy and easily foldable.

If you're going to be playing outside the house, "Line Out" jacks (to drive a PA system) are very handy.

I have a PX-350, the model that preceded the PX-360. On a "bang for the buck" basis, I agree with Morodiene -- the PX-360 is very good.

On a "pure piano" comparison, the Roland FP-30 comes out very well. You should try them both, if you can.

Eight years is a _long_ time, in digital-piano land. If your playing improves, you may want to upgrade the DP before that. And the "low-priced" DP's have been getting better, slowly, year by year.

The height doesn't matter since It's a relatively low table and I have stool that is height adjustable, and it goes really high!

You could also consider the Casio PX5s. It doesn't have built-in loudspeakers. It has the same mechanical keyboard action as the PX-360. The sound generator for piano is similar (not quite as advanced), but it has a "real synth" sound generator as well. There are lots of possibilities to layer sounds, adjust sounds, and so on.

Roland FP-30 with stand and pedals. You can place the piano on the stand without bolting it on. If you want to move it pick it up and go. You might have trouble placing it on a table because the built in speakers are aimed downward. Measurements on the speakers and the table should tell if that would work. If not you could get a lightweight fold-up stand.

I'm sure this has been explained before, but can I ask Morodiene (or anyone) why x-stands should be avoided?

For three reasons: they tend to be unsteady (although double-x's or heavy-duty ones are a bit better), they have been known to collapse while playing, and there's little room for knees.

Collapsing stand ...... ouch! With typical new portables weighing in around 25 to 60 pounds, it would require either an exceptionally flimsy stand design or perhaps a so so cheap stand supporting a negligent user with way too much gear and forte.

In defense of a double x stand, I can attest that one such placed in a quiet back room far corner near walls away from foot traffic holding an ES7 for gentle non-gigging beginner's use and only the occasional walk in the park has not shown any signs of tipping or collapsing . Pedal space is a bit close but knee space has not been a problem for my somewhat long arms and portly mid-section that prefer knee tops positioned directly under the front edge of keyboard.... having begun with a traditional familiar brand sturdy platform stand, upon diagnosing a couple overly twangy / resonant keys, it was suggested this problem could possibly be influenced by the platform surface blocking the DP's bottom ports. The x-stand did not affect the twang as far as my ears know but bass sound improved a bit ..... and the keyboard does shimmy a tiny bit when playing briskly but this is also in part due to carpeting on which the stand stands ...... its ways something 😕

With the OP seeking high-end DP, good chance they won't be too cheap or careless with the stand they use.

The usual X stands were designed with lightweight arranger and synthesizer keyboards in mind.
For a heavy hammer action you need proper support.

Morodiene (and others) thanks for explaining that. I also hadn't thought about the X getting in the way. Even if your knees didn't bang into the stand, if you ever wanted to keep the piano set up, you couldn't slide the bench under it when not in use. So that makes sense.

Another one to consider?

The Nord Piano 2 has an action that's probably a notch below the best from Yamaha and Kawai, but compensates with a killer feature: near-infinite upgradability via downloadable samples. Go check out the Nord Sound Library at the Nord site. New ones come up all the time.

That means I can get an entirely "new" piano (or synth, etc.) every so often, which keeps me from getting bored with the sounds. To be fair, it's aimed at the performer vs. home use, but I do love setting mine up from time to time and playing the bejeezus out of it.

Right now, they're cutting over to the newer Piano 3, which means lots of lightly used Piano 2s showing up in the next few months. I won't be upgrading, however, as my current instruments more than meet my needs.

Agree with the comments on keyboard stands, they matter. As does seating.

But what really, really matters is amplification. Unless you plan to use headphones all the time, be prepared to pay good money for good sound.