I'm going to buy a digital soon & need some advice:

All things being equal, do you get more for your money with a stage digital than you might with a home digital that is encased in a furniture type stand,for example,Yamaha CLPxx v. Roland RD700SX, etc?

Which of the above would have a better resale value if I were to upgrade someday?

Thanks.
RWH

depending on your price range, they're not always comparable. take yamaha for example, around or under $2500, you get more with a stage one (CP300). but anything beyond that, there's no equivilence of stage piano to compete with home piano (i.e. CLP/CVP high end ones). take a look at CLP270/280's specs, you wouldn't find anything like that in the stage category.

I got the Yamaha Clavinova 303.

I like Rolands and Yamaha's for the sound, but I thought the Yamaha had surperior technological features (USB interface, larger GUI, more buttons (which leads to features that are more readily available).

I felt like going above the 303 was paying quite a bit of money and getting very few real usable improvements.

I have no opinion on stage vs home pianos/keyboards.

I'm very happy with mine. There are a few features that are a tiny bit quirky, but I'm getting over those.

I'm no expert, but that's my experience.

You get most for your money if you don't get piano enclosed in a furniture type stand. It's also easier to ship at one point in the future, if you plan on selling it online.

The disadvantage is that you need to purchase a stand that needs to match your piano perfectly, and it will never be as good as the original.

To get an idea of resale, you can check Ebay and Craiglist to see what kind of used digital pianos are out there. That may tell you if home style or stage style are more sellable.

>All things being equal, do you get more for your money with a stage digital than you might with a home digital that is encased in a furniture type stand,for example,Yamaha CLPxx v. Roland RD700SX, etc?

Which of the above would have a better resale value if I were to upgrade someday?
>

It's more about how do you plan to use the digital. Stage pianos are typically priced lower than a DP with similar functionality and sound. However, they do not (generally) include amplifier and speakers, furniture cabinetry, and stand/pedals.

The DP is designed more to be (like an acoustic) put in one spot, moved only occasinally, and to look more like furniture in someone's home.

The SP is designed more for semi-pro or professional use in a traveling venue. It needs to be relatively easy to move, resistant to damage from moving, no larger than necessary for its function (many musicians including myself use stacked keyboards). Amplification is generally seaparate (on a small venue a single small keyboard amp may do, in a large venue, it would be more usual for the instrument to be connected to the main sound system, with a separate small monitor feed for the keyboardist).

Most of the time, a Stage Piano will also have other sounds, in some cases, piano is only a dozen of perhaps a thousand available sounds, the instrument is more properly a synthesizer.

Even a third alternative in travel is to use a MIDI controller feeding a computer, running software such as "Ivory" to produce the sound.

Most of the time, controllers, synthesizers, and stage pianos do not go up in price to as high a point as digital pianos. There are a few exceptions, such as the almost ready for market new Bosendorfer, which is being field-tested currently to work out any last minute details before production. The new Bosendorfer has the complete action of a Bosendorfer concert grand piano - feeding electronic sensors. They drive a proprietary interface to a computer with an extremely large set of samples of a Bosendorfer concert grand. The objective is to give the concert pianist an instrument that can be set up in a hotel room easily and used for practice, that not only sounds like the real concert grand, but also feels like the real thing. Some estimated of the price I have seen of this is the range of 30 to 40,000 euros (not a lot compared to the over 100,000 euros for the largest concert grand).

Resale value - This is going to depend greatly on location, condition, ease of shipment. If you live in a major city, you can list something too big to ship for local sale only on EBay and expect to get bids. If you live in the boonies, you need something small and light enough to ship by UPS/FedEx (or equivalent carrier elsewhere in the world). EBay will let you track sold items for the past couple of weeks, you can build your own sheet over a period of time no estimated used values. As in most things, some brands tend to retain a higher percentage of orginal cost in value over time.

My qualifications: I serviced electronic organs, keyboards, pianos, etc. for 30 years; before focusing mostly on computers. My firm was an authorized service center for Yamaha and others. I currently own and play a Kurzweil K2000VP synth, PC-2O Performance Controller, K2661 synth, and SP-88X weighted keyboard 88 key stage piano. I don't sell any new instruments, have no motive to push you in any direction.

HTH,
Jim

Thanks all for your imput.

I'll start my search for a Roland DP since I like their sound...possibly a new KR103, an MP70 or a used PT2700.
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RWH