I am taking the plunge on a new digital piano for home use/lessons (old rock musician but just now learning piano, want to play mostly classical, jazz and show/pop, no rock, no live stage work).

Was going to buy a Yamaha clavinova (like Clp-150/170) but despite their quality and sound they are so expensive for a beginner (CVP for me is completely out of the question obviously).

I have computer & midi, so a lot of sounds is not important to me.
What is important to me is quality of piano sound, midi & stereo audio PC interface, keyboard authenticity (feel) and I want all 3 pedals (sostenudo for Debussy/classical, etc).

in other words, closest I can get to a real piano for ~$1200 but able to play/practice quietly with headphones. A real piano is sadly out of the question (noise, plus I want midi).

- Two newer and less expensive models by other manufacturers have been recommended:

(1) Roland MP60 (link below)
http://www.rolandus.com/products/subcategory.asp?catid=11&subcatid=45&page=2

for approx $1100 (Local store - I tried this and actually liked it, though I am ignorant of digital piano and there was no decent yamaha on the floor to compare it to)

Casio AP38 (link below) http://www.casio.com/index.cfm?fuseactio...product=AP%2D38

for ~$1000 (Musician's friend and others)

Casio concerns me (past reputation and I can't find one to try out in Colorado) but the new AP series is getting good reviews/recommendations and is very affordable & feature-rich for the money. Problem is no one in Colorado is stocking them to try out. I called Casio and they cannot tell me a store in Denver area with one in stock.

I have not found at Harmony Central or anywhere else any info/discussion on either of the above.

If money was no object, I would buy a mid/high-end Yamaha Clavinova, but money IS a factor.
I originally bought a used clavinova from out of state music school (old CLP-50 for $400) but it arrived in many pieces (shipping gorillas) so for me a used piano is now out. I don't want to spend much over $1200. Used but recent Clavinova models are almost NEVER for sale it seems here in Colorado.

I would respectfully appreciate any/all recommendations & opinions of any new "clavinova-style" piano by any manufacturer that members of this forum would recommend. Don't want yamaha p60/p120 unless they have a "3-pedal solution" that would allow damper + sostenudo (real plug-in module or "virtual/midi"). Nice pianos, but not enough "real" pedals.

Apologize for the long message, and thanks to all members for your time, patience and any advice/opinions, positive or negative.

If you are a beginner, you probably don't need a sostenuto pedal. I believe that the p120 has 2 jacks for soft and damper pedals. Generally, you are going to get more for your money in a piano sold in discount music stores (p60/120) like Guitar Center as opposed to Piano dealers (clavinova and other "home" digital pianos).

You could also look at the yamaha ydp223 which is sold in discount music stores, has 3 pedals, and is equivalent to one of the clp model clavinovas but for less money.

The p120 is probably going to sound better to you and have more features that you want than the ydp223 for about $200 - 300 less, but it does have one less pedal jack and no built-in stand.

What do you mean by built in stand? There is a stand for the P-120, but it's usually sold seperately (I got mine thrown in). There's also a music stand on it, if that's what you meant.

I don't know about clavinovas or other pianos but the P-120 has half-sustain pedaling. Much better than the binary on/off sustain pedal. Soft pedal isn't a big deal for me, since I rarely use it. Sostenudo would be nice, but I don't think many electric pianos have it... I think Clavinovas only have 2 pedals.

Sorry about the stand. I meant to say that the p120 doesn't come with a stand while the ydp223 does.

Also, most clavinovas, like most "home" style digital pianos, have 3 pedals.

If youre not going to buy the top Digital Piano on the market, then "touch", "pedals" etc should be more a priority than the tone (which, in this day and age should be ok anyway) I've not played the Yamaha Clavinovas but not heard good reports of the Action etc (even if the tone was good)