Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Yamaha P90 or Fatar SL880/990+Kurzweil ME-1 or Roland FP-3?

Ten years ago I quit playing classical on a mediocre K&C upright and I'm now looking to get back into practicing (with stereo or headphones). I want something which both feels and sounds like a piano, but as a student I really can't afford anything above $800. Here are some observations re: price/sound:

Kurzweil SP88x: $700-800, don't particularly love the samples I've heard.
Roland RD170: ~$800, better sounds but still not very 'full' or 'warm'.
Kurzweil ME-1: $400 new (haven't seen it used), love the acoustic pianos.
Fatar 880Pro/990XP: $350-460 used/reconditioned, seem like good controllers.
Yamaha P90: $800 recond & sounds nice, but a bit metallic on mid-upper octaves?
Roland FP-3: $700-900 used, sounds great (full but sometimes muddy).

Now for some of my (possibly naive) questions:
Only the ME1 & P90 have diff. strike velocity samples.. is this very important?
Are 880Pro & 990XP boards different? (is one better?) 990Pro isn't graded?
Only the Soundlogic boards claim to be 'aftertouch-sensitive.' Should I care?
Is a 3yr old FP-3 worth $700? (is warranty quite important for a keyboard?)
Will waiting until NAMM 2005 bring down these prices? (how long after?)
Am I missing cheaper options with equally good sound? (without using a PC)
Anything better than ebay & craigslist for used/reconditioned keyboards?

Thanks in advance for the advice! These forums are very helpful, keep it up!

Anyone out there? I have about 24hrs to decide between an FP-3 (~$600-700), a P90 ($800), or a used Generalmusic Realpiano Pro2 (~$800-900).

Or I could screw the refurb/auction thing and get a Fatar 990XP + Kurzweil ME-1 for ~$850. Any opinions on which is giving me the best sound per penny?

P90 seems a good deal for new, but it doesn't have speakers if you can live with it.