Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Recommendations on DP

i had AP500 and can recommend it without hesitation, problem is AP500 is more expensive, 1400$ if i am not mistaken. Px800 is a newer DP and costs less than AP500, and AP45 is good enough and should be cheaper than both Px800 and AP500.

I'm looking as well for a reasonably portable practice piano and am looking in the same price range as you. You should try the Kawai ES4. It is priced between the Roland FP4 and FP7, around $1500. For me, touch trumps sound for a practice keyboard; the Kawai feels more like a real acoustic grand, at least to me. It also sounds good using software modelling instead of sampling.

AP-45's still go for $999 universally.

THe PX-800's seem to be $899 everywhere on-line.

I guess I'm another 10-year-old brat with a toy.

I agree with the prevailing view that you can get a very nice digital piano in your price range. The HP-207, CLP 270 or 280 and Kawai CA series are certainly wonderful pianos, but their prices are supported by territorial retail networks and minimum pricing.

Relative to the HP Roland series, the FP series are great value. Models from Kawai and Yamaha that are not controlled by territorial and price restraints have a discernible falloff in quality from those that are. I don't think that's true with Roland FP.

IMO the Casio PX800 is great value too, but for me the action on the FP-7 feels more solid and secure than that of the PX800.

I know your opening post did not include Roland, but I agree with the others here that if you haven't tried an FP-7, you should take one around the block.

If you have the $$ I would and did get the YDP223.I Briefly had a 213 that was defective so when I sent it back I upgraded and haven't regretted it.
The YDP323 would be a good second choice but the features on the 223 are easier to access.

So now from reading all this I think I should go try the AP-500 which is 1.4, PX-800 which is 900, FP-7 which is 1.6k.

+1 to that.

I started looking at Yamahas (because I've got several Yamaha guitars that I've been very happy with, and also a 61 key Yamaha PSR S500 arranger keyboard that was very good for the money). Initially I was attracted to the Clavinova CP 240, but I decided to look around and try Korgs, Rolands etc as well before buying. Glad I did.

I ended up buying a Roland HP 201, which I'm absolutely delighted with. Why?

• 1. I prefer the look of it. Apparently (according to a saleman who sells them) The 'wood look' on the Clavinovas is a photo printed onto paper and then sealed under the finish. To somebody who is used to working with real wood, it just didn't look quite right and I would have kept noticing it. The Roland is probably something similar, or a veneer, but I just preferred the way it looked.
  
  2. Still on looks - it's much cleaner under the bonnet. No poxy little screen (which I can never read anway) or rows of buttons that I don't need. Just a small discreet panel on the left. The settings are adjusted by pressing a couple of buttons on the panel and then various keys on the keyboard. Suits me, as once I've got it set up the way I want I don't need to keep changing the sound.
  
  3. Sound and feel. Now the bit that really matters. Once I'd played it, that was it. The action and sounds were exactly what I was looking for. It's a pretty personal thing, but I just really liked the Rolands for feel and sound, and that's what actually counts.

Roland HP 201

I'd advise playing as many brands and styles as you can, and see if one just seems to choose you. They're all pretty reasonable these days, but the the higher you go in the ranges the better deals you can get. I was able to get the HP 201 for almost 25% less than the recommended list price. But pretty good deals were available on most other brands' models at that price point too.

Good luck finding one that suits.

Chris

If your thinking of paying up to $1500, try the ROLAND RP-101 , it's too new to get huge discounts though. It plays like the FP7 but is more furniture like.

Scott Huston likes it.

A couple of days ago I went to Guitar Center and played all of the DP's in the $900 to $1,600 range. I spent a considerable amount of time playing them, and I was looking for the "best piano at the best price" in that range. At home I have a Steinway Grand, and I am an experienced classical and jazz player. I needed something to play when the kids are asleep, but it will not be the main piano that I play. I have the following observations:

1. None of the pianos that I played come all that close to my acoustic Steinway grand (model M) either in sound quality or action.

2. All of the DP's listed in 3. below are playable for what I need and I could have been satisfied with any of them.

3. My order of preference was:
Roland FP-7 (which I bought)
Roland FP-4
Roland RD-300SX
Yamaha YDP223
Yamaha P-140

4. I played a few others (Casio, Williams) that were clearly inferior to the ones above.

After bringing the FP-7 home and customizing the sound and touch sensitivity, I am thrilled with this purchase.

I did the same, I played everything Guitar Center had and I must admit the Roland FP7 was by far the best DP, but a lot more expensive too.

Tom,

I got an FP-7 two months ago,and I keep meaning to see what I can do to tweak the sound. Problem is I prefer playing it to getting into the manual and looking at the possibilities. Could you describe what you did and how time-consuming it was?

turandot,

Tweaking the sound on the Roland FP-7 is fairly easy and quick, but you might need to crack open the manual. P. 63 describes how to creat a piano sound to your taste (piano designer). You can change the "lid" to be open (which I prefer), or closed to various degrees. You can also change damper noise, string resonance, key off resonance, hammer noise, "stretch tuning" and other stuff.

p. 125 describes changing the keyboard touch. The default setting is medium, but there are five settings from "super light" to "super heavy". I prefer "light" as it seems closest to my Steinway.

As you can imagine, there are many combinations and it might take a fair amount of experimentation to get the sound where you like it best. Good luck!

Tom

Thanks Tom,

I have some raspy notes between c and e of the sixth octave. (Anyone else notice this on theirs?)

I'll send you a PM if I get lost in following the manual.

FYI, some previous posts on FP-7 settings.

http://www.pianoworld.com/ubb/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/topic/6/3434.html#000021

and

http://www.pianoworld.com/ubb/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/topic/6/3170.html#000011

I've had a Yamaha YDP-213 since last June. I haven't regretted it. Sounds great and the key feel is just like an acoustic I play on occasion. The Casios I tried had a cheap feel to them and the Rolands I thought were over priced. But that's my opinion. I wanted something without a lot of buttons, bells and whistles. The YPD-213 fit the bill for a solid digital without breaking the bank. Good luck on your search.

late beginner, i fully agree with you on HP201, it has most things you need, sound and touch is best for the money in this Dp range and the design is all better.

crusader, RP-101 is Ok but HP201 is really really better. i tried them both and RP-101 to me was not ground breaking while HP201 was. i would recommend spend a little more on HP201. besides this is true that dealers will offer some discount program and with this i definitely would pick HP201 over RP101.

You might want to wait for the new YDPs:

The YDP-160 will have the same keyboard of the 223 (GH) but have improved samples - 3-level AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling.

It will sell for about $1300 and should be out in April.

+1 to the many favorable reports on the FP7. I've loved mine, and found it very "adjustable" both in the action and the sound.

Also liked that it was portable over the console-type dps. Knowing that I can put it in my car, along with the stand, by myself, anytime, is great.

Good luck to you - hope you find something that fits your budget and your dreams.

Baco80 are you related to Gyro, enough said.