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Hi - I feel I am close to making a purchasing decision on my first digital piano but I need some expert device. My overall favorite digital piano is the Kawai CA 1000... I guess the main features i'm looking for in prioritized order are key weights (compared to the acoustic I play on), portability (i don't want something over 120 lbs, and price... hopefully under $2000. Also, I'm hoping eventually in a couple years when I move that it will replace my acoustic b/c my acoustic is just not practical for moving around, but yes I KNOW that Digital will never fully replace an acoustic, trust me i'm already over this simple truth!
The obvious problem with the Kawai is that that it weighs freakin 152 lbs and is $3200... bummer, but out of all of the digital pianos i've tried, the Kawai keys have the best keys for training purposes (my teacher has me doing 40-50 mins of Hanon exercises a day!!) But... the only other digi pianos that remotely fit my requirements are the Yamahas, particularly I'm looking at the YDP-113 and P-120. My question about these is this... my piano teacher highly recommended the Yamaha Clavinova series (we use these models at my college), but am wondering if the key weights of the YDP-113 and P120 are the same design as the Clavinova keys... Also, are they any other brands to look for that have similar weight action to the Kawai CA series for under 2000? I already checked out tons of models by Roland, Korg, Baldwin, Kawai (the non CA-series models), Ensoniq, and Technics, but was not impressed by the key weights. Does anyone think for what I'm going for that the Yamaha P120 is the way to go (I understand that it is a slight compromise going for under $2000)?

Thanks,
Jon

Look for Kawai's latest models, CA-7 in particular. CA-1000 is a discontinued model. CA-7 has new physically modelled piano sounds.

Viscount has some very price worthy models, the Sonata in particular. It has a very well developed physical modelling (such as pedal and string interaction and even pedal noise) and a wooden keyboard with a very nice touch (so I read)...

Also, if you like the Kawais but want less money / more portability you might see if you can find an MP9500.

Isn't Viscount's "modeling" technology not really modeling at all, but rather sampling technology? In other words, aren't they saying that their sounds "model" (as in mimic) string interaction, pedal noise, etc. as opposed to using the specific technology known as "acoustic modeling"?

Have you considered Yamaha PF500, similar specs to P250 and CLP150 (same speakers as P250, less powerful than CLP150) but I think cheaper in the US, in contemporary style case ie not wooden cabinet but IMO nice. Good key action and excellent piano sound especially after playing-in.

SteveY: In what way do you mean that Viscount are only using samples rather than acoustic modelling? And from where did you get that information if I may ask? I doubt it's possible with samples alone.

If the Viscount line is made by GeneralMusic in Italy, which I think it is, then a precise description might be "sampling plus acoustic modeling." I had one of their early technology keyboard (Pro2) and the manual was quite explicit about the use of modeling for effects like resonance. For the time, it was pretty impressive, although the samples themselves were not as good as what you can find today. The wooden keyboard feel wasn't particularly good, but again, that was 10 years ago.

I looked at Viscount when shopping for a high-end digital a few years ago but found the interface to be very confusing. Don't know about the recent models.

Actually Fogwall, I was just asking a question. I don't have any information. I've played the General Music keyboards and found them to be very promising. They most certainly do use modeling technology. They haven't quite worked out all the kinks, but I'm very much looking forward to playing next year's models.

I played a few Viscount keyboards at NAMM last year and found them to be quite mediocre. It would surprise me to find out that they share technology with GEM. A digital piano that utilizes modeling technology would place it at the front of the technology curve. As a result, it would be quite the rage in professional circles. I have yet to see or hear of a Viscount product in a professional situation, hence the source of my skepticism...

Given your situation, I would recommend Yammy P120. Don't go with heavier or expensive one at this point. YDP113 is quite low end and heavy too. So don't go there. Clavinovas are cool but way expensive(no offense.. ) but nice to look at and heavy too. Infact, some argue that certain CLP clavinovas(CLP120) is just P120 in fake wood furniture.
P120 has highest resale value for a given period of useage cycle. Keys are quite similar to acoustic one too. Has more sounds than YDP113.

Jim & Steve: I sent a query to the Viscount representative in USA, he seems very helpful so far.

What I do know is that Viscount are using very powerful acoustic effects such as pedalling in different kinds and string resonance. If they are not modelled, how do they do it then? On the other hand, it seems they actually are using samples in the processing.

You can read more here what I know of so far:
http://www.af.lu.se/~fogwall/piano.html

Hi all,

I'm a Master student in Piano Performance and Accompanying. I was looking for a stage piano to be used as a practice instrument. I tried many instruments. The key action is a priority for me. Most I tried were far too light. The ones that I felt have heavier keys are Technics, Yamaha, Casio(P-20).

Acoustic pianos are not a good option for me. For my purposes, a digital beats most uprights except possibly the finest. Digitals sound closer to concert grands than uprights. The action isn't that close to a grand, but neither does that in most uprights. As for portability it goes without saying that practically any digital is more portable than any acoustic instrument (with the possible exception of some like those in the Yamaha Grantouch series).

In the end I settled for the Yamaha P120.

Some of the Clavinovas have a newer type of action (GH3), which I thought is more realistic than the GH found on the P120, but since the cabinet type is not as easily transportable and the cost much higher, Clavinovas are not an option for me.

Hi, i have a couple of questions for jazpianizt (or indeed anyone else who knows)

I've been looking to get a digital piano which mimicks an accoustic as closely as possible without having the practical problems associated with accoustics (portability/tuning/controlled environment).

I've narrowed my choice down to either a Kawai CA7/ CA9 or a Yamaha CLP170.

I was wondering if anyone knew whether the "Piano ambience" feature of the CA9 was the same kind of thing as the iAFC function of the CLP170, and is it any good?

I am also curious to hear what people think of the action of the kawai in comparison to the yamaha in terms of how closely they resemble an accoustic.

My primary concern is an instrument that i can use to practise classical pieces on whilst taking piano lessons (i'm about grade 5 standard and am hoping to make grade 8 within a few years). Ideally i would get an accoustic but unfortunately its too inconvenient. Are both instruments likely to be equally suitable (or indeed unsuitable)?

Sorry I can't really answer your question as to comparing the Kawai with the Yamaha. I'm very pleased with my Kawai CA9 and it seems quite realistic, but as to its comparison with the Yamaha, I'd say that's probably personal preference, and I haven't had a chance to play on the 170.
I do like the wooden keys and the Kawai hammer action, and the acoustic ambience and damper effect of the Kawai. It's very easy to switch between my grand and the Kawai.

Thanks for the info, couple more questions if that's ok:

does the accoustic ambience feature make a big difference? - it seems to be one of the biggest differences between the CA7 and CA9.

and do you find it any harder to play fast pieces (e.g. 3rd movement of the moonlight sonata) on the CA9 compared to the grand?

Thanks.

The ambience feature certainly adds realism to the CA9. I didn't have the opportunity to compare it with the CA7. No question it's a better instrument. Whether it's worth the extra $ depends on your budget.
The touch is very similar to my grand - closer than some other grands I've played. Hopefully you can find one to play before you have to make a choice.