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Posted By: DL0120 860 for PX320+stand+pedal+x chair - 04/06/08 04:13 AM
So I went to Guitar Center today. After I started browsing on this forum I just could not stop myself from trying out some pianos.

For my situation, I live in a university dorm, so I decided that a cabinet, although as much as I'd like one, is impossible. Therefore, I decided to look at Casio PX series. I tried Yamaha as well..but I figured, as of right now I don't want to pay over a grand...if I wanted to do that I'd rather just pay a lot for a very acclaimed one.

I had the chance to try PX 1x0 (can't quite remember clearly) and PX 320. I liked the PX 320; rather than Yamaha, I felt that its keys were heavier - which is good imo as they better simulate grand piano keys which are quite heavy. I really liked the sound on one of the pianos (although I was impressed with two of the pianos).
Overall, I was very tempted to walk out with it.
Of course, after this I realized that I need to buy a stand/pedal/chair since I don't have any digital equipment. These add about 130 to the 320's 700, making the total price about 830. After Tax, that's about 900 dollars.

I asked the a salesman if I would get any discount with all those purchases, and he said that after tax, I could walk out with the entire setup for about 860.

Now, after a long time of buying things online, I developed a fear for the "sticker price" and a severe distrust of buying thing in stores. Would this be a good deal? I was hoping for this to be my stepping stone to a high end yamaha maybe two or three years from now.

Lastly, I realized that I focused entirely on the piano and not on anything else. Well, maybe the stand and chair can't do much. But what about pedal? I remember the model was something like SP2 and SP4. I tried to see if the "half sustaining" made a difference, which was fruitless as I really don't know what half sustaining is.

If I were to spend about 860 on a Casio PX 320+stand+chair+pedal, would there be an alternative that might be a better choice? I wanted to try out the PX200, but the store surprised me - I saw a flyer that said PX200 was new and will be in stock soon. I thought PX200 was being replaced, not new; so maybe there was a typo.

As everyone does, I want to spend my money and get the values that I want: a great sound and keys that will improve my piano skills even on an acoustic. So, are there any notable suggestions on whether I should wait or go for this deal?

I feel kinda bad for asking for advice on my first post; I planned on taking videos of the pianos I was looking at/playing, but unfortunately I couldn't find my camera batteries and I had to hurry X_X. But I'm sure glad there's this forum that gave me some sense of which brands/models to go for; before I came here I had no idea what to get; I think I was going to go for the first thing that came up in eBay haha.
Hi DL0120,

Guitar center generaly does a good job of price matching internet deals. I managed to get the PX310 for $550 when I showed them an online site at that price. Let your browser do the shoping and see if you can get them to bring it down a bit more.

The PX200 has been out for a year. The PX120 and PX320 are new models.

Rich
Posted By: theRecluse Re: 860 for PX320+stand+pedal+x chair - 04/06/08 11:05 AM
Since you already like the feel of the 320, I'd advise you to go for it.
Like DragonPianoPlayer suggested, check online for a better price, and see if you can get them to price-match.
Welcome to the forum.
Posted By: Vincent L. Re: 860 for PX320+stand+pedal+x chair - 04/06/08 06:30 PM
The 320 seems to me as well the best bang for the bucks for less than $1000. The only unknown is the durability, but I have some other casio products and they are still working after years of careful usage.

Which stand do you talk about? A generic X stand or the Casio stand designed for the 320 that will offer the best stability and put the keys at the right height? Not all stands are equal. Also what kind of pedal? A cheap plastic pedal or a piano style heavy pedal that will not move (too much).
You can get a better deal online (use pricegrabber, bizrate or some other deal finder website).
Here's a bundle from Kraft that I think is a pretty good deal. PX-320 plus a stand, bench, three pedals, headphones, and maybe a partridge in a pear tree for $900. (Not affiliated in any way.)

http://www.kraftmusic.com/catalog/digitalpianos/homepianos/index.asp?product=6142

I'd be curious if Guitar Center (or anyone) could improve on this.
Posted By: DL0120 Re: 860 for PX320+stand+pedal+x chair - 04/06/08 07:45 PM
Hi, thanks for all your suggestions! I am definitely getting close to getting a px320.
The pedals I will choose is a piano-style pedal, M-Audio SP2: http://store.m-audio.com/index.cfm?...rtNumber=9900-50805-00&categoryid=52
The dealer said SP2 and SP4 but since I can't find SP4 pedals I don't know what he meant.
Vincent thanks for mentioning the quality of the accessories. The chair is an X chair (I think that'd be the best for portability, but I should research what other kinds might work). The stand, I have no idea; I will have to go to store again soon and inquire. I have to head out near that area on Tuesday, so I may visit it again then if I'm not too tired.

Thanks for the package AWtPP. I definitely want to see if that could bring the price down a bit; I have never really bargained in-store so I don't know if I can stand my ground but hopefully as DragonPianoPlayer mentioned GC will be easy to ask for matches with.
Posted By: DL0120 Re: 860 for PX320+stand+pedal+x chair - 04/06/08 07:59 PM
Lastly, it seems as if the 200 and 310 can save me a lot of money without much compromise. Between 200 and 320, I don't really get the major difference; 128 poly and same(three source sampling?) sound samples. Between the 310 and 320, I see 32 poly vs 128 poly, which would definitely convince me to choose 320.
So can someone tell me what's the major difference between 200 and 320? I am focused mostly on the key-feel and sound, but if there is something else worth mentioning please tell me. Thank you so much.
Posted By: DL0120 Re: 860 for PX320+stand+pedal+x chair - 04/06/08 08:01 PM
triple post ^^; but I realized the thread below me focuses on my last question so I'll ask there.
Posted By: Vincent L. Re: 860 for PX320+stand+pedal+x chair - 04/06/08 11:37 PM
$809 package (stand, bench, headphones, cover)+ $59 for the 3 pedals here:
http://www.musiciansbuy.com/CASIO-PX320-Digital-Piano-.html?source=PG

I am tempted.
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