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Posted By: LF08 Starter! Is the Yamaha P85 a good choice? - 12/21/09 12:11 PM
After many years I'm thinking of taking piano lessons again. I used to play on keyboards and currently own a Roland E-68 from 1998. We used to have a real piano at home and that's what really got me interested in playing the piano. Unfortunately we have no space for a real piano anymore so I'm thinking of a digital stage piano and take lessons again. The Yamaha P85 caught my attention and it costs around € 675, which seems to be a pretty good price. What's your experience with it and are there other brands that offer these kinds of digital stage pianos (price range between € 600 - € 800). It's important for me to practice my fingers and moves and ofcourse the sound should be good. Thanks!
Personally, I like the P-85 a lot, the piano sound is pretty warm and if you use the wooden stand the speakers have a decent volume. Other contenders would be the Korg SP-250 (a little ugly, alternate sounds are better for contemporary music, slighly heavier Fatar action--I particularly liked that the black key tops are not perfectly smooth on the SP-250, which makes them less slippery) and the Casio PX-130/330 (action a little more toy-like; you can get similar stands for them as for the P-85).

As I see it, the P-85 is the one that's most focused on the piano sound, while the Casio's and Korg's piano sounds are slightly inferior but they have more fun additional voices (guitar, choir, and such).

It depends a bit on the kind of music you would like to play--if you prefer Classical, Yamaha is the best, for Jazz/Pop/Rock, etc. Casio and Korg might be preferable. Although I must say the e-pianos are pretty good on the P-85.
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