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Digital Pianos – Which brand Should I Buy? (Last updated 15/06/2009)

Article by Graham Howard - Piano Advisor.

"Are You Drowning In The Sea Of Digital Pianos?"...

Ok, so you've decided you want to buy a digital piano. You've visited lots of music shops, and tried lots of digital pianos out. You've been given lots of conflicting advice and don’t know what to do! Help!

Have you experienced something along these lines?

Go Shopping for digital pianos...

You enter your local piano shop and you're confronted with lots of digital pianos: different styles, colours, shapes. Some digital pianos have a few buttons, some hundreds of buttons (gadgets) and flashing lights – HELP!!!

You visit your first piano shop and they recommend the Roland digital piano...

“It's the best digital piano around by far", they say... 

"Amazing sounds. And it plays and feels just like a real piano”, they say.

You say “What about the Yamaha? I've heard that it's a very good piano as well? What do you think? Can I try one?”

They say “No, no, no, the Roland digital piano is far better than the Yamaha”. They then sit down and play the Yamaha, and then the Roland, and convince you that the Roland digital piano is definitely far better than the Yamaha.

You trot off to another piano shop to get some more advice and to compare prices. Again you walk in and you are confronted by a similar set up. The salesman, like before, shows you the different digital pianos and advises you that the Casio is the best and most popular digital piano and not the Yamaha, and certainly NOT the Roland. "The Roland digital piano is way over priced!", they say. (Actually there may be some truth in that ;-))

You explain that you've just been to another piano shop and were told that the Roland digital piano is better than the Yamaha, and the Casio is nowhere near as good...

“They don’t know what they are talking about” the salesman says.

Now you're totaly confused and walk out of the shop 'just a little angry'.

If you've experienced any, or all of the above and are at the end of your tether I'm here to offer you unbiased advice on which digital piano you should consider. 

In this report you're going to find out the merits, pitfulls and popularity of each brand. You'll read about each brand's strengths and weaknesses. And you'll also discover exactly what I think of them.

I've also done a score sheet for each brand so you know how each compares. The overall rating is just an average of each score.

Tip/ The most important scores are the touch, sound and value for money.

Read on…

1) Yamaha digital pianos

Yamaha produce some of the most popular digital pianos today. Their most popular lines are the home piano range (CLP), the entry level (YDP), and their portable pianos (P Series). Yamaha's best sellers are: CLP320, YDP140, and P85. More Yamahas are sold than any other digital piano.

Yamaha have got where they are today by superior branding, advertising and product development. They put so much effort in to make their digital and stage pianos sound and feel as close to a real piano as possible. The sound sample they use for their digital pianos is taken from their own concert grand piano.

Graham Howard's Score Sheet
(Average taken from the following pianos reviewed: P85, YDP140, CLP320, CLP380)

Touch: 8.5

Sound: 8.5
Design: 8.5
Build Quality: 9
Reliability: 9
Resell Value: 9.5
Value for money: 8
Overall rating: 8.7 out of 10

Advice: Buy any CLP piano (if your budget allows). Second best choice is the YDP range. For gigging, choose a P series stage piano.
Price: Basic models start from around RRP £950. You should be able to buy a Yamaha digital piano on the web for around 20-25% off recommended retail price.

Link: ukpianos.co.uk/yamaha-digital-pianos.html

2) Roland digital pianos

The Roland digital piano is built with quality and produces nice piano tones, especially around the centre of the keyboard. The sound is a little thin and false around the middle to high treble though.

Roland has always been known to value their brand extremely highly and will not reduce their prices if it means the quality of their digital pianos would be compromised. The sound sampling for the Roland digital piano is taken from a Steinway concert grand piano.

Graham Howard's Score Sheet
(Average taken from the following pianos reviewed: FP5, DP990, RP101, HP207)

Touch: 6.75
Sound: 7
Design: 8
Build Quality: 8.5
Reliability: 9
Resell Value: 7
Value for money: 5.5
Overall rating: 7.4 out of 10

Advice: Go ahead and buy any Roland digital piano from the HP, F, RD or KR range (If you can afford the high price tag).
Price: Basic models start from RRP £899. Prices seem to be very high on the internet and you won’t be able to get much more than 10% off RRP. You will probably get a better deal on a Roland digital piano from your local music shop.

Link: ukpianos.co.uk/roland-digital-pianos.html

3) Kawai digital pianos

I have tried and tested these digital pianos and discovered the keys have a nice weighting, but perhaps a little soft. The sound is nice, but slightly bright (the same as their upright pianos!). Kawai have improved their pianos quite a bit over the last 2-3 years. Watch out for Kawai over the next few years.

Graham Howard's Score Sheet
(Average taken from the following pianos reviewed: ES6, CL25, CN21, CA91)

Touch: 7.5

Sound: 7.5
Design: 8
Build Quality: 7.5
Reliability: 7.5
Resell Value: 5
Value for money: 7.5
Overall rating: 7.2 out of 10

Advice: A good alternative to the Yamaha, Roland, and Classenti. Some players love the Kawai sound and swear by the realistic touch -- ultimately it all comes down to individual taste.
Price: Basic model starts from RRP £999. You should be able to buy a basic Kawai digital piano on the web at around 10-20% off RRP.
Link: ukpianos.co.uk/kawai-digital-pianos.html

Remember, if you need any advice just send me an email: grahamhowardukpianos.co.uk

4) Classenti digital pianos

I particularly like these pianos. I've seen many raving reviews from delighted customers. Classenti pianos offer a resonant, mellow, realistic piano sound, a real, heavy-weighted, authentic touch (a tad heavier than Yamaha digital pianos... with near perfect weighting). Having only discovered Classenti less than 3 years ago, I'm not sure how reliable these pianos will be over the long term. The 5 year warranty certainly installs confidence though!

Graham Howard's Score Sheet
(Average taken from the following pianos reviewed: CDP1, CDP2, CDP3)

Touch: 8

Sound: 7.5
Design: 8
Build Quality: 7
Reliability: 7.5
Resell Value: 4
Value for money: 8.5
Overall rating: 7.2 out of 10

Advice: If you're buying your first piano and you want a decent sound, a realistic touch at an affordable price, the Classenti CDP1 is for you.
Price: Basic models start at around £550. These pianos are sold exclusively online, so you get more for you money. No retail mark up!
Link: ukpianos.co.uk/classenti-digital-pianos.html

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5) Kurzweil digital pianos

Kurzweil are well known for their stage pianos, keyboards and pro audio products but not so much for their digital pianos. Kurzweil digital pianos have been around for a long time, they have been mainly distributed in America up until recently. The Kurzweil digital piano is very robust and produces a good sound.

Graham Howard's Score Sheet
(Average taken from the following pianos reviewed: SP2, PC3X)

Touch: 8.5

Sound: 7
Design: 7
Build Quality: 8
Reliability: 8
Resell Value: 5
Value for money: 6.5
Overall rating: 7.1 out of 10

Advice: Might be worth trying one out if you can find a Kurzweil digital piano stockist. I've seen these pianos on Ebay.

Price: Check Ebay, as this is probably one of the few places you can find them on the web.
Link: ukpianos.co.uk/kurzweil-digital-pianos.html

Remember, if you need any advice just send me an email: grahamhowardukpianos.co.uk

6) Ketron digital pianos

Ketron make very good digital pianos but they're incredibly expensive, especially the digital grand pianos. If you have money to burn then consider these pianos, otherwise go for one of the big four – Yamaha, Roland, Kawai, or Classenti.

Overall rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Advice: Probably wouldn’t consider a Ketron digital piano unless I had lots of money to throw away, but if you really like the sound - some people do - then go ahead!

Price: Basic models stars from RRP £1299. You probably won’t be able to get much of a discount on a Ketron digital piano, as these pianos are not very popular and there is not much competition online.
Link: ukpianos.co.uk/ketron-digital-pianos.html

7) Casio digital pianos

Casio offer two ranges: The Celviano modes and the Privia.

Celviano

Excellent value for money! Keys are on the heavy side (which is a good thing by the way) and the sound is really good considering the price you pay.

Privia

The privia pianos are a bit of a let down compared with the Celviano range. The sound is weak, the touch feels akward and they look a bit plasticy.
The keys are also rattly and have too much side to side movement. I know they are quite a bit cheaper than most digital pianos but it's far better to spend a little bit more on a Celviano (one of the AP range). A couple of years on you'll be glad you did.

The Casio digital piano has improved vastly over the previous few years. They were considered mediocre a few years ago, unable to shake off their 'calculator' image. But we've seen some signs of improvement lately, albeit slow. The Casio digital pianos are not quite as good as the Roland or the Yamaha but they're generally cheap digital pianos designed for beginners - between half and two thirds the price of the Yamaha and Roland equivalent models.

Graham Howard's Score Sheet
(Average taken from the following pianos reviewed: PX120, PX720, AP500)

Touch: 4

Sound: 4.5
Design: 7
Build Quality: 6
Reliability: 6
Resell Value: 5
Value for money: 6
Overall rating: 5.5 out of 10

Advice: If you need a basic piano with tonnes of versatility (gadgets) then go ahead and buy a Casio digital piano from the Celviano range (Casio AP). You may want to consider the Casio Privia digital piano range if you're short of space, and/or your budget is tight.
Price: Basic models start from RRP £799.99. You should be able to find some great deals on the web.
Casio digital pianos generally sell for around 28-30% off RRP.
Link: ukpianos.co.uk/casio-digital-pianos.html

Remember, if you need any advice just send me an email: grahamhowardukpianos.co.uk

8) Gem digital pianos 

Gem digital pianos look very nice indeed and have a great name behind them. They do lack in quality though, the sound is very poor and they offer a limited range of digital pianos. The piano's has been known to make a squeaking sound (maybe this has been rectified now?) and the keys are quite noisy. They proclaim to use ‘Drake Technology’ in their pianos. Personally I don't think this improves the sound quality at all.

Graham Howard's Score Sheet
(Average taken from the following pianos reviewed: ES6, CL25, CN21, CA91)

Touch: 4.5

Sound: 5.5
Design: 6.5
Build Quality: 5.5
Reliability: 5.5
Resell Value: 3
Value for money: 3
Overall rating: 4.8 out of 10

Advice: Probably wouldn’t consider a Gem digital piano, but if you like the polished ebony look, it is the cheapest digital piano in that particular colour on the market.
Price: Basic models start from RRP £999. You probably won’t be able to get much of a discount on Gem digital pianos, as these pianos are not very popular and there is not much competition online. Very few shops sell Gem pianos. You can find them in Selfridges in London though (But at what price??)

Link: ukpianos.co.uk/gem-digital-pianos.html

9) Korg digital pianos

Korg are perhaps better known for their high end keyboards and stage pianos. They do produce a limited range of digital pianos that offer functions similar to the Casio digital piano.

Korg digital pianos are quite reasonably priced but their performance falls short of the Yamaha, Roland, Kawai and Casio digital pianos.

Graham Howard's Score Sheet
(Average taken from the following pianos reviewed: ES6, CL25, CN21, CA91)

Touch: 4

Sound: 3.5
Design: 3.5
Build Quality: 4
Reliability: 5
Resell Value: 4
Value for money: 3
Overall rating: 3.9 out of 10

Advice: Wouldn’t really consider a Korg digital piano, but some people like their sound.
Price: Basic models start from RRP £999. You should be able to buy a Korg digital piano on the web at around 30-35% off.

Link: ukpianos.co.uk/korg-digital-pianos.html

  
10) Suzuki digital pianos

Suzuki make fantastic motorbikes, but digital pianos??
Yes Suzuki is very famous for their motorbikes but also Suzuki is hugely famous in the world of musical instruments. They are famous for the ‘Suzuki teaching method, they make great violins and bows, recorders, harmonicas, guitars and reasonable acoustic pianos.

Suzuki digital pianos, however, unfortunately don’t quite make the grade.

Graham Howard's Score Sheet
(Average taken from the following pianos reviewed: ES6, CL25, CN21, CA91)

Touch: 2

Sound: 3.5
Design: 3.5
Build Quality: 3.5
Reliability: 4
Resell Value: 4.5
Value for money: 2.5
Overall rating: 3.4 out of 10

Advice: Buy the Suzuki digital piano only if you are on a really tight budget.
Price: Basic model starts from RRP £799. You can pick up generous discounts on Suzuki digital pianos (20-25%).

Link: ukpianos.co.uk/suzuki-digital-pianos.html

More digital pianos

Alesis, Behringer, Bentley, Bohemia, Bohm, Brodmann, Chase, Daewoo, Delson, Digiano, Diginova, Digitech, Dynatone, Ensonio, Farfisa, Galileo, Gear4Music, Goldberg, Hammond, Hemingway, M-Audio, Mantova, Minster, Orla, Pianonova, Robertson, Samick, Sejung, Solton, Technics (no longer in production), Thomann, Viscount Allegro, Wersi, Williams, Winchester.

These digital pianos vary in quality and have not been reviewed yet.

Now you're armed with the right information you can go out and buy a digital piano with confidence. Don’t take too much notice if you feel you're being pushed towards any particular digital piano.

Ask the piano salesman to demonstrate a few different piano brands and then make the decision yourself based on the above information and what you feel is right for your needs.

If you're thinking of buying a digital piano or an upright piano you can find most makes and models here: ukpianos.co.uk. If you can't find what you're looking for, or you want to shop around then I also recommend The Thomann Cyberstore, or Dolphin Music - they're both 100% trustworthy companies. And you can be sure of getting some of the best deals on the internet.

Best of luck and I hope you enjoy your new digital piano!

Remember, if you need any advice just send me an email: grahamhowardukpianos.co.uk

Please note. This article is copyright and protected by: . You may publish this article on your website or ezine providing you leave the article "as is" and retain the author's biography box.

About The Author

My name is Graham Howard. I'm a piano advisor and enjoy sharing my knowledge and passion for music and hope you find this article useful. I'm currently the chief writer for http://www.ukpianos.co.uk. Sign up to my free newsletter and receive free monthly piano tips. You can get my newsletter by visiting this page: http://ukpianos.co.uk/uk-pianos-newsletter.html. If you want some free piano lessons, I've written a beginner's course
here: http://www.ukpianos.co.uk/free-online-piano-lessons.html

[Do as you please with this article but keep my links in tact]

Do you want to use this article on your website? ukpianos.co.uk gives you permission to copy this article and use it, providing you include this author's biography box.

Questions, reviews and comments on this article

Dear Graham,
 
I went through your article on "which brand should I buy". Indeed I want to buy a digial piano to learn the piano (I have never practised so far), so I'm far from a specialist in pianos sounds...
I went into a first shop & listened to Yamaha clavinovas & Casios and I definitely preferred the Yamahas. Then I went into  another shop & listened to the Kawai digital pianos and I then preferred the Yamahas. The salesmen in both shops were very nice & didn't try to influence me, they just let me listened.. I'm hesitating between the Clavinova CLP230 & the Kawai CN31 both on the same prices... I listened to both of them and I preferred the Kawai sounds... however since I don't know pianos I was confused by your ratings with Clavinova ranging firsts... Have you any advice on the new kawai CN31 ?
What do you think I should choose?
Many thanks in advance for your help !
Stéphanie
Reply/ Hi Stephanie
I have heard a lot of good comments lately about Kawai digital pianos.
I did this comparison and review a while ago and having played
the latest Kawai models - I have to say they are definitely improving!
Still I would go for the Yamaha though. The touch is superb (close
your eyes and you are playing an acoustic piano). The sound on
the Yamaha has the edge over every digital piano on the market.

How long this will continue... who knows?
Stephanie, can I post your question and my answer along with your
name on the ukpianos.co.uk website? It is a good question and
other users would really appreciate the advice given in my reply.
Of course I won't publish your email address on the site.

Regards,
Graham Howard
UK Pianos

Further comments/

Hi graham,
 
Many thanks for your answer; I bought the Yamaha CLP 230 mostly based on your recommandations & on the fact they were at the same price. If the Kawai had been cheaper, I would have gone for it because it has more piano sounds & more features... however I had the opportunity to listen to both in the same shop this morning and I finally went for the yamaha..
There's no pb for publishing my answer & your question since your site has been of much help to me &I would be pleased if it could help someone else.. (sorry for my english, I am a french expatriate living in Australia, so...)
Kind regards,

Stéphanie

Dear Sir,
 
Many thanks for your article 'digital pianos - which brand should I buy?'. I have carefully read the article and it was really useful to get an insight of the quality and prices of different brand of digital pianos.
 
I do have a Casio PS3000 digital piano and I can say I am satisfied with the quality of the sound produced and it was really good value for money, although I do not have it with me right now and I do really miss playing the piano as I am an international student at the University of Birmingham and finding a piano to play is not an easy job at all.

I bought my Casio it for $1000 and it has a really good sound similar to the yamaha which is more expensive but with no additional features compared to casio, almost the same sound quality. I even found casio better than yamaha. Hope to get more articles related to digital pianos. Wish you good luck in you work.

Regards,

Rami Al Ashi

Question/

Thank you for this very informative article. Roland sounds good. Is the feel of the keys like that of a piano, or is it as light as the keyboard? Since I am a beginner, I have been asking every one for advice. I would value yours.

Thanks, Indira

Answer/

The key weight on digital pianos is lighter than most upright pianos and much heavier than keyboards, as a general rule.

You need to make sure that the digital piano has a weighted action because there are some digitals out there that have keys weighted the same as a keyboard - for example the Roland EP760.

The exception to the rule tends to be modern uprights, especially the cheaper end of Yamaha, Kemble and Kawai pianos where the key weight is almost identical to a digital piano.

So, it really depends on which type of piano you are comparing with.

As far as the Roland goes, the touch is on the light side, but much heavier than a keyboard. I would say that the Roland's key touch is not far away from a brand new Yamaha upright piano with the exception of their Chinese model C110A which has a heavy touch.

Here is a list of the best digital pianos in order of key weight. I have listed the heaviest touch first: (Heavy doesn't always mean better!)

1) Casio
2) Suzuki
3) Yamaha
4) Kawai
5) Korg
6) Roland
7) Technics
8) Ketron
9) Gem

My recommendation is to go for either the Roland or the Yamaha.

Graham Howard

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