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Digital Piano Shopping Tips

Posted by in Buyers Guides on April 03, 2013 . 1 Comments.

Shopping Tips

Purchasing a digital piano can be a difficult process, especially for beginner pianists or parents with no knowledge of the instrument buying one for their children. For more experienced players, it is perhaps not so difficult when it comes to the selection process as they know which instrument sounds and feels right for them, but when it comes to selecting the exact model and which features they really need, it can still become quite confusing. Here a few basic shopping tips that could prove very useful when it comes to making your decision.

Initial Planning

Whatever your reason for buying a digital piano, there are several important factors to consider. Some of these may sound fairly obvious, but sometimes even basic things can get overlooked. If the piano has to fit in with your home furnishing, think what the instrument needs to look like, the color it should be, and importantly the size. For some, the size might not be an important factor, but we have know several people over the years that have said, after the piano has been delivered “It didn’t look that big in the picture!”

If the digital is to replace an acoustic piano, you will already have the space, but don’t forget with the added convenience of a digital, you may wish to position the piano in a different place. If you’re buying a portable instrument for gigging or maybe taking to church, make sure it’s a manageable weight and size.

Budget

Only you can decide how much you are able to spend. It is important to set yourself a budget, but allow for a bit of flexibility if you can. We are not here to tell you what to spend, but to give some advice on what you will get for the money you do spend. If you are looking at a more traditional looking home furniture style instrument you will have probably noticed that a quality instrument costs a fair bit more. Improved cabinets and larger speaker systems add a great deal of cost to an instrument. The three most popular brands in the higher price level are Yamaha, Roland and Kawai. There are several other brands worth considering, and there are some that are also less well know, which appear to offer similar facilities to the top brands at a lower price. But like most things, you generally get what you pay for, and quite often these lower priced bargains end up being inferior instruments utilising older technology.

The lower to mid price range offers the greatest choice of makes and models, as this is the biggest selling section of the market. Once again there are the quality brands, and those that appear to offer a lot for the money, but are often lower quality.

The important thing to remember is that improved technology has enabled manufacturers to produce lower priced quality instruments. Ten years ago there were very few digital pianos under $1000, and now there are a lot to choose from, and many make excellent instruments for learning. However, if you want a quality instrument in a more solid cabinet, with a better and larger speaker system, and a fuller sound, you will need to spend more money ($2000-$5000) Yamaha, Roland and Kawai all produce instruments in this, and a higher price range, including models in mini grand piano style cabinets that cost a great deal more. Often, these feature the same as one of the lower priced models, but the cabinet adds hugely to the selling price. If you have the space and are prepared to spend the money, they certainly look and sound fantastic.

Budgeting can be difficult when you’re perhaps not entirely sure of your exact requirements, so you will certainly need to do some research before you can determine what you need to spend. There is plenty of information available on the internet with regard to pricing of lower to mid priced instruments, but you may need to visit a digital piano dealer to find out information and cost of more expensive models.

Your requirements and expectations

A digital piano can be purchased for many different uses, and there a models to suit different applications and different price ranges. When buying an acoustic piano, there is only one sound to consider, but this is not the case with a digital. The starting point, certainly for a beginner, has to be the piano sound. But what other features do you need?

Well, for serious learning you will need, quality feel and action, pedals that function as close to an acoustic piano as possible and an instrument that is solidly built with a bench that is the appropriate height. … It is very difficult to practice properly on a portable piano wobbling around on an X style keyboard stand at the wrong height.

If you already play, you will have more of an idea of what sounds and features you are looking for, and will find it easier to narrow down the list of models that may be suitable. If you are looking for one of the higher priced instruments you will have to visit the dealers who sell the models in question, as they will not be available online. If you are a beginner, you may feel you don’t have the knowledge to compare, one against the other, so take your time. Don’t rush into buying anything on impulse, or just by listening to a demo on the internet. As a beginner you may decide to purchase an inexpensive instrument as a starter, and then replace it a few years down the line when you can make a more informed decision and have made some progress with your playing.

Which brand should I buy?

There are many brands of digital piano, and most manufacturers offer a large range of models. Companies like Yamaha offer models in all price ranges, while others such as Casio, tend to produce products in the lower to mid price range. Roland, Kawai and Kurzweil feature more at the mid to higher price range. There is also a whole selection of other less well known brands, some of which are pretty reasonable and others that perhaps should be avoided. Most online retailers will carry several brands where as a retail store may limit to one or two brands and obviously tell you that those are the best. If you stick with one of the main manufacturers, you will end up with a quality product. While you may not get as many features for your money as some of the less well known cheaper brands, you will have a much better instrument with a better sound.

Online or Retail store?

The internet has changed the way we purchase many things over the last 10 years. Internet shopping has increased and changed the face of retail ( and driven down prices)

Many stores have disappeared over the last few years because they have failed to embrace online selling, and this is certainly the case with musical instruments.

If you are thinking of buying one of the higher priced models chances are you will have to find your nearest dealer, because most models will not be available online. Should you happen to live in an area where there is a good music store, it’s certainly worth paying a visit to listen to and compare various instruments. Naturally any store will always recommend the models they sell, and a salesperson may try to convince you to buy, but take your time and don’t be rushed into making a decision too quickly. A good local dealer should offer good advice. After all, they will want you to return to the store to buy music books and other accessories, or maybe to actually take music lessons, if they offer them. They would not want an unhappy customer.

The lower priced products are available from many more outlets. Some models are available from Costco and other similar stores, but I would always recommend that you buy from a dealer that specializes in digital pianos, and offers a range of different brands. These specialist dealers should have sales people, either in-store, via email, or to talk with on the telephone, who can offer good advice. Many of the larger internet dealers will also have online demos of the products they sell, to provide further information, although the quality of these can vary considerably!

 

Last update: February 24, 2014

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