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HS graduation gift for intermediate to advanced classical solo pianist (Yamaha upright acoustic). Grad wants to learn blues/rock - jams only occassionally at this point. Need advice on something around $1000 for dorm room.

Any suggestions?

Yamaha P155

Think about how the piano will be used. Will he need to use an x-stand and then put it away in a gigbag and lean it against a wall when not in use. If so be sure and budget for a stand (get at least a "double X" stand" and a gigbag or transport case as things leaning on walls get kicked or fall down. These will take a bite out of the $1K budget.

But if the piano can be left setup then there are other options but I doubt a freshman doom room has enough extra space for a piano. So you might be looking at a portable setup

The above suggestion for a P155 is good. That's what I have. But the normal selling price is $1,200 and if a stand and case is needed that can add another $200. If you can't go that high then the Casio sells for 500

Thanks for the reply.

Here is the latest...........Was going o pull trigger on P155 online w/stand and (cheap) phones for ~$1200. Found CP33 in local Guitar Center for $850 - seemed like quite a deal - especially since it puts me back to $1K with essential accessories.

So I am now leaning toward CP33 for these reasons:
Price
Local store (easily returned if it necessary)
Son can make his own call on speakers.

I know there are a lot of CP33 v P155 posts, but I am decidedly a layman on this topic. Am I missing anything?

The p155 has built in speakers, the CP33 does not. I chose the CP33 because the action, which is supposedly the same, is a little heavier on the CP33 which I like and I used studio monitors and a software piano anyway.

For a stand-alone unit, the p155 is a little newer and a little better.

You can't go wrong with either one, though. The internal speakers are the main difference.

Speakers will kill any price advantage. This weekend get 15% off the P155 (or the CP33) II assume he will not need a lot of volume in a drom room but bass extention is required. Hard to get that for the price difference between the CP33 and P155. Both are good pianos. the specs on the P155 are better then the CP33 but CP33 is a better MIDI controller for performers on stage.

If he could make the speakers work double duty for the stereo too then the CP33 makes some sense too.

Thanks for all the great feedback................

Not to kick a dead horse, but how big a difference in the MIDI controller and why is it of particular importance for stage performance?

The CP33 has both pitch and mod wheels on it. The pitch wheel changes or "bends" the pitch, and the mod wheel can change some other assignable parameter, like the cutoff frequency of a filter for example, or more often vibrato depth.

Since built-in speakers aren't a strong requirement, I'd go with the CP33.

If a dorm room means that other people will share it, forget the speakers and buy the best headphones that are within budget. "Open" phones let a little sound in and out, but are much more comfortable for extended playing.

Posted this a year ago and never pulled the trigger (bought laptop instead). Now I am checking to see if anything new has come out to rethink the CP-33 or P155 dilemma. Any thoughts?

Need advice on something around $1000 for dorm room.

Yamaha CP33.

I own the CP5 and all things considered, for the intended use, the CP33 would be more than acceptable and even cheaper than the CP5.

Invest also in a good stand (that typically rules out an X stand) and headphones and you're set.

Getting back to the old message about what makes the CP33 a better MIDI controller for live perforance... besides pitch and mod wheels... it functions as a two zone controller for any other sound source you may attach (complete with the ability to store, in its own presets, MIDI program changes to send to other devices, separate for each zone, including volume levels, octave transpositions, etc.). Great feature if you need it.

I just bought a CP33 and I'm hard-pressed to tell the difference between its action and that of my piano teacher's Kawai acoustic upright. The main Grand Piano sound is great...the rest of them are kind of blah.