Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards 8 year old suzuki vs new casio

I am soon going to buy a full sized digital keyboard. My son will be performing in some concerto competition this summer and needs something to practice on while we vacation in the woods. (Electricity is available.) My budget is as low as I can possibly get away with. I was looking at the casio cdp-120 for $400. I'd guess I'd have to buy a cheap, folding stand for whatever that costs.

My friend wants to sell me his 8 year old Suziki hp-8 for $300. I tried it out and it feels like a nice keyboard to me. It works. It comes with a stand for household use. I'd guess I'd also have to buy the folding stand for travel.

I don't know much about keyboards, but I was hoping we could use whatever we got in our house for regular use. Our piano is 100 years old and not the best quality. It would also be nice to have one child practicing on the piano and another on the keyboard in times of conflict.

Which keyboard should I choose?

If your son is playing in a competition...don't you think he would need something that isnt a cheap keyboard to practice on? I wouldn't pick either of them to be honest.

Maybe you can get a P95 for him.

The Casio CDP120 is a quite decent entry level digital piano. It is comparable with the Yamaha P95.

To be honest, I have never heard good reports about Suzuki pianos, but neither have I actually had any experience of them.

Your son would certainly need a firm base for the keyboard (solid stand or, at a pinch, a table or desk) and a good pair of headphones would probably be useful. And you need an adjustable bench to be at the right height - can be a folding stool.

One might also review what is on eBay (near you) and also Craigslist. You may find a good used article that is almost new and has some great features for a bargain price.

If you're son is performing competitively, he will need something with a good action. The Casio Privia series, starting with the PX-130 offers the biggest bang for the buck, IMO, having decent piano sounds as well as an acceptable action. I would suggest heading to Guitar Center this weekend, armed with their 15% discount coupon (downloadable) and grabbing one.

Got my coupon. I think we'll go in today to look around. Except casio and yamaha are some of the brands I can't use the coupon for.

I'm seeing "mfg 2000" written on the suzuki manual, so I think the keyboard is actually 12 years old, not 8.

So, the casio px-130 is good? Is $425 a good price for one that's 2 months old? It's just the keyboard. It happens to be located in the same city as the guitar center store. I'm thinking I'd go to the store first and then to the private seller. (I live an hour away.)

Be aware that once you're in the store, you'll be able to negotiate with the sales guys using the discount. They always declare that major companies are not participating to protect MAP levels, but face-to-face things are different.

I think you can judge how good the secondhand price is once you've seen the best GC can offer on a new one.

I hope I did okay. I came home with a yamaha p95 with folding stand, 2 yr warranty, and padded bag. (Good thing I got the bag because the box didn't fit in the van.) The coupon worked:) I paid under $700 and the deal is done, so don't tell me I can do better;)

Just make sure you don't look on Amazon then.

Good luck to you and your son, and I hope you both enjoy the P95.