Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Casio PX-850 vs. Roland KR-177

I need to buy a piano for my daughter that just started taking lessons.
She seems to be very interested and spends all her free time in front of a keyboard. Since she is taking it very seriously I want buy something good that she could use for the next five years or more.

Based on my research I can get a new Casio PX-850 or a used Roland KR-177 for about the same price (around $1,000).
I also read some reviews stating that this model of Casio is very close to higher levels of Roland or Yamaha but is much cheaper. I do like the reviews but I don’t want to cheap out.

Which model is considered to be better if used primarily for practice purposes? Or maybe I should get her a more expensive model?

Thanks,

Alex

The Roland KR-177 is almost 12 years old. I expect it was a top of the range model back in the day, but by today's standards, I doubt the keyboard action or sound technology can compete with a new, entry-level instrument.

If I was in your position, I would almost certainly opt for the new Casio.

Kind regards,
James
x

Scanning the web, it looks like when new the KR-177 was selling at around US$3000, though oddly it seemed to be more around US$1500 in Europe at the time. Given the age, I doubt it'd be superior to the new ones at $1000, let alone the issues of wear and lack of warranty. I like the idea of reuse of old stuff rather than using lots of resources making new stuff, but in this case that one seems a bit high in price.

The comparison of digital pianos is rather subjective. Some people would prefer the sound and feel of that Casio to a much more expensive Roland or Yamaha, whereas others would have a clear preference for models such as the Roland F-120, Yamaha YDP-161 or a Kawai over the Casio.

Normally that decision is settled by the buyers own personal preference, though in this case if you don't play piano yourself, that's a bit harder. I guess you can go a bit on whether you prefer the sound of one over another, but overall that model of Casio seems suited to your purpose.

Thanks, I'll go with Casio then

Depending on what you want to do with it, the portability of the 350 might be something that makes it more useful and enriching for the person who is going to use it.

I have the Casio Privia PX-150($599, US). It has the same sound engine as the PX-350 and also the PX-850(I think). I love my Casio. I have a 6yr old that will be taking lessons very soon and she will be using the PX-150.

I would never buy a second hand DP unless it was a real bargain and it was in perfect condition and almost unplayed. DP's are prone to breakdowns trough the years when mid to heavy use. Also, as Kawai James already pointed, even if the KR-177 you are looking at was new and totally unused, it still uses quite old technology from 2000. It even lacks graded weight keyboard.

In this concrete case, I wouldn't think twice, I would go for the brand new Casio without any doubt.

Alex,

Unless something better comes along before Christmas, I'm going to buy a PX-850 too, for my wife and myself. Both of us took piano lessons when we were kids. Now she's retired and I will be within a few years, so it's time to stretch and have fun at the same time.

After researching a bunch of DPs, I found that the sound and action quality advances in the past three to four years at a much lower price are pretty astounding (to me at least). I looked at DPs about six years ago. At that time the only thing I could find that felt and sounded decent was over $2,000. Having played (very poorly) a new PX-350 this week, the quality was amazing for $800 (street price). The probability of finding a used piano in good condition for the price of a PX-350 or PX-850 is infinitesimal, IMO.

Why did I play a PX-350 and not an PX-850? Because the piano dealer's only PX-850 was purchased in the box before it ever hit the showroom floor.

They had one PX-150 and two PX-350's on the floor. The PX-150 felt and sounded very nice. The PX-350 had more features, and sounded and played very nicely too. They got in PX-150's, PX-350's, one PX-750, and one PX-850. Apparently there is interest in the others, but the PX-850 sold instantly. At that price, it's are a bargain.

The store has three more PX-850's on order now. One will probably be mine. Word to the wise... A PX-150 or PX350 might work well to, but if you've made up your mind on the PX-850 and want it for Christmas, I'd suggest moving quickly.

Regards,

Dan.

Did you get your PX-850? How do you like it? I have one on order now but won't receive it until around March.

I was also considering a Kawai CE220 (or another Kawai) but it's quite a bit more and the closest Kawai dealer is over 2 hours away.