Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Recommend a Beginner Keyboard for a Friend?

A friend of mine just retired and is considering learning piano. (She has a bit of piano experience from 20-25 years ago, but would just about be starting fresh.) She's not sure how well she will take to it, or whether she will want to really commit to it. So, for now, she just wants a taste of piano at as low a cost as possible.

In an online search, she found the Casio CTK 3200 61 key keyboard, and asked me what I thought. (Actually, she asked me about the CTK 2400, but I wouldn't recommend it because it lacks weighted keys.)

Does anyone have any thoughts about the Casio CTK 3200, or are there other low-cost keyboards to consider for her purposes? (at about the same price point).

Thanks!

Given that she has some piano experience, I would honestly say go and buy a digital piano with 88 weighted keys, rather than a cheap keyboard. You would be better off buying one of these used, than a brand new sprung keyboard. Just my opinion!

Take her to Guitar Center and/or Sam Ash for a few hours and have her try everything they offer. Stage or slab type are convenient because you can stash them in a closet when you need the room.

+1 for getting 88-key digital piano rather than a keyboard. Look into used options or refurbished via Guitar Center and Sam Ash. Casio PX models are good and economical, but in the used market you may find a good deal with other brands as well.

Since your friend has some past piano experience albeit ~20 years ago she will, I beleive, quickly become unhappy with a unweighted keyboard. The Casio CTK 3200 has touch sensitive, NOT weighted keys.

Having zero musical experience when I began piano lessons, I purchsed a Casio 61 key, touch sensitive keyboard, having many bells & whistles but it did not have FULL sized, WEIGHTED keys. Within 6 months I was looking to replace it. The difference in touch, key length/size, sound etc. between it and the accoustic on which I took my lessons was, for me, frustrating.

If she is uncertain whether or not she's will to commit to the piano, I suggest she rent a keyboard for a month or so. Where I live the cost of renting a keyboard is quite reasonable.

+2 for staying away from anything less than 88 hammer-weighted keys.

Given your assessment of the situation, the Casio PX 160 is about the least expensive product out there in a current model DP that will provide a decent approximation of a real piano sound and action, with few bells & whistles, for about $500 US. Good luck.

Thank you for correcting me. Yes, I meant touch sensitivity, not weighted keys.

Although I agree with everyone's assessment that she should raise her sites (and budget), I can't convince her of that. So let me be a bit clearer.....

She generally has no problem with spending more to get quality - but only when she is sure of her continued use of/interest in whatever she is purchasing. At this point, she is not sure of her continued interest in piano. Therefore, she does not want to spend more money than $100-$150, and is fully aware that this might be money down the drain if/when she commits to piano long term. In other words, she'd rather gamble on a cheap keyboard that she might outgrow (even quickly) than on a larger purchase that she ultimately ends up not using.

So, based on that reality, as far as 61-key keyboards in the $100-$150 price range go, does anyone have thoughts on this Casio model vs something else?

Regarding renting a keyboard, there are not many places that will do that in our area unfortunately. And the monthly rate for the one rental that I can locate locally will exceed in two months the cost of this Casio keyboard.

Of course, purchasing used off of Craigslist, etc might be an option....

Thanks again.

Based on that price, she should rent a piano for a few months. Then purchase an 88-key DP if she wants to continue.

She could try the lowest-price, touch-sensitive Yamaha PSR or Casio CTK, 61-key (or more) keyboards. I think that's the CTK-3200 for Casio (around $130 new, online), and PSR-353 for Yamaha.

. . . Any keyboard is better than no keyboard.

We can argue all we want that she should spend more money, but it's _her_ decision, not ours. And if she doesn't like the action, or the sounds, it's _her_ mistake, not ours. And she can fix it. There's an active "low-end" used market on Craigslist (or local bulletin boards).

I agree with John Sprung -- if possible, get her into a Guitar Center, or some other music store with a decent selection, and try out some keyboards.

Guitar Center has a large variety of used instruments, at decent prices, and they ship store-to-store at reasonable cost. It might be worth looking through their "used" list of keyboards, specifying a price cutoff.

She could also rent a digital piano -- Yamaha P115 / P105 or Casio PX-150 / PX-160 -- for a while, to see if she enjoys playing it, or not. Those are 88-key, fully-weighted instruments. Rental for a P115 might be around $30 per month, and (at some stores) could be applied to purchase.

As long as she is aware that an initial $100 - $150 investment in a keyboard rather than a piano may ( operative word) be the reason she does not develop continued interest in piano, she can probably get a velocity-sensing model for under $100. I had a 61-key Acorn brand velocity-sensing keyboard controller, new, cost about $95, but required a usb host / pc or midi device for sound source. If the Casio you mentioned has its own self-contained sound generator, for 100-150, go for it.

~$150 can be hard price point to match. Craigslist might be an option if you're patient. Sometimes there will be a listing on ebay for about that much if you don't mind some dents/cracks/broken speakers. Yamaha's entry level, the p45 (p71 on amazon) has been as cheap as ~$300 new if you wait for a deal. Casio's CDP line can be had new in the $250-350 range. Not their newest action, but better than the one you linked to. Would your friend consider buying something a bit nicer, then selling it if the hobby doesn't stick?

This argument is understandable but still, she has to accept reality. She cannot simply pick a price point to get into a hobby and then expect the universe to accommodate that. It's the other way round: Reality defines the minimum price point. For the piano hobby, that price point (if you want to buy, not rent) is noticeably above 150$, unless you get very lucky with a used purchase. You can get into the keyboard playing hobby for this money, but not into piano playing. Is she aware of this distinction? Because what she plans is akin to buying cross country skiing equipment (because it is cheaper) to see if you like downhill skiing. Or a squash racket to see if you like tennis. In both cases, there's a similarity and you can theoretically use this incorrect equipment, but there is a high chance that you will end up saying that you actually don't like the hobby only because you tried it out with the wrong equipment.

TL;DR the reality is: if you want to see if you like the hobby piano playing, then you need to get a piano, not a different (although similar looking) instrument. No amount of "but I don't want to spend so much money" will change that.

Personally, I second the advice of renting. That seems to cover the situation well: not much money needed to begin and the fact that this small(er) initial amount is lost if she eventually buys doesn't seem to bother her.

Thank you for understanding the situation. We have a Guitar Center about 45 miles away, and it indeed has a decent selection of keyboards - but I don't think I've ever seen a used one or a rental offer there.

Used or (especially) rental would be ideal. Are you saying that GC offers these options?

Thanks.

I'm certain that she's not aware of the distinction and, frankly I'm not sure I am either. Could you elaborate on this a bit? Is the only distinction the action and "feel" or is there something else to consider? Note that she's not interested in playing classical music -- she wants to learn to play mostly pop, so perhaps a keyboard (vs a DP) might work for her anyway?

With all that said, I agree that renting would be the best option during this "try out period". But, I don't know where to look to rent. Do you have some possible sources to explore? The only place that I know that rents is the dealer where I bought my acoustic.

He will rent a Kawai digital (I don't remember the model) for $80/month. At that price she'll exceed her "tryout" budget in only 2 months.

Thanks.

Not hard to find:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Services/Rentals/

This may be a service oriented toward professional musicians, rather than students. But it's worth looking at.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/

I've bought two "used" items from GC. Both had reasonable prices, were "as advertised", and I picked them up at a local GC store, after having them shipped. I live in Canada -- that "store pickup" saved me quite a bit of money on shipping costs.

When I re-started piano, after a very long lapse, I took out an old Korg X5D 61-key synth and started practicing. I got a weighted-action DP within a few months:

. . . I couldn't get consistent dynamics, with that synth action, and

. . . I knew that extended practicing on that action would adversely affect my "piano touch".

But there _are_ people who are good with synth actions, and like them. As with most things, there are worse ones, and better ones. There's quite a difference between playing a Yamaha PSR-353, and a Yamaha MOXF6.

Interesting. At least in the states, every time I've looked at getting a used item shipped to the local GC for pickup, they charge me for shipping, so it ends up being the exact same price as if I just have it shipped to my home. It's made me wonder what the point is of in-store pickup, other than not being around to sign for a delivery...

Try other acoustic piano dealers in the area. However, even if she can only "afford" 2 months, that will be plenty of time for her to figure out if she likes it or not.

But then, if she can't afford more than that, then is it really an issue of not wanting to shell out money right away for something that won't stick, and more an issue of she just only has a budget of $150?

Your OP sounded like she was willing to "throw away" $150 to test things out, and would invest in a nicer instrument after she tried piano out. But is that her budget completely?

Just a bit over budget. Not the nicest piano, but worth considering.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Casio/CDP130-Digital-Piano-112706183.gc

Used (buyer beware) Yamaha P95 with stand, 3-pedals, carry case, headphones and original factory box, on Ebay, current bid $105. , 2 days 9hours remaining.


p95 on ebay

I searched my local Craigslist for "PSR" -- there are a bunch of used Yamaha keyboards for sale, many for under $200, some specifying "touch sensitive". "Local purchase" lets you check all the keys and buttons and knobs.