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Are there any known reviewer of digital pianos that doesn't work for a manufacturer or a music-store?

Yes.

You can find the most useful reviews in forums and sometimes on reddit. Just have a search around in these forums and also some others. Are there particular make/models which you are looking for?

PianoManChuck on YouTube used to be "just a regular guy" (gigging musician) reviewing digital pianos.

He's now selling some brands too as a one man business I believe. That doesn't necessarily mean that he has suddenly become biased. Especially as he's selling many brands and not just one.

I'm primarily looking for the usual suspects within the $0-$2000 slab range.

Are there people who do regular reviews? Whos channel/site you would always visit before making a purchase?

There's also Tim Praskins:

https://azpianonews.blogspot.com

The problem is, he sells pianos, so he may be biased by:

. . . What he sells, and doesn't sell, and
. . . what his profit margin is.

As a source for information (as opposed to opinions), he's pretty good.

Does he lay out all the shortcomings of the products he comments on?

Would those of you who've used the Kawai VPC1 say the following vid by Smart Classical Piano is credible? He does say this instrument is as good as you're gonna get which is quite inspiring, but if it has shortcomings beyond its functionality it would be nice to know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wewjZG2KmHs

"Missing features" -- something you'd expect to find, and it's not there -- he catches those.

But subtle subjective stuff -- too-short sustain, inadequate resonance -- sometimes it's mentioned, sometimes it's not.

IMO, the only reviews I need are the ones I conduct myself, in the store with fingers on the keyboard.
Do any other reviews matter to you? Not to me they don't.

I would always worry that negative reviews, particularly from high profile reviewers, is going to attract legal attention. I suspect that is why I find on-line reviews of almost anything only good for fact research. Where negative reviews exist, such as customer reviews on amazon - mostly it is difficult to really draw conclusions since there are others with opposite opinions.

I don't think that bad reviews are squelched by negative legal consequences.

Instead I think that positive reviews are touted for positive commercial outcomes. That is, web sites are powered by advertising revenue. And positive reviews attract advertisers.

For that reason I pay no heed to reviews. They're meant to influence me.

But I don't need such influences. I prefer to be influenced by "reviews" conducted by my own fingers and ears.

Around these parts, negative reviews tend to rile the ire of a given brand’s camp followers.... it may take a while but if you have doubts, do the due, spend some time in the archives here, RAFOFY.

3Macs advice is the soundest.

ha! thought that was a soft drink!? good one!

pianomanchucky can definitely show bias.
he did a vid on a new product, and promoted it on a forum.....along with touting he can offer it at a low price, without having played it yet.

Clueless: Just wondering if you have made a decision on a digital piano yet ?

Have you made a purchase ?

...the writing and presentation style is like it's from the 90s or something...

I've found pianobuyer.com very helpful, but they don't review a large number of digital pianos. Other than that, reading forums like this one helps quite a bit, especially as there aren't many shops in my area which stock those in which I'm interested.

I've also found some YouTube channels--retailer related and otherwise--and even seller websites to be quite useful, particularly when they play the instrument(s) and allow the listener to hear them, including comparisons. I've found PianoManChuck's videos quite helpful, as well as a UK music store's (Bonner's, I think). Of course you have to consider recording technique, YouTube compression, your playback, etc., but it helps when something isn't available to try.

Sure, PianoBuyer operates with a small staff which limits how many reviews we can do. For that matter, trying to select independent reviewers for each issue can be tricky and time-consuming, when I'm not writing reviews myself. The most recent hardware review we've done is of a newer Dexibell model (there's some video content accompanying this review) and we have a Pianoteq review in the pipeline which will likely feature a new virtual piano that hasn't been released yet. That's probably a month out (or so).

If you have specific suggestions for gear you want reviewed, we're happy to hear from you, so long as you understand that we might release 4-6 in-depth digital reviews per year. Also, the comments section of our online reviews has been live for some time; Larry Fine and I do read your comments.

I've decided to go for an entry level piano. I've been looking at reviews from many of the ones proposed here and found a lot of useful info. Thanks

Thanks for the response. I didn't mean not reviewing a large number of digital pianos as a criticism but rather noted it so the asker doesn't expect an exhaustive set. I've been very impressed with the reviews in the publication I've read, as well as some of the YouTube videos. I am curious why the Roland FP-90 didn't make it into the latest issue's Staff Picks given how I read the review, and I'll watch to see if the Dexibell makes the list in the next edition.

As for additional suggestions, I have a general one that isn't very practical, given what it would take to test. I'd like to know how a digital piano fares after a few months or more of daily practice by a serious student and above. That may be information best gleaned from forum and owners' experience, however. Finally, thanks for all the work and information you provide, and I'm looking forward to the Fall issue.