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My kids are doing Grade 4 exams. (Ireland)
I'd expect at least one of them to go on through all the grades. She likes it a lot, and seems quite capable.

We looked at a number of pianos to upgrade from our very old Casio CDP 100

* Yamaha 164
* Casio 860
* Korg C1 Air

They want one that's more like an acoustic, as the exams are all on "real pianos".

They did not like the key action on the Casio, were not all that impressed with the Yamaha and loved the Korg's keys and the sound too.
I know it's VERY subjective, so I'm not looking for opinions on which is better, THEY like the Korg.

I don't know enough to have any form of opinion, The Question is Can they use a Korg C1 Air all the way to grade 8?

Unless there's a show stopper, we'll almost certainly go with that. But if there's a show stopper, I'd prefer to know now rather than when one of them gets to grade 6 or 7

Any thoughts?

Hello DublinBoatBuilder, welcome to the forum.

Out of the three you list, I would probably opt for the Yamaha YDP-164, as it arguably I personally believe it offers the most realistic keyboard action and sound out of three, and is obviously produced by a well-known piano manufacturer.

I'm obviously a little biased, however as an alternative, you might also wish to consider the Kawai CN27 (or recently announced CN29), which is a close competitor with the Yamaha for the same reasons.

Whether or not any of these instruments will serve your children up to grade 8 is another topic. I'm more inclined to think that the Yamaha and Kawai are a little more suited to this purpose, however if/when your children reach grade 5, it might still be worth considering an upgrade as acknowledgement for their efforts.

Best of luck with your search!

Kind regards,
James
x

I have not found anywhere local to try out the kawai ...
I'm not inclined to buy it without the girls trying it out

Have you tried Pianos Plus? It's just off the M50 near the Naas Road. They have a selection of Roland, Kawai, and Yamaha on their digital floor.

It's very near X-Music who stock Roland, Yamaha, and Casio, but I don't know how good their demo stock is. It might be worth dropping in if you're visiting Pianos Plus.

Yes, +1 on Pianos Plus.

James
x

the Korg is €830 delivered
the Cn27 I can see for €1030

Given that they like the sound and feel of the Korg....

The Korg is going back to the shop. A strange sound when releasing c# and some of the keys around it was really annoying. It was there on speaker and headphones. The girls piano teacher noticed it too. Not getting another Korg, as it's not obvious why this problem happened. We did not notice this on the g1 in the shop, but it was noisier.
The can might get a look in yet. I think it's down to the ydp 163/4 or the cn27

Not all Korg digital pianos will have this problem. If you read the DP section of this forum you'll quickly realise that all the brands experience issues every now and then - noisy keys, odd loud notes etc. It's not just confined to Korg. Obviously you've lost confidence with korg and you may well be right in choosing another brand.
As for your original question regarding the grades. All three are good enough to get anyone to grade 8 standard. The problem is going straight from a DP to an acoustic without any practice time on an acoustic. It's a very sharp transition. That applies to any DP.

Gear4music has a great deal on the CN27 for €993 at the moment. I played one yesterday and it's great, especially for that price. There might be coming even better deals as the new CN29's are hitting the stores and they're selling their CN27 stock.

Going to try to play on one this weekend. If the kids like the feel of it, that's what we'll go for. Otherwise it's going to be the YDP 163

Are your boats built in Dublin; or are you Dublin, the boat builder?
I stand at the edge, confused, and slightly off-kilter.

It is fortunate that my fellow Dubliner is building boats and not me. If I even put a toy boat in a bath it would sink.

Plastic ducks are perhaps more reliable in that regard?

I built a Glen L 14 sail boat, in my back yard in dublin.
You can see it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE10wknqomQ
Or a picture here http://davesboat.blogspot.com/2011/08/ready-to-rock.html

Bear in mind that I was still trying to figure out how to sail when that video was taken....

Hence the Name Dublin Boat Builder, albeit that's a hobby, along with metal casting, woodwork and now learning Piano.
For my sins, which have been many, I work with computers for a living.

After much wandering through shops, the girls still insist they want another korg. So I've asked Gear4Music for a replacement. If it sounds the same around middle C I'll cry. I did get into the shop to try the G1 air, which did not have that same sound, but no shops around here have the C1. I think that G4M take abount a week to process returns. Now I wait.