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Hello

I want to start the piano with something good that I’ll be able to keep for a long time
I don’t have a specific budget, can be up to 2300$ or around.
I just want something good to begin and end with .
I heard about different things like CS8, Yamaha CLP 635... ect.

Do you have any pianos recommandations then I can try those at the piano store ?

Thank you for your help

If you're considering "slab pianos", put the Roland FP-90 on the list.

If you're not considering "slab pianos", put it on the list and buy its "furniture stand".

Ultimately, after a long list of other possibilities, someone will say:

. . . "But really, you should play them yourself, and choose the one you like the most."

So I'll start with that.<g>

Have you already had a look at which models are available at that price or is there still a point in us dropping in a list of model names?

There should be a lot of options from Yamaha, Roland, Kawai, Korg, Kurzweil, Gewa, Casio and Dexibell for example.

Whilst I'm also a happy 16-year Roland FP owner and I 100% agree with the gist of your message: it's worth noting that the FP-90's successor model is due to be released within about the next 2 months. Could be named the FP-100?

It will have the same keys & action as the Roland LX706 - so you can test playing on that for now.

Genuine question, is this a gut feeling or have you any evidence to back this assumption...?

The new action on an FP series would be fab to have no doubt, but I am curious if this is more wishful thinking than an actual possibility? (much like how many keep wishing for a VPC-2 and an ES9)

I had a look but I don’t have much experience on it so I would like to have a list especially for Yamaha, Kawai, Korg and Roland

Every FP model since 2002/2003 has always had the latest Roland keys & action. And the last two models were released in 2013 and 2016. Therefore 2019 is highly likely to see the next one (however for me personally I'm ok if they delay it until next year as I'm forced to buy in April/May - when the new Yamaha CLP 775/785 series will also be released).

Since you asked...something that will be long term means something more expensive than say your P125, FP30, ES110 (for slabs) and any YDP, KDP and RP series (for cabinet styles) on the respective Yamahas, Kawai, and Roland series.

No one is going to get fired (if this was a corporate environment) for recommending either a Yamaha, Kawai or Roland (Nord and Korg amongst others are subjective to specific use cases and or a brand that people just don't want to move away from for reasons specific to them, be it gig needs, or brand loyalists etc.) - so if you want a list of pianos to go and play try the below (in order of my personal preference and why that is):

Slabs:
Roland FP-90 - really good overall action and combined with modelling it allows a fine expression (drawback is modelling to some is not piano like enough)
Yamaha P515 - a recent addition to that price range - has a great CFX (Yamaha Grand Piano) sampled sound and one of the Yamaha's mid-to-top tier actions or thereabouts (drawback, people who like soft actions are likely to take an instant dislike to it)
Kawai ES8 - I like to think this is a good mix of the above two, it has one of the nice sampled Kawai grand piano sound complimented by Kawai's RH3 action which is light yet responsive (drawback - you will read all sorts of issues with the keys, especially here on this forum amongst others, and as a result people are not willing to buy something that may have issues)

Cabinets (give you all the above plus have a bonus over the slabs, in that they are furniture based so imitate the look of a piano, usually have higher amplification and in some cases even better action):
Roland LX705/706/708 (drawback - expensive to buy)
Yamaha CLP 645 (same action and sound as P515) or you can try either the 675 or 685 (and cost rises with these)
Kawai CA78/98 (again a good combination of the above, you get the better speaker system on the 98)

Thank you very much.
I tried almost everything and I felt the wooden keys better ( such as clp 645 ).

Quick edit

I updated my budget to choose between the Kawai CA78 ( or CA98 but as I only care about keys feeling as I mostly play with headphones there’s no interest to buy the CA98 )
and Yamaha CLP645/675/685
and Roland LX705/706/708

So I went to the shop again to try em all and I found after trying every keyboards that the CLP675/685 feels very hard and weird for me.
Regarding the CA78 all of the shop sellers told me it was the best keys "by far" and the closest feeling to a grand piano ( for keys ) but when I tried it I felt like the keys were too soft for me. Maybe because I was playing on the Yamaha for a long time before or maybe because I’m not a professional piano expert like them so I can’t judge... but they really all told me that.
So I was quite surprise and ask myself why I found it so soft.

But I found the LX705/706 ( I don’t want to spend more than that so I didn’t try the LX708 ) were an average between the CA78 and the CLP675.
I found it quite nice.


So now , I know that my choice is between
-Roland LX705 / LX706 ( didn’t feel much difference ? )
-Kawai CA78
-Yamaha CLP645

Do you guys think I should comeback to the store play some grand pianos first and then go to try the digital pianos again ?

Thank you

In your first post you indicate that you are starting the piano, so I assume you don't yet play. How are you choosing between these actions?

By touching them

I just know two songs that I learned from PianoTutorial in a few hours

No. Any one of those will be fine.

Pick the one you like best and get started learning to play.

This sounds like the Goldilocks story ...So it just remains to find a piano that is "just right".

Your impressions of these pianos may change over time.

I suggest you spend time playing just a couple of pianos at the shop, for perhaps an hour ... and go away for a few days.
Then return to the shop and try the same pianos again for an hour ... and go away.

Then re-evaluate your impressions of these pianos. (Take your time. There's no hurry.)

Are you quite sure that you don't want a slab like the FP90, ES8, P515 ? All of these are great pianos - you pay less and have the added benefit of being able to move them around the house with little hassle.

Or you might consider getting something small and cheapish like the FP10, FP30, P125, ES-110, PS-S1000 now - and the upgrading later down the line when you have learned to play more and start having a better idea about what you like.

Many of the Yamahas have a built in audio interface which may or may not be of interest to you - something to consider maybe.

I think that the much lesser models are not worth considering if he is already serious on learning the piano and already has the necessary budget. Being that those models have all a good action with wooden keys, the choice should be that of the instrument with the piano sound he likes more. They have very different characters.

+1 - agreed, usually the advice for entry/cheaper models are best suited for smaller budgets and or children who may not carry on learning the piano.

The OP didn't state that he has unlimited budget for pianos. He did however state that he is a complete beginner.
In that light I stand by my advice that it might make sense to start with an entry level instrument and hold off with the larger investment until he has more of an idea of what he likes / wants.

I don't buy intro the entry level instruments being only suited for children and people on a tight budget - something like an FP-30 is a great instrument that will absolutely not hinder your ability to learn or enjoy playing.

Firstly, the OP did not say unlimited budget but gave a top ceiling which surmounts the price of entry level DPs.

Secondly, it may not hinder (debatable depending on action chosen) but it can prevent the enjoyment, if one can't get used to the muffled sound that FP-30 comes with, or if one discovers how poor an imitation is the GHS action is on the Yamaha P115/125 or the Casio PXS1000 in comparison to a good acoustic or gets a plasticky key sound from an ES110.

I still think if you are serious about learning the piano and have a budget to stretch to a mid-tier price DP that in itself is a long investment that you won't have to fork out again unless you decided you want better sound system and or action (which us hybrid territory now).

He said he tried many DP and narrowed his choice between:

-Roland LX705 / LX706
-Kawai CA78
-Yamaha CLP645

So I think he wants a piano style cabinet too (and wooden keys).

To me, if he has the moneys he should buy what he feel/likes better without too many compromises, unless it had a despotic wife. In this case he should first get divorced...