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Hi all, I am new to Pianoworld and the piano world as a whole. I am sorry for my naive post in advance!

My daughter (6) has taken up piano lessons on the back of her music teacher saying that she has a real talent. She has been playing recorder for a while and is really good at note reading. Now I am aware that she is only 6, so dont want to buy an expensive piano and am therefore looking for a weighted keyboard that will allow her to learn and have fun at the same time. Friends of ours have the Casio PX730 which she likes the look of (the furniture style) although her piano teacher is more a fan of the Yamaha P-45. I would like to look for a casio as my daughter likes the play along functions. We definitely want the fixed stand/funiture model. But - oh dear - there are so many different casios out there and I dont really know where to start. I would like to buy second hand around the £300/350 mark and was hoping someone could point me to a good model to look for. I have seen the PX 750 but dont know if they are all equally good. PLEASE HELP!

Thank you so very much in advance!!!! Regards Ulli

Take her to try a Roland FP-10.

I go by this ….. .

Is there any particular reason you do not want the Yamaha P-45 ?

I would recommend the Casio PX S1000.

The price is a little over £400 to buy it new (although without a stand or pedals, which cost extra).

I bought a new Casio PX S1000 for £415 (however without a stand). The Casio CS-68 furniture stand was an additional £95. And the SP-34 Triple Pedal was another £50.

The Casio PX S1000 is just excellent relative to its price, and would fine for her until she is older.

However, it doesn't have any play along function and the user interface is a little complicated (it doesn't have a screen, so you have to use the chart in the instruction manual and hold down certain keys).

You can adjust the touch settings and set them to light (which I recommend), but you have to do that every time you turn it on.



If you can stretch to around £400-£450, then you can buy good new digital pianos (as above).

If you buy a new one, you should get at least a 3 year warranty or guarantee from the manufacturer, so it's probably safer than buying a second-hand one as when you buy second-hand the manufacturer's warranty might have expired.

If you are in the UK, I recommend the online shop Rimmers, as their prices are often quite competitive, depending on the week. Although they change the prices from week to week.

This week:

Roland FP-10 (including a furniture stand) is £435.00

https://www.rimmersmusic.co.uk/roland-fp10-digital-piano-black-stand-package-p43501

The Yamaha P125 is £455.00 (but you need to buy a stand)

https://www.rimmersmusic.co.uk/yamaha-p125-digital-piano-black-p40910

And Casio PX S1000 is £425.00

https://www.rimmersmusic.co.uk/casio-px-s1000-digital-piano-white-p43589

As a deal including the Casio CS-68 stand and SP-34 Triple Pedal, it is £565.

https://www.rimmersmusic.co.uk/casio-px-s1000-digital-piano-white-pro-package-p43593

And it will look like this:

At her age, almost any decent manufacturer, which I would think minimally includes Casio, Yamaha, Roland, Kawai, Korg, and maybe some others, will do, as long as you get one with 88 full-sized weighted keys. If you have your heart set on a Casio with a console stand, then the PX-770 is your best bet, but if a decent wooden stand will do, then you could look at the Casio CDP-S100 wtih wooden stand, like so:
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/keyboards-midi/casio-cdp-s100cs-digital-piano-with-wooden-stand

I also think the Yamaha P-45 or the Roland FP-10 would be good choices, assuming you can also find a stand for those you like. I'm less familiar with the more affordable Kawai and Korg models, so I can't help you there. But really, anything affordable in that range will be fine at that age.

Also, if you want something that is fun for children and has a lot of different play along functions, the Casio CDP S350 might be quite a good option.

(However its action for the piano is inferior compared to the PX S1000).

The Casio CDP S350 is on sale for £389.00 at the moment (without a stand)
https://www.rimmersmusic.co.uk/search/casio-cdp-s350


And furniture stand for the CDP S350 (Casio CS46 stand) is an additional £74.99

https://www.rimmersmusic.co.uk/casi...d-edge-design-for-cdps100-cdps350-p43408

Or £449 as a package. https://www.rimmersmusic.co.uk/casio-cdps350-ultra-compact-digital-piano-stand-package-p43407

That said, the action on the CDP S350 is less realistic than on the PX S1000, so you would be sacrificing the quality of the action for the additional fun keyboard stuff. (Also the CDP S350 might be a bit complicated for a 6 year old)

I think you are on the right path. If you like the Casio, it'll be the requirement of the Yamaha your teacher likes.

Generally speaking, the manufacturers will add a few bells and whistles every other year or so and increment the numbers, so you'll have the PX-730 one year, maybe the 750 a few years later, then 770. The Yamahas go from the P-105 to P-115 to P-125. But the base piano features that are important (the action and the tone) will likely be exactly the same. When buying used, you don't want to go too old (since you're playing the wear and tear lottery) so I'd try to find a newer model, but it doesn't have to be the current model.

There aren't any truly bad choices out there today if you stick to the major manufacturers and get a fully hammer-weighted 88 key DP. Just stay away from marginal brands like Williams, Suzuki and Alesis (to name a few you may see on stores), they tend to be a bit lower rent from reports we've seen here, though I'm sure they have some fine models too.

Thank YOU Thank YOU Thank YOU... Wow this is an overwhelming response and I might need a day or two do digest and completely understand your recommendations. The reasons why we are a fan of the Casio range is that she can have some play along features, I understand the Yamaha is more a keyboard without the bells and wistles and seeing that she is only 6, she quite likes that. When you talk about newer models can I take it that the Casio PX 770 is the newest model compared to the PX 730? How does it compare to the S1000? Sorry might be a very stupid question. Thanks for the heads up on the warranty, havent really though about that.

Another cheap Casio Privia option with a furniture stand would be the Casio PX760 which is £499 new.

It might be less confusing for a 6 year old, although I'm not sure it has any play along functions.

It is £499 new (so it will include a 3 year warranty from Casio)
https://www.rimmersmusic.co.uk/casio-privia-px760-digital-piano-black-p21722




Here is information about it on the Casio website:
https://music.casio.co.uk/casio-privia-digital-piano-px-760bkc5

I suggest that you listen to …. #1 - her teacher (Yamaha P-45) …. and #2 - your child … .

You are trying to get something "better" but in this case less might be more.

If a child is presented with a load of "fun" things to play with she is more likely to spend her time fooling around and not learning to play the piano.

The simplest solution is often the best solution.

I am a professional pianist and a veteran piano teacher. Kawai ES110 is the closest key action to a real piano. The tone is warmer too. My daughter is 9 and she hates the Casio action but lives he Kawai feel. She can play Bach and Chopin on the Kawai action but refuses to on the Casio action.

Perhaps for a 6 year old (or even any age), "fooling around" with fun things on the keyboard, is not always such a bad idea. It is training their ears and possibly sparking their creativity and interest in music. Developing the child's interest in music and their spontaneous creativity (simple compositions) is possibly the most important thing at that age, rather than rote learning - although ideally you would encourage both at the same time.

That said, it doesn't have to be combined in the same item. I mean, you could buy her a digital and a arranger keyboard separately? Arranger keyboards are very cheap, and would be a good idea to buy as a supplement.

The Kawai ES110 is a relatively cheap option as well, in the UK. Also a good thing about Kawai is they have a 6 year warranty when you buy a new digital piano (while Casio only have a 3 year warranty).

The Kawai ES110 on sale for £454 (although without a stand).
https://www.rimmersmusic.co.uk/kawai-es-110-portable-piano-white-p37859

The Kawai HML-1B furniture stand would be an additional £100.
https://www.gear4music.com/Keyboards-and-Pianos/Kawai-HML-1B-Stand-for-ES-110B-Stage-Piano/1IX0?

The PX-730 should feel and sound somewhat like a real piano. Which could be enough for several years. Casio did improve (or at least change) the key action in the following generation and they also improved (or at least changed) the sound engine too.



Many other brands offer digital pianos with "functions" too. And sometimes the problem with "functions" is that they are awkward to use with weird key combinations only documented in the User's Manual. Some models solve this either with a built-in touch screen (like some Casios) or with a separate mobile app to run on a phone or tablet (including but not exclusively Roland and the latest Casios). And some other Casios at least have the functions printed on the panel above the keys, so that helps a little.



Sure. A good idea.



Start by making a list of the "functions" that are actually required.



That depends on the "functions" that are required. Not a lot of "functions" are needed for practising piano. But some can be either fun, useful or both. Such as:
- metronome
- recording
- backing rhytms
- various non-piano sounds
- lesson features, some are "gamified" like e.g. in Roland's "Piano Partner" mobile app.



Like said both the key action and the sound generator are better (or at least different) in the x50 series and beyond compared to the x30 series and below.



Not necessarily, but with the current product portfolio e.g. Casio does seem to offer more "bells and whistles" in the more affordable models and with Yamaha you need to go for more expensive models. Roland also has "bells and whistles" in somewhat affordable models like the RP-x01 and F-1x0R models. (RP-501R and F-140R for the latest and smaller numbers for used ones.)

And if buying a used digital piano it makes sense to test each key in various ways for any extra noises. Old worn-out digital pianos can be sneaky and only make noise when you touch the keys in specific ways, like tapping without pressing all the way down or letting it bounce back app freely.

Nothing develops hearing and musical gifts better than a real acoustic instrument. Doesn't have to be a piano though, there are less expensive options, that are just as good.

Aren't they mechanically identical?

And PX-S is "smart". Though I still don't know what's "smart" about it.

The S1000 has a newer sound engine, which I assume sounds a little better. However, it was engineered to be very small (the smallest in it's class, as Casio says) and portable, and there are some compromises in the action to achieve that goal. You might want your daughter or your teacher to try it out first before jumping the gun on it.

That's my understanding as well - they are mechanically identical, but the PX-S has some fancier software stuff goin' on, most which I doubt a beginner (or even an intermediate) pianist would notice or be able to take advantage of. Still, the PX-S1000 looks like a nice machine, so I'm certainly not advocating against purchasing it.

They are a blessing. But why restrict it to acoustic, and use the word "real" in front of acoustic? (As if only an acoustic instrument has ontological status).

Arranger keyboards are a stimulating instrument - and in children might encourage an interest in composing, arranging, improvising, recording, etc. That doesn't mean it can replace the value of a clarinet, drum set or piano, but neither can the clarinet, drum set and piano necessarily replace what you can do with an arranger keyboard.

When I compared them, the action on the CDP S350 "felt" significantly different to the PX S1000.

I played them side by side in the shop, and I really preferred the action on the PX S1000.

I originally intended to buy the CDP S350, but I changed my mind after playing them side by side in the shop, and went with the PX S1000 instead.

That said, if they are mechanically the same, then interestingly it must have been something else which made me perceive them as being different.

The CDP S350 would also be great for a child in my opinion and it is really cheap.