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Hi there,

I am looking for a piano for practice. I have a lovely grand piano back at my parents' home, but for the next year or two I have to do without it due to space reasons. I'm trying to buy an electric piano for practice (I am a classically trained pianist) but I am getting really stuck with the thousands of models. I would like to spend less than £800, so I am looking at used pianos on eBay/Gumtree as I'm not interested in the latest tech/features, just the touch (and maybe sound). I will also likely be sticking with preset sound no. 1, so don't really care about number of different pianos etc I can get.

I've narrowed my choice down to some Yamahas and Rolands. I would like to know: is buying an older piano (e.g. early 2000s) worth it? Will much have changed in terms of touch since then? Out of the list below of my local eBay pianos, which ones should I avoid or not? They are:

- Yamaha Clavinova CLP-330
- Yamaha Clavinova CLP-625
- Yamaha Clavinova CLP-760
- Yamaha Clavinova CLP-430
- Roland FP30
- Roland RP102
- Roland HP503
- Kawai CL-36
- Kawai CN-33

Appreciate this is a broad question but any pointers would be great (even re what brands have better reputations for touch etc). I know the answer here is to try before I buy a lot, however I am quite limited in time and it does not need to be perfect as it is just for practice!

Thank you!

I would not buy a Digital piano from the early 2000s -the technology has changed a lot and newer DPs are much more acoustic piano-like. You have both slab and console models on your list. I think a big decision will be whether you want a slab or a console.
People have different opinions about touch/sound of the instruments. I would recommend you play as many DPs as you can (realizing you have limited time) to try to get a sense of what your preferences are. Otherwise, it’s just someone’s opinion. Personally, I preferred the touch/tone of the Yamahas over the Rolands, for the models I looked at.

What's your price range?

For classical pianists (in order of ascending price): mp11se 2k€ (no speakers), CA79 3k€, CA99 4k€(better speakers), yamaha n1x 7k€, novus NV10S 9k€.

The first 3 use Kawai's Grand Feel keyboard. The last one is a hybrid with optical sensors and probably the most accurate and precise replication of an acoustic grand. n1x is close to nv10s I'd say, though the keyboard represents one of the smallest Yamaha grands.

Btw: "EP" is not what you mean. We call it "digital piano" because EP is something like a Rhodes.

Personally, I'd forget Yamaha Clavinova CLP-330 and Yamaha Clavinova CLP-760.

The first was pretty basic and the latter one is really old (from the times when all digital pianos were "pretty basic").

You say your price point is £800, you can buy the new Roland FP30X for less than £600. I just sold my FP30 on e bay and it went for less than £300 which was a sickner for me, but some idiot messed my sale up, that’s another story.