Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards I'm looking to buy a digital piano that feels and responds like an acoustic,

Sorry about the above quote - pressed the wrong button (again!)

I had intended to suggest that James's harmless tongue-in-cheek comment was obvious as nothing more than that.

I can't remember how many hours/visits/trials were expended in my search for this same holy grail which, eventually, led me to the Kawai CA71. Of all the instruments tried, this is the one whose action appealed to me most. But it is not at all the same as my Erard.

It is a strange characteristic of the "digital" forum that reams are written about this make/model being better than/different from some other make/ model when compared with an acoustic piano. There are many proprietary and manufacturer-specific actions fitted to acoustic pianos; these are mechanically different and of diverse playing characteristics. Whilst there might be a very generalised generic "acoustic" yardstick against which the digital actions might be compared, it's never apples with apples. Ultimately, there can be no substitute for assessing as many instruments as possible and then making a judgment in the light of one's own experience.

Advice obtained elsewhere also can be helpful but this sometimes can prove misleading - I purchased my Kawai because I liked the keyboard but would not have done so had I placed absolute reliance upon the views often expressed on the subject here. I have had no trouble of any kind with this instrument and remain very happy with my purchase. However, the key lever coverings when new tend to have an unpleasant feel; see my earlier post.

In my oppinion, if you're looking for a digital piano that's as real as possible, there is only one choice: Kawai

It's sad there is no much competition when it come's to creating the perfect digital piano.

I've played everything including the Yamaha CLP280 and it has wooden keys but it's not feeling like a real piano at all! The sound might look great if you listen to it (while somebody else is playing), but for me the most important thing of a digital piano is that the sound corresponds with what I'm actually playing. And that's something the CLP280 does not have.

Kawai does. I am fortunate to have bought one of the last Kawai CA5 available. The CA7 and CA9 were fine as well, but the CA5 was sufficient for me (I don't need 384 sounds, just a piano). They tried to sell me the new Kawai range, for instance the CA91. When I first played the CA91, I noticed a odd "bug" which causes bass notes to suddenly dissapear during heavy playing and heavy use of the sustain.

I tried to convince Kawai that obviously something was very wrong, but since they all expect you to play "Fur Elise" only, they did not understand what I was experiencing.

So that's the very weak part of Kawai: extremely poor service and support. (I live in Europe, may be it's better in US)

They often do not even reply on emails. Before this CA5, I owned a Kawai CA950. This digital piano had to be returned to the factory for about 5 times because hammers were simply cracking. Same story, they blamed it on me and after the 5th time they actually changed the inner design of the hammers....off course they did not admit it, but since that repair everything was fine...

So my advice would be, buy a Kawai and especially a model that's not that new. So all flaws are fixed because it's been arround some time. So hopefully they fixed this issue in the CA51/CA71/CA91 in some firmware update or so, and then I'm sure you'll have a great digital piano!

Regards,
Leon.

Check out the RD 700-GX

I've only been coming to this forum for a few days but it seems most of the posts are variations on yours, Kahlaireeah. It makes sense because, after all, it's why I started reading this forum too! As a person who has been playing for more than 20 years I'd like to answer your questions, in order, with some thoughts that I hope will be useful:

1) All DPs (digital pianos) support velocities. The ways they do it may differ but not by much. Some do it better than others but, again, not by much.

2) 3 pedals? Really? Unless you're playing specific works in the classical repertoire you won't use all 3. Most upright pianos don't even *have* a sostenuto (middle) pedal. I play jazz and try to avoid using the damper (sustain) pedal myself. When I had access to a grand piano I used to practice using the sostenuto pedal cause it allowed me to hold some notes and play others staccato (unsustained). But, while it's a nice trick, it wasn't that useful because a properly working sostenuto pedal is something you can't count on finding on a lot of other pianos.

3) Which acoustic? The touch of an acoustic piano can differ based on manufacturer, age, temperature, humidity, location, and frequency and quality of maintenance. Pianos are notoriously inconsistent in the real world. And since, by your own admission, you're new to the piano and have little experience with real ones, any decent weighted action from a reputable manufacturer will more than suffice.

4) Good man! or woman! However a piano you like the look of is one you'll play more often. Seriously. the right instrument will draw you toward it every time you look in its direction.

5) A lot of people dream of latency as low as 3ms. It won't affect your overall playing and you will easily adapt. In fact you won't notice it at all.

6) Definitely go for 88 keys. Anything under 76 keys and I lose my mind.

I hope this helps. Expect others here to disagree with me. And we'll both be right because a lot of this stuff is subjective. Which is why the advice most people get here is "go play a bunch of pianos and buy the one you like the most"!

Good luck with your purchase and welcome to the world of Ivory Junkies

I'm a new guy here, and the give and take seems really good.

I'm also looking over new DPs, and I really like the keyboard feel and piano sound of the Kawai CA 51 which I can get for $2100.00 (not the rosewood or ebony finish, but the duller mahogany). The CA 71 didn't seem worth the added dollars for the incremental sound difference, which I could not discern in the showroom. The CA 91 is way beyond my means, but the soundboard is intriguing.

The CE200 is available for 1800.00, but the wattage is much lower, and although I have not heard it, it was suggested to me that with its lower wattage and 2 less speakers, the sound would be less somehow.

I'd be very interested and appreciative of any helpful comments. I don't have to tell you that in this economy, this is an especially large investment.

Regards,

Sandy

I've just got my Clavinova CLP-380. It's as close to acoustic as a DP can get. Nearly perfect.

Yamaha Clavinova is what I purchased. I had the same concerns you do...you want that acoustic feel. Well, I must say that I absolutely adore the CLP-280 I purchased. Just love it!

I've seen some on craigslist for a lot less, actually. A lot of people buy them and then they don't really use them, so they end up being sold on-line. Try looking under musical instruments and do a search on clavinova.

Good luck!

I saw a Yamaha Clavinova Piano Model CLP360 on Craig's List asking $800.00 USD. It appears to be 6 years old. I think the keys are hammer action, but I don't know if they are wood. The piano samples that many years ago I heard were not all that great,(from my piano teacher), and I expect that the newest models have better samples. Any thoughts?

Don't do it.

Just curious...why do you say "don't do it". Do you mean no digital pianos at all or just don't buy off craigslist??

If it's the latter, I admit purchasing from a reputable dealer is always the best. But some people, especially in this economic climate, purchase things and then have to sell them.

Personally, I love acoustic pianos, especially Steinway, but there are a number of good reasons why a digital piano is the way to go.