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At the risk of starting another brand war - I'm in the market for a digital piano. I've narrowed them down to Roland and Yamaha. I have yet to see or test any Yamahas and a local shop carries Roland.

They have the RD-170 in stock and will have an FP-2 set up tomorrow. I plan to take a drive to see if I can locate some Yamahas (P-series).

I like the fact that I can purchase the Rolands locally and they will sell the FP-2 with stand for $1100 (US), so I'm tempted ...

But I think I should try out the Yamahas (P-90 or 120). So any thoughts on the Roland FP-2 or RD-170
vs the Yamaha P-60 or P-90?

FWIW I'm currently practicing on a Baldwin Acrosonic which is a console piano. My main goal for the digital is for the keyboard to feel right for the purpose of learning to play (I'm still a beginner after 3 years). I'd like it to sound like a piano, but the feel is more important.

Thank you,

Kevin

Yep, Yamaha digital pianos are great, and in my opinion, better than Roland's, Korg's and Casio's.

These sweeping generalizations are ridiculous! Is anyone really saying that a Yamaha P60 is better than a Roland RD700? Let's compare apples-to-apples. It's not responsible to say that Yamaha is better than Roland unless you've played each and every model at every price point and have the same opinion. I seriously doubt that is the case.

Anyone who thinks a P60 is better than an RD700 needs professional help.

personally, i like Yamaha. you should try all brands yourself though and see what you like.

So how long have you worked for Yamaha?

Yamaha is terribly overrated, but then all the cheap digital pianos are pretty crappy. Wait until January for newer models.

When did I say that a P60 is better than a Roland that it's on another more expensive piano line and that clearly has more features? With your reasoning you could have also assumed that with my post I might be talking about one of those Yamaha digitals that has a cabinet shaped like a baby grand, which is probably better than the Roland you talk about.

Another thing: don't put words in my mouth, OK Steve? And those kinds of expressions that I need professional help and similar sentences, just keep them to yourself. I have never disrespected anyone here, and I expect the same towards me. Are we clear, Steve?

I have tried a lot of digital pianos and synths, but digital piano wise, I truly think that Yamaha's are better than the other brands like Korg and Roland. All these opinions of mine are out of experience with the gear I have owned, or played at a friend's studio and by playing the synths and digital pianos of several keyboard players that I'm also friends with. For what is worth, synth wise, I preffer Korg and Clavia.

Whoa! I really didn't mean to start a brand war ... really!

I took a trip to a Guitar Center today - wow what an education. I'm actually a bit numb now.

Here's what I looked at:

Roland:
FP-2
FP-5
RD-170

Yamaha
P-60
P-90
P-120

I actually started at a local shop that had to assemble a Roland FP-2. The intriguing thing about this is they had it for $1100 with the stand! They also had a RD170 for comparison ($1000 US). Personally I liked the feel of the RD170 better but the size and weight are an issue,
I also had trouble playing the left hand "lightly" (this may be due to it being up on a shelf). In comparison the FP-2 felt kind of cheap (now please don't start throwing any rotten fruit my way - this is just my opinion; little smiley face here).

Next I drove 30+ mile to a Guitar Center - wow, talk about acoustic mayhem. Anyway, they had all the keyboards that I've read about. I personally liked the feel of the Yamahas better. They also had a Roland FP-5 which (personally) I liked better than the FP-2. The FP-2 was $1300 (US) and the FP-5 was $1400 - which is frankly, beyond my price range.

The Yamahas - price-wise the P-90 is as high as I should go. The lack of speakers shouldn't be an issue since the logic behind the digital is a practice piano (nights, at work, etc.). The portability of the P-90 is somewhat better (smaller/lighter). In reality the P-60 may be all I need. Any additioanl thoughts on the P-60?

My other questions: are the "actions" on the P60, P-90 and P-120 the same? Is the P-90 the same piano as the P-120 less speakers?

On the Rolands - I'm a bit surprised that the RD-170 is less expensive than the FP-2 - am I missing something? Are the actions on the FP-2 and FP-5 that different? How about the RD-170?

Keep in mind that I'm still a beginner, so "testing" digital pianos is a bit ... interesting.

Thank you,

Kevin

p.s. Roland and Yamaha BOTH make great pianos ;-)

if you could afford P90, then don't bother with P60. it's always good to go with the best you can buy.

DuCamp,
Let's be clear on something: I never put words in your mouth. Look at my post again. I wasn't talking about you or to you. I'm sorry that you were offended, but I'd like to suggest that it was you who put words in my mouth.
My first post was in response to JazzP120 & yours. I felt that you were both making sweeping generalizations that Yamaha are better than Roland without qualifying which models, etc. You never mentioned specific models. I asked a question (as an example) about the P60 vs. RD700. It was JazzP120 that answered it.
My post about the P60 vs. RD700 was directed toward P120dude, or whatever he's calling himself these days. Go back and read his previous posts and you'll get a better idea why he's changed his name.

posted by JazzP120

Why is it that if someone thinks the P60 is better than the RD700, it is their "preference" and therefore OK. But if I think they're nuts, I'm "wrong". Seems like a double standard. Don't I get opinions or preferences?


Before anyone rushes to judgment here, they should do a search to find P120Dude's posts. This new name of yours isn't fooling anyone.

Let's take a look at P120-dude-man-jazz-guy's posts. That'll shine some light on things:

Previously posted on other threads by P120Man, P120Dude & JazzP120.

Written to Mike Martin, Yamaha Corp. of America, after Mike told him that the P120 does not have string resonance:

(and of course, it wasn't his last post)

Mike's response:
P120Man/Dude/Jazz's response:
Anyone wanna bet whether that was his last post?

Two questions, Chris:
1. Am I entitled to my opinion as well?
2. Whose opinion did I disrespect?