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I used to play an accoustic piano for many years and have my Grade 8 piano. However, I haven't played for a long time now (10 years) and want to get back into it. An accoustic piano is not an option so I am looking for a digital piano which feels and sounds as much like a real piano as possible (within my price range! - around £1000 GBP).

I began by looking at the Roland HP2 and Yamaha CLP-120. Through the speakers both sound good and the keys feel reasonably similar to an accoustic piano, but I didn't like the sound of the HP2 through headphones. I decided to try the HP3 and CLP-130 and was surprised at how much better they sounded. Unfortunately, both the HP3 and CLP-130 are slightly too expensive for me (even after 20% reduction of RRP).

I have started to look at used pianos (1-2 years old only). Can anyone tell me what to watch out for in a used digital piano? As I am not familiar with digital pianos at all I don't know what can go wrong with them. Any opinions on the differences between Roland HP-2/3 and Yamaha CLP-120/130 would also be appreciated!

Thank you for your help!

I'd go for the Yamaha P-120... to me, it felt the most realistic of all lower-priced pianos, even better than the clavinovas. It also has half-sustain pedals, which was a big plus for me. It retails for about 1200 dollars, which is like 800 pounds, I think. If you're going to use headphones, the Yamaha P-90 is pretty similar to the P-120, except it has no speakers and is a couple hundred dollars cheaper.

I agree with frungy.

You will get much more for your money if you buy a p or ydp series from a discount music store (or online) than if you buy from a piano store. If you like the furniture style of digital piano look at the ydp-223 for about $1500 USD, but if you don't care what it looks like the p-120 may be a better choice, plus it's easy to move.

Frungy is right. Get a P90 or P120 (the P120 if you need speakers).

I have the P90 and love it. The keys take a little getting used to, but the sound is amazing. I love practicing on it (though not as much as I enjoy an acoustic grand, of course). You will be satisfied with the Yamaha, and you can play pretty much anything on it (ie there aren't any limitations because it is a keyboard).

Good luck!

Thank you for your replies. I think I would prefer something that "looks" more like a piano, ie. not a portable keyboard, and one with speakers (as I don't have a good stereo to plug into). Nevertheless, I will try out the P120.

I have never seen the YDP-223 - is this series generally sold in music/piano stores?

You may want a big cabinet that will make it feel like a piano, but the p120's sound engine is superior to the YDP-223. This is because the YDP-223's sound engine has less clarity, only 1 layer of dynamics, and no nuance sampling. The p120's sound engine is superb, the clarity is superb, it has 3 dynamic layers, Half Pedalling, String Resonance, Key off, Damper, and Soundboard Sampling. You will notice the difference when you play them side by side.

So the Yamaha p120 is a superb choice, I own one and I love it. It rocks! So you really have to go try them out yourself. IMO, the p120 is the best piano out there.

Regards,
p120mAn

what exactly is "nuance sampling"?

Nuance Sampling means that the product has all the nuances of a piano, like damper pedal resonance, key off noise, etc. The p120 has nuance sampling, which means it has all the nuances of a piano. This is one reason why the pianos on the p120 are so full, rich, and superb.

Regards,
p120dUdE

I hope you understand that this is a marketing term and not a technical term. One could make the case that EVERY sample is "nuance sampling", in that each of the criteria on your list is reflected in the recording. I certainly would not buy a product based on whether or not it had this so-called "feature".

Before you take P120man's word for it, look at this thread where a Yamaha employee discusses resonance on the P120 and other P series models. I agree that the P120 is a very nice piano, but P120man tends to be a bit too enthusiastic about his support.

http://www.pianoworld.com/ubb/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/topic/6/433.html

The YDP-223 is basically the same thing as the CLP-120, except primarily for its warranty length (the CLP-120's warranty lasts longer). There may be a couple minor cosmetic differences as well. If I'm not mistaken (which I rarely am ) the CLP-120 tends to cost a little more than the YDP-223.

EDIT: Frungy's last post was dead on.

EDIT #2: Oh, and SteveY's posts too.

The p120 does have built-in speakers

The ydp 223 is not sold in piano stores, which is a real advantage because the quoted prices are already near the lowest that they can sell it for, unlike in a piano store where they start with the ridiculously high "manufacturer suggested retail price" and bargain down from there. You can get the ydp 223 in a general music store which sells synths, guitars, drums, etc...

Also, don't listen to the p120dude. He is obsessed with the p120 and to him everything is inferior to it, as regulars of this board can attest. It's not uncommon to find a music store that has both so you can compare, and you may find that the ydp223 sound is comparable to that of the p120 with the look that you want.

That said, you may actually like the advantages of a stage piano: it's cheaper, and you can easily move it to different rooms, or even put it in a closet if you temporarily need extra space.

Do not listen to Mark2048 about the comment he made about not listening to me. He obviously had a nerve to say that, and he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Regards,
p120dUdE

Let's see...
Mark says not to listen to P120man...
P120man says not to listen to Mark...

I seem to remember that P120man promised (more than once) that he was never coming back to these lame forums. And yet he's still here...

Hmmm....which one is more trustworthy?

Not to mention the fact that P120man has consistently had his facts wrong....

My p80 with my msp5 stereo speakers knocks the socks off the p120 big time.

daz

I recently got a Yamaha P120. I liked the sound of both the Roland FP5 and the P120, but the keyboard of the P120 has a more realistic feel to it, probably the closest you can get to an acoustic piano.
I looked at the P90 as well (no speakers), but I'm glad I didn't go for it, because the headphones get very claustrophobic and hot and uncomfortable after a while, and it is nice when you can take them off. If you are concerned about the noise, you can just turn the volume down. You still get a reasonable tone quality for practicing.