Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Help with Piano (CDP-100/200R)

Currently Im saving up for a piano Im about $200 in might get a few hundred for chirstmas but Im looking for a piano for the absolute beginner who wants to learn to play songs hear and there and possibly to play by ear and eventually read notes. Itll take some time but im not in a rush. Well maybe for the first song or two. The pieces I want to learn vary from Video Game Music to classical music. Some of the songs I would like to learn are

Main Theme from Final Fantasy 7
Numb by lincon Park
Wim Mertens - Struggle for pleasure
River Flows in You by Yiruma

Those are just a few of the songs I would like to learn, but I need a decent piano to learn on and Im thinking the CDP may be the best option for me and I was just hoping to get your guys reviews on these pianos and if theres possibly a better one to fit my needs. Thanks

P.S. My final price range will probably be around $500

CDP-200R is go. A DP for a nice price.

The CDP100 is selling for $300 right now. But you may want the features of the 200. I think Casio is the only real option for people with $500 or less to spend.

The biggest thing is to start. You can't set your sights on something so expensive that you will never have it. You might decide what to get based on what you can have in the nearer term

Hmm are you saying I should probably get the CDP-100? As of right now I cant find a place online anyway thats selling the CDP-200R in the USA that is would you know if its out in Europe only if it is whats the release date out in the US. If its to late then I may have to settle for the CDP-100 becuase I really want to start learning now. Where can you find the CDP-100 for $300?

If it is piano that you are interested in, I would look at the Casio PX-130 as well. Less extra voices, but better piano sound and action than the CDP series.
Now, that said, Costco had a couple of months ago the CDP 200 with stand and bench for sale at less than $450.

The Casio WK-200 is a good option. Since you're a new learner, you might want to get one of the Casios that has the Step-Up learning system, where the notes and fingerings for about 150 songs are built in and come up on a lcd screen. It's easy to read, and they also provide the songbook with all the songs in the keyboard. You can learn songs hands separate and hands together and there are stages of the learning process.

The best part about it is that you can learn phrase by phrase. The preset phrases are a few measures long, but you can also change that. There are hundreds of voices, a 6 track recorder. It's got 76 keys and is partially weighted. It also has a USB port.

The usual retail price is $199, but it goes on sale for $179 periodically, and I got a refurbished unit for $139 and free shipping.

Not as nice as the CDP 200 but a lot cheaper.

Hmm Ill have to think about it I saw the WK-210 at costco for 140 so Im tempted but still unsure seeing as the CDP-200 is fully weighted and has all 88 keys. This is a very hard decision.

The weighted 88-key pianos are best if the goal is to learn piano. For pop music synth sounds go with something else.

I didn't say which to get, just that you should get the one you can afford rather then wait half a year.

None of these are lifetime investments. You buy and sell them like computers and iPods. A year from now you will know a lot more and have developed a better ear. So don't spend a fortune on the first piano

Guitar Center had a $299 price tag on the CDP100 last weekend. This week they are running a $50 off coupon but the price is at $350.

Just go in there to GC and borrow a "learn to play" book off their rack and see if you can get though the first few pages of the book. Be sure and ask them to put the keyboard on a stand set to the proper height and then find a piano bench

After 30 minutes the sales guys will notice you are still there and must be serious and ask what they can do to "help you buy it today" Ask for 15% off, zero percent financing and if you can keep the book, You'll get half of what you ask for.

Thanks I think ill try that. Ill get the feel for that piano and see which one I like better then make my choice. Who would of thought it would be this hard just to decide what piano I should get. Thanks for all your help. If anyone else has comments reviews Id love to hear them too.

Advent,
The CDP 200 is not offered in the United States at this time. If you want something with sounds you can look at the Casio PX-575 or the PX-330. These two models have additional sounds and rhythms They are arranger digital pianos. Not sure what you are looking for and how much you have to spend. The PX-575 is equivalent to the CDP 200 in terms of amount of sounds and retails for $599. The PX-330 is a new model that has less sounds than the PX-575 but is a bit mor versatil in that it has line out jacks plus midi and a lot more polyphony than the 575 or CDP 200. The PX-575 is a 3 year old model that is due for a revamp. It's main drawback is its limited polyphony which is 32, but it is very nice for the money and has some fantastic sounds if that is what your after. If you are a beginner, you can also take a look at the PX-130 which does not have as many sounds, but is perfect for someone starting out. You should be able to get one of these for between $400-500. This would be a better option than the CDP-100. It has the newest keyboard action and has a 4 layer piano sample and would be better that the PX575, CDP100 or CDP200.

At most my price is about $500 I have to many other things to spend more but at this rate im just getting more and more confused. Im going to have to talk to my friends mom who is a piano teacher as well as visit a few stores and test out there pianos to see what I like best unfortunatly I dont know what to look for since Im such a beginner. The px-130 does look nice though.

Advent,
By all means you should take your time and do not rush into this. Definately sit down and play whatever you are considering. Take a good pair of headphones to sample the sound. You will notice that the actions on keyboards are different between brands. You need to take note of what you like both sound and touch wise. If you decide on a basic piano, the PX-130 would be worth looking at and trying out. I think this would be a better choice than the CDP 100--but be sure and play this too. The comments on these forums can be helpful, but remember you need to make the final decision based on what you've played.