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Hello everyone! This is my first post.

I am a 28 year old chef who finally has enough money to play the piano again and hopefully take lessons down the road (no rush). I took piano lessons from age 10 to 15 and didn't progress very well due to personal reasons / family / financial issues. I've always loved the piano and would consider myself an early intermediate. I know my major scales and can play a Bach minuet, for example.

During the time I took lessons I unfortunately and hopelessly practiced on a Lester Betsy Ross Spinet that was never maintained (given to us by a family friend who used it for furniture) and relied on pianos that were just as bad at my high school. I'm talking pianos in awful condition--piano key tops missing, keys that don't work, etc. The Yamaha C3 was reserved for the choir--never got to use it.

I live with room mates so I need to practice with headphones. I don't make much money and I'm not a demanding nor discerning piano player so I feel comfortable with my options in 2019. Where I'm coming from, any new piano is something I'm extremely grateful for!

I'm considering the Casio Privia SX-1000, the Yamaha P-125, and the Roland FP-30. I tried the Yamaha and Roland at Guitar Center the other day and was very happy with their touch and sound. Haven't seen the Privia in person and from the pictures, it looks more like a piano for the stage?

What's the general consensus around here for these pianos? Am I missing out on a lot or hindering my future progress by not going for the Yamaha P-515 or FP-90? I gasped at the prices for these pianos but having keys that are wood is awfully nice / luxurious and I'm not against these products. Thanks so much for any input folks-- I really do appreciate it :')

Hello spica14, welcome to the forum.

I believe all of the models that you list will be suitable, however it ultimately comes down to how much you're willing to spend - i.e. what is your budget? Also, it might help to know where you're based, as pricing can vary from country to country.

Kind regards,
James
x

Hi James!

I'm in California. My budget is around $800. I am in no rush to purchase! Thanks for your response. Another concern of mine is whether I just should just save up another ~700-800 dollars and just get the Yamaha P-515 or something similar? I know I'll be playing for a long time with lessons and am very committed. My intuition tells me that my original budget is the sweet spot though and I'd be satisfied

I already have a nice pair of Sennheiser headphones so the speakers aren't that big of a deal to me.

Yes your US$800 budget is the sweet spot for entry level digital pianos. The next level up is around US$1200-1500 and then US$2000+ upwards. I'd recommend trying out a Kawai ES8 and Roland FP90 to see if the upgraded actions and sound systems are worth the extra money - to you or if you'd prefer to spend the extra money on lessons and learning materials.

Personally I found the Roland FP30 to be more than good enough for daily use - but everyone's different, so you really have to try them out.

* If you're in the SF Bay Area:
- San Mateo Piano carries Kawai digital pianos
- Gelb Music in Redwood City carries Roland.

Hi Groove! I'm in San Jose so I can definitely check out those places! That's really good advice--there's no way for me to know for sure unless I've tried out the next level of pianos ($1200-2000).

The ES8 sounds very nice, I'll have to try it this month. I've done some reading--isn't the Kawai ES8 the piano that had the keys issue? I read about it a long time ago and it's probably been resolved by now or very rare.

Thank you for the info guys. I don't know why I assumed Guitar Center was going to have everything I was interested in. It didn't cross my mind to check an actual piano dealer haha

I have a Roland FP30 and an Kawai ES110 (wife uses the latter). If you're not very sensitive about sound quality, the FP30 feels marginally better than the Kawai and the P125 from a keyboard action perspective. However, if sound is the most important factor for you, then of these 3 I'm citing here, I would rate the ES110 as having the best sound and the FP30 following up the rear. One reason for this is because the FP30's speakers face downwards, which is great if your ears were on your knees. But the sound quality of FP30 for me suffers for other reasons as well. The keyboard sound samples might not be so hot. I ended up avoiding this issue on my FP30 by using an external sound generator called Pianoteq, but that entails additional costs - it's better to get a piano that sounds right for you out of the box if sound is your #1 consideration.

Thanks!

I'm inclined to agree with Groove On regarding the different price levels. You can certainly buy a good piano for $800, however if you choose to save a little longer, I believe the improvement in sound and action quality will be noticeable.



There have been a few reports on this forum of keyboard actions issues with the ES8, yes. However, if you visit the forum frequently enough, I expect you will see similar reports from other models and other brands.

Kind regards,
James
x

Thank you James. I plan on trying the ES8 soon--all the videos I've seen on it are very impressive. I will go back to the P-125 and FP-30 to make sure I get a thorough play through and impression

If I feel like the upgraded action and sound on the ES8 is worth the price then I'll definitely save up a bit longer. Even though I'm not very advanced, I hope I can at least tell whether a piano action feels good to me or not.

I don't even know where I can try the Privia so I think I might just cross that one off my list. I will update this thread as I can continue to play these pianos. These responses were really valuable, so again thanks for taking the time to help me out !

I'm sure you will be able to find a store that sells the Privia instruments, as these are extremely popular. The PX-S1000 is brand new, so might be a little harder to find, but retailers should still stock the previous generation PX-160.

If you do play-test the P-125, FP-30, and PX-160, I would suggest trying the Kawai ES110 also.

Kind regards,
James
x

The keyboard selection at Guitar Center can be chaotic; the Cupertino and Hillsdale Mall outlets usually carry the Roland FP90 plus many of the Yamaha's; but I've never seen the Roland FP30 or any of the Kawais there.

The two piano stores I always wanted to check out are near San Jose: there's Greene Music (in San Jose) and the Gilroy Piano Outlet which supposedly also carries Kawais.

(I assume by "Cupertino" you mean the Santa Clara store on Stevens Creek.) They now display the FP-30. I've never seen an FP-90 there - but think I'll call Hillsdale to see if they have it . . . I've been hankering to check one out in person. And even tho the RD-2000 presumably has the same action, I want to see an actual FP-90.

Greene Music, of course, has both acoustic and digital Yamahas - but no slabs. Re Kawai, at various points in time San Mateo Piano has had a number of the Kawai digitals on display - not sure what's there right now, but could be worth a call.

FWIW --

Unlike (say) a Steinway grand, _you_ own the DP -- not the other way around.

If you get an $800 DP (IMHO the major brands' overall quality is similar), and use it for a year or two, and sell it to buy something better:

. . . it won't have been a "once-in-a-lifetime purchase" when you bought it;

. . . you'll get a good fraction (maybe 1/2, or 2/3) of that cost back, when you sell it.

. . . the new DP (because of technical progress) will have better "quality per dollar" than you could have found at the
. . . date of original purchase.

Don't get paralyzed, trying to pick the "just right" point on the price vs quality graph:

. . . . any piano is better than "no piano".

Any of the ones discussed, will (IMHO) do fine for a beginner.

Charles, sometimes you are so wise! (Almost always, actually . . .)

You can get a px160 bundle (keys, console stand, triple pedal attachment) for $599 on Amazon. I think it’s a great deal for a full set up in that budget range and you can keep the extra $200 for when you upgrade to the next tier.