PIANO MEGATHREAD: How to start out

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > No Music Discussion > Musician's Lounge > PIANO MEGATHREAD: How to start out

chiyosdad: May 5, 2004; "I wish I were a bird!"

So, I've decided to learn to play the piano. I would like to get an electronic keyboard that is as much like a real piano as possible, with weighted keys and the pedals and everything. I don't really care about how many synth voices it has or whatever, but it would be nice if it can hook up with my computer. Basically I would get a real piano if I could, but don't have that much money and also don't want to move heavy furniture. Any suggestions on what would be good?

I plan on paying for this with my tax rebate, so my budget is potentially up to $600, assuming nothing goes wrong. However, I'd like to get away with paying less if I could. I am completely new to piano so I probably don't need something super duper high quality, but I am fairly serious about this undertaking so I'll want to use this for a long time, so I probably shouldn't get a complete piece of poo poo either.

Lastly, where should I do the buying? Amazon or something? New or used?

# ¿ May 1, 2008 07:50

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# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 00:27

chiyosdad: May 5, 2004; "I wish I were a bird!"

I am a student and foresee myself moving quite a lot in the coming years, possibly across the country. I really think an electronic is the way to go.

Thanks for the suggestions. I started looking at some of those models. As a result I had to look up "polyphony" on wikipedia, heh. The more you know! Some guy's review had this to say about the P120:

quote:

The Yamaha P120 is total crap. It has a 3-level adjustment for velocity sensitivity. No matter what, it is impossible to play pianissimo on this keyboard. This is the keyboard to ruin budding prodigies. The one to wreak havoc on pianists. The gift for your stepsons. The choice of brand-name conscious brutes.

Also, it's apparently discontinued.

I will look into local shops but is there really a benefit to trying it out in person? I mean, being a complete noob, I won't know the difference, right? My original plan was to just grab one online based on recommendations here, since, actually, I do not own a car and would have to rely on the kindness of friends to shop in person.

Also, what happens if I get it used and it breaks? I mean you don't get the warranty right?

chiyosdad fucked around with this message at 21:21 on May 1, 2008

# ¿ May 1, 2008 21:11

chiyosdad: May 5, 2004; "I wish I were a bird!"

80k posted:

chiyosdad, I'd recommend going to some local music shops and trying them out there. You also might see some decent used Yamaha digital pianos (like the P-90 or P-120) close to your price-range on craigslist. For lowest price, the Casio PX-200 or PX-320 is pretty good value. For medium-price (around a grand, or cheaper used), I'd be looking at the Yamaha's. For higher-price (over a grand), I'd look into the Rolands.

So taking the advice from this thread, I've roped a piano buddy into going shopping with me. However, I'm not sure where to go. I searched for piano on google maps near where I live and found a bunch of places that seem to sell real pianos but don't say anything about digital pianos. Can someone help me out here? I live in West LA (90024).

# ¿ Jun 13, 2008 23:23

chiyosdad: May 5, 2004; "I wish I were a bird!"

So I went to a Guitar Center today. Apparently they also sell electronic pianos. One of their models was one I had picked out online, so that was good. But other than that, they had kind of a small selection. What are names of some other stores that would have this stuff?

# ¿ Jun 16, 2008 01:33

chiyosdad: May 5, 2004; "I wish I were a bird!"

ShinAli posted:

Sam Ash has a pretty great digital piano selection. Other than that, though, I'd go to regular ol' piano dealers. Chances are if they deal in new pianos, they probably deal in digital ones also.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

On another note ( :xd:

), I'm browsing through craigslist ads and I keep seeing the word sacrifice used like it's lingo. What does it mean?

# ¿ Jun 18, 2008 21:10

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# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 00:27

chiyosdad: May 5, 2004; "I wish I were a bird!"

So I went to the Sam Ash. Based on my friend's recommendations and my preferences (I want all 3 pedals, so that immediately narrows things down a lot), I've narrowed it down to probably these two models: Yamaha YDPS30 and Casio PX800.

They're very similar, as you can probably tell just by looking. Nevertheless it is customary for me to spend a long time comparing all the pros and cons before making a purchase, so I've started to construct a list of features for comparison:

code:

Property	Yamaha		Casio

MSRP		$1000		$1200
Actual Price	$800		$900
Polyphony	64		128!
Wattage		6+6		20+20
Has Cover	yes		no
Is a Yamaha	yes		no
Weight		79lb6oz		90lb5oz

So as far as I can tell, the Casio is nicer, but I'm not sure if the incremental niceness is worth the extra $100. My friend said that the Yamaha keys had a stronger kickback which she felt was weird and didn't like very much, and that the Casio's keys felt more like a real piano. But she said that in terms of the ranges of sounds both were very good and close to what can be produced on a real piano.

So anyway, I'd like to hear which you think I should pick, and whether there are some other factors that should be included in the comparison list which I've missed. If you have used one or both and could give your personal recommendations, that would be even better.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2008 20:40

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