Sophia as much as I love our DP and all the conveniences of not having to tune etc, I still think that nothing beats a true acoustic
This is definitely my thought on the matter. Practically speaking, I have always said that the best piano is the one you have in your house — in other words, the instrument you can actually get your hands on to play. My first piano was a digital, and then after we moved back to the U.S. so I could go to grad school, I had to sell my acoustic (they don’t let you take those on the plane as a carry on, who knows why!) While I was in grad school, we lived in a small apartment and a digital was the only option (both space wise and financially). And yes digital pianos are much nicer than they used to be. Having one made it possible for me to keep playing all through grad school.
But after I finished grad school and had an acoustic upright again, even though I kept my digital until I bought my grand, I never, ever played that digital again. Even though my first acoustic after grad school was a totally clapped out, old and beat up instrument. Even though the digital probably was objectively a better instrument, I still preferred the acoustic.
Of course, with an acoustic, it’s a hassle to deal with tunings and maintenance, and moving — there’s not much else that’s more stressful than having a grand piano moved — so yes, even though dealing with these things can be a hassle and certainly a financially burden, to me, it’s totally worth it.
There’s something magical about an acoustic (even a clappped out one? 😅
When we lived in Japan, after I got my Yamaha upright, I actually loved to hear its subtle changes in the months after each tuning and as the weather changed … A digital piano sounds the same all the time, and there’s something to be said for that consistency. But an acoustic is a living being with a unique voice, and I absolutely love that. To say nothing of the acoustic palette …