Recommendation for digital around $1K?

twocats · 2024-09-01T16:27:04+00:00

A friend of mine is looking for a decent beginner digital piano with weighted keys for around or less than $1000. I used to have a Yamaha P120 that I liked...

twocats

iternabe thanks! Yes in U.S.!

Bellyman

Merriam Music has a recent video on YouTube about keyboards under $1k. The three on his list in the most recent video: Casio PX-S1100, Kawai ES 120, and Roland FP-30X.

In a previous video, he suggests checking out: Kawai ES 120, Yamaha DGX670, Roland FP-30X, Roland FPE50, Casio PXS3100 and Kawai KDP75.

Those are just some suggestions and I know you can go hear / see him play and demonstrate those models and give you his opinions, which are HIS OPINIONS, which some people will disagree with. And I'm sure there are other keyboards that could be on that list.

twocats

Bellyman thanks! Any info is helpful 🙂

iternabe

Adorama right now has Kawai ES120 on sale for $699. That‘s 25% off MSRP and seems like a great price. Don‘t buy their kit, though. Much better bench, stand, pedal and headphone can be found elsewhere.

twocats

iternabe Adorama right now has Kawai ES120 on sale for $699.

Turns out this promotion was only found through your link, it must be a special Labor Day deal for subscribers. My friend decided to go for it, that model got great reviews and new with the deal it's even cheaper than open box!

Thank you to everyone who chimed in with suggestions! 🙂

iternabe

twocats Turns out this promotion was only found through your link

Yeah, it looks like so. I got the link from slickdeals.net which is also where I learned about the regular Roland FP-30X sale. When I went to Adorama and looked for Kawai ES120 using their own site search, the deal strangely would not come up. That's why I linked it in my post.

twocats

iternabe That's why I linked it in my post.

Thanks for finding the deal! She's not going to get a stand and bench for now. She has a low table that will work, and doesn't want to spend any more money than necessary 🙂

iternabe

@twocats Your friend may also wonder about what stand and seat to get.

The X seat that's shown in Adorama's kit is good enough. I am using it, and it's comfortable. It does allow adjustment of height, but only in larger increments, like 2 inches per step. I needed finer adjustments and ended up adding some exercise equipment rubber foot pads (1 inch thick) under the X seat which worked really well.

The single X stand is to be avoided. It is just not sturdy at all. I've heard double X stand might be okay if portability is needed. But Z stand is the style to go for. I bought a second hand Roland KS-10Z and it is well built and rock steady.

thepianoplayer416

Casio CT-S1-76 76 Key Portable Keyboard:

WieWaldi

thepianoplayer416 Seriously, this isn't a (main) piano by all means. This is a keyboard. You can consider this as a travel piano if you want to go cheap and lightweight... -if you don't want to carry around any hammer action slab that is at least double the weight.

twocats

thepianoplayer416 Casio CT-S1-76 76 Key Portable Keyboard

Simonb I highly recommend the Casio PX S3100

My friend already bought a Kawai (there was an amazing Labor Day deal) so she's set on recommendations, but maybe your suggestions would help someone else 🙂

Simonb

I highly recommend the Casio PX S3100. I've owned its predecessor model the PX S3000 for 4 years now and it works for everything I do, which includes my Classical practise, Jazz jam sessions and Rock/Pop playing for the band I'm in.

These are about £700 in the UK, so I'd have thought you'd get one for $1000 in the US.

Cheers

Bellyman

WieWaldi

WieWaldi -if you don't want to carry around any hammer action slab that is at least double the weight.

Yeah... that's kinda the trade-off. Light weight, lesser action. Grand hammer action, heavy weight. So far at least, every keyboard is a compromise.

I really like my RD-2000 and I like the way it plays... but it's right at the top end of what I'm willing to carry around. I suspect there will come a time when I will not be willing to even carry that around. I know that's way over the $1000 price, though.

My niece was just messaging me on FB yesterday about a keybaord for one of their kids. The Roland FP-30X was on their short list of ones that they liked. I had kinda tried to lean them towards something a little higher end like "under $2k" but I think they were more inclined towards "under $1k".

It's hard to choose sometimes. And we all have different situations, different likes, and different dislikes... and different budgets.

iternabe

Bellyman My niece was just messaging me on FB yesterday about a keybaord for one of their kids. The Roland FP-30X was on their short list of ones that they liked. I had kinda tried to lean them towards something a little higher end like "under $2k" but I think they were more inclined towards "under $1k".

I started on the FP-30X. 8-months later, I think it's a fine choice for absolute beginners. I read about the usual complaints about the action being too sluggish to play fast notes. I also feel that particular shortcoming won't be applicable to me for at least a couple of years or more. The on-the-heavy-side action actually is good thing to build finger strength. And the ability to use half-pedal eliminates one main factor to upgrade the DP early (as opposed something like the FP-10).

When the time comes, I think my next DP would be a Kawai VPC-1 (or VPC-2, hopefully). But to splurge more than $2k for a beginner, especially when not sure how far they will go, is a little too much financial risk IMHO.