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I want to buy a digital keyboard to play piano, purely for my own enjoyment. I haven't played in many years and I don't know whether I'll keep it up, so I'm not going to invest much yet (e.g. the lovely Yamaha DGX 620).

So I'm looking at cheaper 61-key models, either a Yamaha PSR E313 or a Casio CTK 810. Their feature sets are pretty similar, but the Casio has USB-to-device (Yamaha has MIDI only). I don't care much about the strings/sax/cheesy drum effects, etc, just the piano sounds.

After watching a lot of crimes against keyboards on YouTube, I'm starting to think the new Casio piano sound is nicer than the Yamaha's at this price point, even though Yamaha has all the reputation. The low-end Yamaha piano sound reminds me of too much glow/bloom effect in videogames. The Casio sound is simply a nice piano.

Anybody know much about this kind of thing?

Casio CTK 810
Features (http://www.casio.com/products/Musical_Instruments/Portable/CTK-810/) - Video 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHpcKxRJpec) - Video 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6zPvM7PTxU)

Yamaha PSR E313
Features (http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,,CNTID%25253D555565%252526CTID%25253D205000%252526ATRID%25253D20%252526DETYP%25253DATTRIBUTE,00.html) - Video 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FRIo17qVUo) - Video 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0_Mf0Xm01o) (oops sorry I linked one of the crimes)

Need...more...keys...(get an 88 key keyboard).

You need to try the keyboards in person if you can. The feel of the key action is crucial.

That's why I mentioned the DGX-620 as desirable, but above my price point. Has 88 keys, key action feels like a real piano, sounds genuinely like a grand piano, has all the effect features and USB out. I almost bought a second hand one on ebay yesterday - was outbid at the end.

Being in Australia, where prices are still clinging to the old "A$1=US$0.62", it would cost me about A$1000-1500 for a new DGX-620 ($700-$800 second hand). The ones I mentioned cost A$250-$300 new. I'll be trying them in person this week.

How much are the "low end" 88-key Yamahas?

There's no 88-key Yamaha below the DGX-620 in Australia. There's a DGX-230 at A$700 with 76 non-weighted keys.

In the US, the model below DGX-620 is a DGX-520 with 88 non-weighted keys - seen one second-hand for A$850 here, but they're not sold new here anymore (used to be for A$1400). Nobody buys the 520 anyway because the 620 is about the same price.

edit - I'm wrong, there is a Yamaha line of 88-key stage pianos, starting with the P-85 (http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,,CNTID%25253D565658%252526CTID%25253D205900,00.html) at A$900. The person who just pointed them out to me says "the P85 sounds and feels much closer to a piano, is cheaper but then again only has about 7 sounds" compared with the DGX-620. It's MIDI, not USB. P-85 video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n9m9kpwipM&eurl=http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=yamaha%20p85&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&cl)

edit 2 - Also now looking at a Casio CDP 100 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hUAtu72H8U) for A$580 with 88 weighted keys, but MIDI with no USB.

Just curious, do people really make use of all 88 keys? Having only dabled in guitar myself, I always assumed it was similar to the half dozen middle frets on a guitar that really hardly ever get used.

And now, I realize why I shouldn't post on weekends after having several beer on a Saturday night. Guitar notes repeat as you move up the fret, piano notes don't. Please feel free to ignore me. Hell, I'm only even going to hit submit for posterity sake here.

For more posterity, a video of the French pianist I used for my P-85 link, getting right up to the high notes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjioTAQ11ZU)

And right after that thing of beauty, his next video is the theme from fucking Titanic. YouTube is full of "hi, I spent 18 years learning this instrument, just so I could bring you my retarded version of Rihanna's Umbrella".

Or...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVSshzbAj_Y (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVSshzbAj_Y)

So do piano keys. They just change octave  :grin:

As to the 88 keys, there's always songs that require that extra note. It's more obvious on the fewer-key keyboards (and really annoying on my kids two-octave kiddie affair). If you can swing it, always get the extra keys. Consider it like RAM. You may not always it, but you'll be happy it's there that exact moment you need it.

You could afford 88 weighted keys if you just got a controller. Seeing that you probably already have a decent computer, and that piano isn't a very mobile instrument to begin with, that isn't a big deal.

[edit] There are much better piano voices through softsynths than you'd get out of a Casio or Yahama soundbank anyways.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm digesting it and shopping/testing pianos.

I found a nifty software piano to mess with in the meantime ... playing via qwerty keyboard :)

Download VST Host (http://www.kvraudio.com/get/300.html) and mda Piano (http://www.kvraudio.com/get/123.html). Run VST Host, then drag and drop the mda Piano dll into it. From the View menu, switch on keyboard bar. Hit a piano key once with the mouse. Now press all the keys of your (typing) keyboard and figure out which notes they play - you can play piano. The little controls on the mda Piano allow you to tweak the piano sound.

Stray's right, straight-up MIDI controller and a good VST will save you a ton of money and there are plenty of good MIDI controllers out there.

:oh_i_see:

I love my Yamaha P200 (had it for closer to 10 years now). Not sure if you can actually buy it anymore or if it's out of your price range. Feels like a real piano but has the added benefit of not having to piss your neighbors off with your practicing.

I got a Yamaha P70 for around $500 a few months ago -- it's discussed in the Guitar Thread.

It sounds a LOT better than the mda piano softsynth, and had a better keybed than the Casio equivalent.

Plus I can take it somewhere and actually get a sound out of it.

Really good piano softsynths are expensive btw... and take up silly space (40 gig? Urk).

At some point I'd like to get that P70 for my fiancee. She used to dabble in piano when she was a kid but hasn't played in decades. She's intimidated because of my guitar/bass/drum chops (and I'm intimidating, apparently), but I keep telling her that she only needs to know three chords and we can jam blues. I'm not expecting Pinetop Perkins or Johnny Johnson.

OK I've bought a Kawai MDK61II MIDI keyboard for A$61 on eBay, from a university music lab. Plugged it in and am messing around with piano VSTs. Thanks all.

It's only 61 keys, but 88 key MIDI instruments seem rare and expensive. If I do get into this and keep it up, I'll invest in an 88-key digital piano.

Necroing this bitch.

Looking to take up Piano because I ditched it awhile back and absolutely regret it. Just wanted some feedback on a decent beginner keyboard, even if I have to hunt down a used one, I don't mind. Cheaper is obviously better.

Ehhh, ok.


Chunka, chunka, chunka... wheedly, wheedly, weeeeeeee!

Way to quote a year and a half old post.

He who is responsible for the necro has no room to give people a hard time.

Yes, yes I do.

gah, darnit NiX I  missed the necro nature

Go to Radioshack and buy a Casio for $50.  Or look on Craigslist?

What's this Radioshack you speak of!?