REVIEW - Yamaha CLP465GP Digital Baby Grand Piano - Very Nice Instrument for looks and sound

CLP465GP

Yamaha Piano Company has a new line of Clavinova CLP digital pianos this year called the 400 series, which also includes this new CLP465 digital baby grand (approx $5000 store discount price, left pic). I have previously reviewed the newer CLP430, 440, 470, and 480 upright series on my blog. The 400 series has a new sound chip which produces a very convincing acoustic piano sound and I do like them very much. The key action on the new 400 series is the same key action as was on the previous 300 series called the GH3 key action. Although it is a good solid performer and has solid key movement & dynamic response, in my opinion the key movement itself is a bit stiff on the upper octaves, especially when playing more delicately or softly. To me that is the one drawback of the GH3 key action, however it is certainly still good overall and produces little physical key noise compared to some other digital piano brands.

CLP465GP with bench

The first piano in the lineup of the new 400 upright style pianos is the CLP430. The 430 piano sells at discount for approx $2800 in polished ebony finish (give or take depending on the dealer) in US Yamaha piano stores. Although the digital features on this piano are really very basic, it is a nice improvement over the former CLP330. The new Yamaha 3'8" deep CLP465GP digital baby grand is the identical piano to the CLP430 in every way except for the upgraded CLP465 speaker system & audio power (80 watts stereo into 4 speakers) and the obvious differences in cabinet style. The CLP465GP has 128-notes of polyphony memory which is very good, 14 nice instrument tones (which is not much in this price range), it has the ability to layer two sounds together and also offers key transpose which is good but basic (even $200 keyboard do that), it has a two track MIDI recorder/player and has a 1 track WAV file audio recorder which is very cool and allows you to take your recording and save it on a USB flash drive (in the piano USB flash drive port). You can then insert the flash drive into a home computer to save the audio song file you created for storage or burning to CD. The piano also has a USB output for computer connection so you can have access to great music education and creation programs.

So basically, this newer 465GP small digital baby grand is about $2000 more than the CLP430 for the small grand cabinet shape and construction with a better built-in speaker system and a nicer upgraded matching baby grand style bench. That's quite a premium for that cabinet including the fact that the legs do not have casters on the bottom of them and the top lid is a small one piece style instead of the traditional 2-piece lid you find on real baby grands. The bench and extra sound quality are upgraded as well over the CLP430, so overall the CLP465GP is a solid piano and a very attractive piece of furniture in a good smaller size (without being too small). And, it's a Yamaha instrument which is typically great quality in digital pianos.

Samick SG310

Another digital baby grand piano you should consider that competes favorably with the Yamaha, but for less money, is a newer model by the well known Samick Piano Company called the SG310. In many ways (but certainly not all) this SG310 is a superior instrument to the Yamaha in it's cabinet size (4'1" deep) and design, it's speaker and audio system (120 watts stereo into 6 speakers), and its built-in digital piano educational features and instrument sounds. As far as piano tone and touch, in my opinion the Samick SG310 is quite smooth and realistic and compares favorably to the Yamaha, which is saying a lot. And the price is over $1000 less (normal store discount prices) than the Yamaha. For more info on the Samick SG310 as well as other Samick digital baby grand models, go to this link to see my complete review: Review - Samick Digital Baby Grands

I do recommend this Yamaha CLP465GP piano for someone who wants very good quality with nice but minimal features and functions, and doesn't mind being in the approx $5000 price range. And if you are at an intermediate to advanced player skill level or your goal is to practice hard to get there, then I would recommend the Yamaha CLP465GP over the Samick SG310 if you want to stay in the $5000 or less price range. In case you were wondering, there are even better digital baby grands (in other brands) than either the Yamaha or Samick, but they will also cost you a lot more money too!

If you want more piano info and LOWER PRICES than internet discounts or sale prices, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.

REVIEW - Samick SG110, SG310, & SG450 Digital Grand Pianos - Surprisingly Good for the Lower Prices & Very Attractive!

Samick pro acoustic grand

The Samick Piano Company is a very well known & respected South Korean piano & musical instrument manufacturer which has been making acoustic grand and upright pianos for over 50 years. Their line of acoustic piano products include the Samick brand as well as Kohler & Campbell, Seiler, Pramberger, Knabe, and others. Samick is also one of the largest guitar building companies in the world and has made thousands of guitars for famous companies including Fender, Gibson, Yamaha, and others and also builds the Greg Bennett and Silvertone line of acoustic & electric guitars. I have personally played on and owned Samick acoustic pianos in the past as well as currently owning a couple of Greg Bennett acoustic guitars, so I am very familiar with their instruments.

The Samick company has also built many digital pianos over the years, however these instruments were just average or below average (I have played many of them over the years) and not at all competitive with top companies like Yamaha, Kawai, Roland, or Casio. So it comes as a big surprise to me that the Samick company has recently come out with some very attractive,well built, and very nice playing polished ebony (and polished white) small digital baby grand pianos for 2012 in a lower price range under $4000. I recently had an opportunity to play these new Samick digital Baby Grands and was very impressed by what I felt and heard. I was impressed by their realistic hammer weighted key action which moved and responded to velocity and dynamics much better than all the other digital baby grands I have played under $4000. In fact, the ability to express yourself in an acoustic way was quite surprising to me considering my disappointing experiences with other small inexpensive digital baby grands from Suzuki, Williams, and others. Beyond that, the piano tone was surprisingly good and resonate, although it wasn't quite to the level of a Roland, Yamaha, or Kawai digital baby grand, but those brands are quite pricey in comparison (sometimes thousands more) for similar features and cabinet design. So for the money, the new Samick digital grand pianos are more than sufficient in producing a very satisfying piano playing experience for most people.

Two main reasons for these pianos being so good is because Samick (no offence intended) is not producing the piano actions or sound sampling themselves. That's not to say Samick could not produce it themselves these days if they really wanted to, but they chose to give those tasks to two very famous Italian piano companies (Fatar & Orla) who are well known for creating and building high quality piano key actions and designing piano sampled sounds for other famous piano companies over the years. Samick entered into a partnership with those companies on these new models by using their new graduated hammer style piano key actions and stereo digital piano sounds and had them built into these new models. The resulting outcome has been that for the first time ever, I believe Samick now has the best digital pianos they have ever offered, and these instruments are at reasonable and affordable prices for many people looking for a beautiful and well built furniture piece along with a very satisfying piano performance, sound, and digital features.

The lowest priced and smallest of these three pianos is called the SG110 (left pic) which is discount priced at $3495. This very attractive polished ebony SG110 measures about 3 feet in depth from front to back so it can fit in many small spaces. The built-in stereo speaker system has 4 speakers going through 60 watts of audio power. This piano feels and sounds great for its size and really looks good. The legs sit directly on the ground and have no casters and the inside of the piano is all black.

The next model is called the SG310 (left pic) and is discount priced at $3995. It also comes in an attractive polished ebony cabinet with upgraded hardware & appointments including a 2-piece hinged lid (like a real acoustic grand), tapered legs, and measures 4'1" in depth, so it's a bit larger which is great for a slightly bigger space. The built-in stereo speaker system has 6 speakers going through 120 watts of audio power. This model is my favorite because of it's size, its looks, and its fuller and more resonate sound, so as far as I'm concerned, it is easily worth the difference in price. The key cover and legs have extra hardware on them and the music rack shape has a slightly different design than the SG110.

Both models have a very realistic graded piano weighted hammer action, 64 notes of polyphony which is fine for the price (128 notes would have been better), 385 very nice sounds (WOW), 20 panel memories for saving your favorite setups, a 16-track general MIDI multi-track player/recorder using a USB flash drive to save and load songs which is very cool, and it plays educational General MIDI files too. Each of the 16 instrument tracks, including the melody line, can be individually muted (switched off) so that you can isolate certain parts for better understanding of how that part plays and sounds, which is great for learning. That is a very useful feature not found in many digital pianos. Go here for more info on how General MIDI lesson & song accompaniments can help you play better and have more fun: General MIDI songs & lessons

SG310 full size pic

Both pianos also have 3 standard piano pedals, keytouch sensitivity control to change the touch response, headphone jacks for private practice, a user friendly backlit LCD display screen, dedicated front control panel buttons, and stereo audio outputs and computer connections. There are also a number of other features on these two models (including an optional drum machine pattern player with all kinds of cool rhythms) that in my opinion, make these new Samick pianos worth owning. With good looks including sliding key covers, the ability to have the piano lid open up with your choice of two levels of height (full or 1/2 open), a matching bench, and very nice sound and graduated hammer piano key action with some cool digital features, I believe these new small digital baby grand pianos will be hard to beat for the money. Samick's US headquarters is in the Greater Nashville, TN area so they are local and offer a 3 yr parts & 1 year labor warranty good anywhere in the US. Based on everything I have seen and heard from these new pianos, I would recommend them.

SG450

Also, Samick makes a third model digital baby grand which has been out for about 6 months now called a SG450 (left pic) which is the identical piano to the SG310 in most every way (incl size, speaker & audio system, etc) with the exception that it has a bigger user LCD display screen for even more instrument sounds (some of which are specialized dynamic sounds) as well as having a built-in Rhythm Orchestra with 520 automatic left hand chord accompaniment styles and right hand harmony notes when played one-finger style. You name the type of music style and the SG450 seems to be able to do it incl Jazz, Latin, Rock, Country, Big band, Swing, Broadway, Ragtime, New Age, Christmas, Disney, and everything in-between. This kind of system is great for people who just want to have fun and not go through traditional piano lessons or they just want to explore new ways of playing music (which I personally enjoy). The store discount selling price for this piano is usually about $4500. Both the SG310 & SG450 also come in a very attractive polished white finish too.

And one more thing, considering how heavy a regular small acoustic baby grand weighs, which is approx 600-700lbs, the lighter weight of these small digital baby grands makes them much easier to move and assemble. The SG110 3' deep baby grand weighs in at 165lbs and the 4'1" deep SG310 & SG450 weigh in at 260lbs each. Not bad considering their size. But whichever Samick digital baby grand piano you might choose, I believe you'll have a great time playing it and be especially pleased with how they look.

If you want more piano info and LOWER PRICES than internet discounts or sale prices, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.

* Also, below is a short video demo of the SG450 (in white) done by the US Samick headquarters main product director. Although this is a very basic demo, it'll give you a good idea as to some of the things the SG450 can do. The stereo acoustic piano sound and advanced graduated hammer key action however, is the same sound and key action found in the SG310 & SG110 (which is a good thing).

 

REVIEW - Yamaha YDP-C71PE Digital Piano - Very Attractive Cabinet but otherwise a bit DISAPPOINTING

I really like the Yamaha brand and own a couple of their pianos myself. I have also played many of their digital pianos and keyboards for years and I always look forward to seeing new Yamaha digital pianos. Yamaha has been producing their current line of Arius pianos for about 2 years now (with the exception of their new low priced YDP135R) and I was hoping to see new electronic and/or feature improvements in their 2012 models, but unfortunately there were none, and that's disappointing to me. The only thing that Yamaha came up with this year was a new and attractive polished ebony cabinet finish for their YDP161, which is called the YDP-C71PE at $1899 internet price (upper left pic). The C71 is otherwise the identical digital piano to the Arius YDP161 ($1499 internet price) which has a very nice piano tone and fairly nice and solid upright piano key action (GH). However, this model is somewhat basic in every other way when it comes to its control panel, access to features, limited instrument tones & educational technology, and no USB output or USB flashdrive input. In other words, for $1899, other than getting it in the polished ebony finish which I admit costs more money to produce, there are much better new digital piano choices out there that are far more advanced in nearly every other way including piano sound & key touch realism. In fact going up just a bit to the Yamaha Clavinova CLP430 would be a better choice in my opinion, for not much more money.

OK, I know I am being a bit harsh in my evaluation of the C71PE, but for $1899, you should be getting a lot more piano for that price in my opinion. As I mentioned above, the C71PE has the specs as the YDP161 including 10 total instrument tones (the piano tones sounds real nice but the others are just OK), 128-notes of polyphony (which is good), a 2-track 1 song MIDI recorder, 40 watts of stereo audio power (good), and all of it in a very basic cabinet aside from the attractive polished ebony finish.

I would recommend you also consider the new 2012 model Roland RP301 ($1699 internet price in satin black (left pic) or rosewood) which is quite competitive with the Yamaha C71 specs and has (in my opinion) a slightly better key action and piano reproduction, although the Roland speaker audio power is only 24 watts total (a bit weak) as compared to Yamaha at 40 watts (good). The Roland RP301 does have better access to the control panel with dedicated front panel buttons, a duet 4-hands play mode, a better looking cabinet design in my opinion, and a mini-jack input for running an external audio device such as an iPod through the Roland speaker system. The Roland RP301 also has 30 instrument tones as opposed to 10 on the Yamaha.

However, a new 2012 digital piano that has really received my attention lately (and is just coming out very early in Feb) is the Kawai CE220 ($1899 internet price in satin black, left pic). What makes this piano a great choice is a few notable things such as a real full length wooden key action that, in my opinion, comes much closer to duplicating an acoustic piano upright key action (the other pianos mentioned use all plastic). The CE220 also has 192-notes of polyphony (it's the sound chip from their $3000 digital piano) with high definition sound sampling that gives this piano more fire-power in reproducing an even better acoustic piano sound which makes you believe that you're really hearing a grand piano (I played this model recently and have experienced this for myself). The wood key action and grand piano sound reproduction alone I think is worth the "price of admission:)." On top of that, the Kawai has 100 realistic drum player patterns to help with rhythm & timing which is great for music education, 4-hand duet play, it can layer and split any two of its 22 impressive instrument sounds with relative volume balance, it has USB output to computer and USB flashdrive input for downloading music into the CE220 as well as saving your recordings off the piano into the flashdrive. Beyond that, it has stereo audio 1/4" outputs & inputs for great audio connectivity and an upgraded front control panel with direct access buttons and intuitive features. I also like its cabinet design, color, panel layout, and sturdiness. I have done a review of this model so take a look at it and see what you think? Kawai CE220 Review

It really doesn't matter which piano you get because you'll be able to make great music and have a nice piano that should last you many years. But for my money and considering I would want the biggest bang for the buck in this higher price range (nearer $2000), I would choose the Kawai CE220 over the other two models here.

For a bit less money, Casio makes a very popular furniture cabinet digital piano called the AP620 ($1399 internet price in satin black, left pic). If you want a piano that has been extremely popular throughout the US and continues to remain that way, you should also consider this model as it has a very realistic piano key action & upright piano sound with ivory feel keys, dedicated front control buttons with upgraded LCD user interface display, lots of very cool features (many more than the other pianos) in an attractive satin black cabinet with a built-in 60 watt stereo speaker system. I have done a review on this model here:  Casio AP620 Review

With regard to the Yamaha Arius model C71PE, the up side to this instrument at this price point is that if you are a "minimalist" kind of person who wants to keep it very simple with minimal functions, and you really want that polished ebony high gloss look in a digital piano (and you don't mind spending the $1899 to get it), then this piano may be just perfect for you.

If you want more piano info and LOWER PRICES than internet or store discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.

REVIEW - Kawai CE220 Digital Piano - Outstanding for its Lower Price!

The new Kawai CE220 digital piano is a WINNER! - The Kawai Piano company of Japan has been producing  fine acoustic & digital pianos for many years and they seem to build better and more competitive pianos every year. They are recognized as a leader in building exceptional instruments for recreational players, students, and professionals throughout the world. Kawai has been offering a particular furniture cabinet digital piano called the CE200 ($1699 internet price) which has been out for about 5 or 6 years now and this model has been a very successful instrument for them. So it comes as no surprise to me that Kawai has done a major update on that model after all this time, and this new model is called the Kawai CE220 (above left pic)....and they have really outdone themselves.

This new CE220 furniture cabinet piano was just introduced on January 19, 2012 in a private music dealer/educator/musician convention (NAMM) which I was allowed to be a part of. Most people do not know about this new instrument yet, but they will soon. I spent a great deal of time playing this piano and was extremely impressed with what I experienced. The first major upgrade that I noticed right away when playing it was the piano sound itself. The CE220 is utilizing the same piano technology found in their higher priced CN43 ($2950 internet price in black finish). This highly upgraded technology includes 192-notes of polyphony (WOW!) as well as the grand piano sound source called Progressive Harmonic Imaging with 88-key individual piano sampling going through a stereo 40-watt built-in speaker system (which is sufficient power for most homes). To put this upgrade in simple terms, the piano sound and realism of dynamics, expression, and detail is spectacular, especially for the low price, and you really think you are hearing the sound of a grand piano. The next improvement to this piano over the previous CE200 is a USB flashdrive input. This feature allows you to load in piano songs for playback at any tempo along with a great way to store your own user recordings from the on-board 2-track recorder.

There are a total of 22 very high quality instrument sounds on this piano (including very realistic string symphonies, Church & Jazz B3 organs, choirs, guitar, etc), along with 100 very realistic drum patterns with tempo control (such as jazz, rock, waltz, big band, Latin, country, boogie, etc) which are not only a lot of fun to play along with, but help tremendously with piano students in better understanding rhythm and timing which are the most difficult things in music to learn in my opinion. The CE220 also allows you to layer any two sounds together or split the keyboard with any two sounds. And beyond that, the piano can be electronically divided into two identical 44-key pianos for 4-hand duet play utilizing two pedals for individual sustain for both keyboards. This is great for student/teacher, parent/child, or for any two people who want to play the piano at the same time.

Although the CE220 is very intuitive and easy to use with its nice LED interface display screen, it also has many effects & editing features to adjust sound, tone, and key response to individual tastes. There are 5 touch velocity-sensitivity levels for changing key response, different voicing features for customizing piano sound to become brighter or more mellow, reverb/echo function to add more realism to the piano tone such as being played in a large room versus a smaller room. There are also deeper editing features with micro-editing to bring out the nuances of the grand piano sounds in ways no other piano in this price range can do.

The previous CE200 was famous for having the Kawai AWA Grand Pro II keyboard action, which had longer, real wooden keys for an very realistic acoustic piano feel. This action had authentic key balance points, action movement, and contact placements that combined with proper hammer grading and bass key counter-weights. No other digital piano under $3000 currently has this special wood key action and I am happy to say that Kawai was able to keep it in the new CE220 and still offer the piano for less than $2000, which in my opinion, is amazing. The feel of the key action is really outstanding and the movement of the keys is quiet, sturdy, and durable, just like a real acoustic upright piano.The wooden keys seems to give the player more of an organic experience in tone and finger movement. The 3 built-in pedals also duplicate the feel and function of the 3 standard pedals on a real acoustic piano including progressive half-pedaling for detailed damper expression.

The CE220 also has a built-in USB output to computer or iPad for connectivity to powerful programs and apps for music education, notation, composing, and more. I am also impressed with the fact that this model has 1/4" stereo audio outputs & inputs to add an external speaker system if desired or to input other devices audio output such as a computer or iPad to go directly into the Kawai audio system. In that way you can plug in headphones and hear not only the Kawai piano in privacy, but also hear the computer or iPad sound coming through the headphones...a very cool & useful feature.

The new Kawai CE220 comes in a "premium satin black" finish only and includes a built-in sliding key cover and matching padded bench. This model is also a limited production model available only in the US and Canada. In my opinion, the CE220 easily outperforms all other digital cabinet pianos in its price range for what it delivers, as well as pianos that are higher priced such as the newer Yamaha Clavinova CLP430 and Roland HP302, both of which are closer to $2500. It easily  outperforms the popular Yamaha Arius YDP181 ($1799 internet price) as well as the newer Roland RP301 ($1699 internet price). Even the popular Kawai CN23 digital piano ($1799 internet price) will get stiff competition from this new CE220 for only $100 more. This new model does NOT have the ivory touch keytops or the "grand piano" action movement with let-off/escapement that other digital pianos have. But in the final analysis, keytops on real grand pianos including Yamaha, Kawai, and many others do not have ivory feel keytops either, they have hard white plastic tops just like the CE220.

As for a grand piano key movement with let-off/escapement mechanism versus an upright piano key movement without that, they are both great to have (as long as the specific key actions are good ones) and there are some very expensive acoustic upright pianos (Yamaha, Kawai, etc) which are excellent instruments but don't have a grand piano key movement with letoff/escapement mechanism. The Kawai CE220 has, in my opinion, a very realistic professional upright piano key movement, which for many people, is more than sufficient.

The bottom line on this model is...Kawai has really outdone themselves in the $1500-$2500 price range this year in 2012, and I believe the other brands will simply have to play "catch up" now. And playing catch up may take quite a while to do based on what I have seen. I would highly recommend this new Kawai CE220 for anyone wanting a solid, reliable piano with excellent piano touch, response, and dynamics along with very convincing grand piano tone. I also like the very enjoyable and advanced digital technology features of this model in its solid, attractive black cabinet... and that's saying a lot. I think the tough part will be trying to get one of these pianos soon because once the word gets out, this model will likely be in short supply. Please contact me directly for current CE220 availability from Kawai.

If you want more piano info and LOWER PRICES than internet or store discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.

REVIEW - Yamaha YDP135R Digital Piano - Very Nice with good piano tone & touch

Yamaha has series of furniture style cabinet digital pianos priced under $2000 called Arius and they have been on the market for awhile. There is the Arius YDP141, 161, 181, and V240. However, Yamaha has not had an Arius furniture style piano selling for under $1000 in its current lineup of home digital pianos until now and that model is called the YDP135R (left pic - internet priced at $999). This piano is essentially the same instrument as the higher priced YDP141 ($1149 internet price) except the recording and data storage capacity on the 135R is smaller, and according to Yamaha, the 135R isn't supposed to sound as good as the 141 or have half-damper pedaling either. Half damper simply means that when you press the sustain pedal down, you get partial graduated sustain instead of just an on & off sustain like the off brands such as Williams, Suzuki, Adagio, etc. On & off sustain is not recommended because regular acoustic pianos have half-damper ability and it's important to try to duplicate an acoustic piano touch & tone as closely as possible.

Based on my playing experience with the new YDP135R, it does have half-damper sustain and as far as I'm concerned, it sounds and plays just as good as the YDP141 (left pic). In fact the new YDP135R has the same audio power and speaker system as the YDP141 (2 speakers & 12 watts total power), the same sounds (six), same key polyphony memory (64-note), the same key action (GHS) which is nice, the same cabinet, the same control panel and basically the same features.

The biggest advantage that I see in the higher priced YDP141 is that is has two tracks for recording instead of one which is pretty cool to have. That means you can record a left hand part and then play it back while playing the right hand part live along with it or record right hand part and play it back while playing left hand along with it. Or you can record and playback both parts. That can be useful when practicing with two hands and wanting separate parts. The YDP135R (upper left pic with cover closed and with bench) just records on one track for both hands at once or you can record one hand part and play it back while playing the other hand live. But you cannot record both hands independently and play them back together or store that song either. So as far as recording goes, the YDP141 is better. But if you don't think that will be a big issue for you, then essentially the new lower priced YDP135R is basically the same as the YDP141. So for most people, I would recommend saving the money and getting the lower priced Yamaha YDP135R. It sounds good as a piano but only has a total of 6 instrument sounds which is not many, plays good (although the audio power at just 12 watts total could be a lot more), and it comes with a nice matching padded bench.

Another very good digital piano option in this price range that I recommend is the popular Casio Celviano AP420 piano (left pic). This piano has 16 instrument sounds, 40 watts of total power, a sturdier cabinet and bench than the Yamaha with front support legs on the furniture cabinet and a heavy duty height adjustable bench (Yamaha is a lighter weight standard height only), ivory feel keytops that simulates real ivory piano keys for a better finger touch, a SD memory card feature that allows any recordings to be saved directly onto an SD memory card (SD card slot in the piano) to create your own library of songs, a two track 1 song recording like the Yamaha YDP141, the ability to "split the keyboard" into two parts and assign one instrument sound on the left hand and a different sound on the right hand and play them at the same time (very cool). The Casio AP420 is also 128-note polyphonic which means twice the key polyphony memory of the Yamaha 135R & 141 (they are 64-note polyphony).

Also, overall I believe the stereo acoustic piano sound is better on the Casio because it utilizes a 4-level stereo sample as opposed to a 3-level on the Yamaha YDP141 and even less on the YDP135R. If you compare all of the specifications of both the Casio AP420 and the Yamaha YDP135R, it would appear that the Casio wins out in a big way...and it's only $100 more than the Yamaha YDP135R ($1099 internet discount price for the Casio). I think for just $100 more the Casio should be a definite consideration and it comes with a 3 year parts & labor factory warranty. Not only does the Casio AP420 beat out the YDP135R, in my opinion it also beats out the YDP141 and the higher priced YDP161 ($1499 internet price) with the Casio having a more realistic upright piano key action movement.

I have heard that the Casio Celviano AP420 is very difficult to find in stores these days as Casio apparently sells them out pretty fast and I can see why when you compare it against what Yamaha is currently offering under $1500. And after playing all of these instruments, as much as I like these Yamaha digital pianos, the Casio Celviano pianos are very impressive. And for $1399 internet discount price, the top of the line model Casio Celviano AP620 (upper left pic) is really amazing for the money, especially as compared the the top of the line Yamaha Arius YDPV240 at $1899 internet price which has a hard time competing with the Casio AP620 at $1399. I have written reviews on all these models so when you get time, check them out by entering the brand and model numbers in the search bar to the right of this page and then you can read all about them:)

In the final analysis, the new YDP135R is a solid contender and a much better digital piano in its price range that most other brands. But $1000 is still a lot of money so before you plunk down all that hard earned cash, do your research and be sure you are getting a quality instrument that will give you the most for your money.


If you want more piano info and LOWER PRICES than internet or store discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.

REVIEW - Yamaha YPG535 Digital Piano - NOT Recommended for Piano Students, but Fun to Play!

If you are a piano student or recreational player wanting a good accurate and weighted  piano key action in a digital piano, I do not recommend the Yamaha YPG535 ($499 internet discount price - left pic) because it does not have the weighted key movement. Yamaha is a great piano company and makes many different models of acoustic & digital pianos, but the YPG535 is really a glorified keyboard with 88-keys. Although the keys themselves look similar to a piano key shape, they actually have the same key movement and feel as a Yamaha 61 or 76-key keyboard which have the lightweight spring-type key actions. The YPG535 is, however, an enjoyable instrument to play just for fun because it has lots of very nice sounds, drum rhythms, chord arrangements, recording features and other fun things that make it a cool instrument to own for both young people and adults. It even sounds somewhat (but not actually) like a piano so it would appear to be a good low priced digital piano. But as far as a realistic weighted piano key touch and acoustic piano resonating tone and dynamics...it's not even close to the real thing and it was not designed to be that way.

Yamaha calls their YPG535 key action a graded soft touch keyboard and that would be true. It's very easy to press the white keys (except for the black keys which are much harder to press because of the stiffer spring mechanism), and that is not what you want if you are interested in developing good piano playing habits and skills. Not only is the key action not a good one for duplicating an acoustic piano touch, but the key polyphony memory (especially useful when playing larger passages of music or layering instrument sounds together) is a low 32-notes which is very outdated technology, but is cheaper price to produce. Normal polyphony memory these days is somewhere between 64 to128 notes in lower priced digital pianos. Also, if you are using the regular acoustic piano tone, it starts sounding like an electric piano as you get nearer to the top octaves. In other words, the piano doesn't reproduce a realistic piano tone in the upper octaves (it's better in the lower octaves) and that's due to the less expensive sound sampling technology in this model.

Also, the piano sound itself has minimal dynamic range (changes in the tone like on acoustic pianos) when trying to get softer mellower tone on up to bright resonate tone when playing at different finger pressure on the keys. When you're progressing as a piano student (or if you already play) more polyphony memory and better dynamic range is needed for playing at a higher skill level of music including using the piano sustain pedal. The minimum polyphony in any digital piano should be at least 64-notes and the preferable polyphony should be closer to 100 notes or more as it is in many other Yamaha digital pianos. If you are and will remain at a beginner skill level, this may not be an issue for you, but hopefully you won't be a beginner forever:)

With regard to the piano pedal, the YPG535 piano only allows the single pedal that comes with it to produce an on & off sustain instead of a graduated (half-pedal) sustaining of notes. This is not the way regular acoustic pianos work and so you should be sure if at all possible that the digital piano you purchase has a "half-pedaling" feature, especially if you hope to go beyond a beginning skill level. Most of the better Yamaha digital pianos do have this feature as well as other good brands including Casio, Kawai, and Roland.

As I mentioned earlier, the Yamaha YPG535 is a fun piano to play, has a cool user interface display (left pic), has good speaker volume, and if you don't care at all about the key action weight and movement being like an acoustic piano or the piano sound being closer to a real piano over the the entire keyboard, then this piano could be a very good option for people who just want lots of cool electronic features, good quality instrument sounds, fun rhythms, interactive user interface, and USB flash drive input and USB output for direct connect to computers.

The better option in a Yamaha digital piano with an upgraded acoustic piano style key action is the DGX640 ($799 discount internet price - includes stand). It has all the cool features (and more) of the YPG535 along with a noticeably more realistic weighted piano key action and much better piano sound. Although it's about $300 more, in my opinion its worth the difference and includes double the key polyphony memory (64-notes, very important). You might also want to check out the Casio Privia PX330 at $699 (discount internet price - stand optional). In my opinion this piano feels even better than the Yamaha DGX640, has a wider dynamic range for piano tonality, and has 128 notes of polyphony which is double the polyphony memory of the Yamaha DGX640 (that's a very good amount of polyphony memory)! However, ultimately either piano would be good to own and lots of fun with many great features.

My goal here is not to list the amount of instrument sounds, rhythms, accompaniments, recording tracks, or other extra features these pianos have because they all do a good job of that. But I want to focus on proper key action movement and piano tone quality & dynamics, which are of primary importance to me and if that's what you are looking for, I would stay away from the YPG535. Be aware that there are always people who will buy these types of pianos and give them good reviews for their touch and tone. However, these people almost always have little to no experience with real acoustic pianos and the way they actually behave when playing them, regardless of what they may say in their consumer reviews.

If you have little or no experience with a digital piano then the YDP535 may seem perfect for you, but in reality could create bad playing habits or hinder your piano playing growth if you use it for very long. It is fine for playing fun or for practicing lessons for a short time, but I would never recommend it to any of my piano students or anyone else wanting a "real piano playing experience." If you want or need an instrument that will allow the student or player to progress in their playing so they can play a piano correctly and adapt easily to a real acoustic piano later down the road (which is a great goal), then I would not recommend the Yamaha YDP535 for that purpose. However, if you want a fun 88-key digital piano instrument and don't really care how the keys respond or move to your finger touch, aren't bothered by the low 32-note polyphony, and are easily  satisfied with a basic piano sound like on a 61-key Yamaha keyboard (along with the the fun features), then this will likely be a great instrument for you.

If you want more piano info and LOWER PRICES than internet or store discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.

BEWARE! DIGITAL PIANOS in Attractive Furniture Cabinets at LOW PRICES doesn't necessarily mean Good Pianos!

There are some digital piano manufacturers who know that they can put cheap electronics and key action movements inside very attractive piano cabinets and sell them for a low price that way. And the sad thing is, many people will buy them that way too. Mini or Micro Digital Baby Grands & polished hi gloss wood or black finish vertical cabinets for a low price get a buyers attention. Then you expect that the piano will sound and play as good as it looks. In many cases nothing could be further from the truth. So do yourself a favor and find out from an experienced digital piano pro like me what really makes a piano sound and play good and what can make them bad. You are spending good money and want a good product so don't jump into something just because you see a pretty picture and find a few good customer/owner reviews on them. Believe it or not, many people who own these "nice looking piano shaped objects (as I call them) don't necessarily know what they are talking about. So don't make a mistake you may later regret. Get a piano that really functions like a piano. You'll be glad you did.


If you want more piano info and LOWER PRICES than internet or store discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.

REVIEW - Adagio KDP8826, XDP400, & KDP88 Digital Pianos - Looks beautiful but NOT Recommended

UPDATED REVIEW - January 27, 2012 - I would not buy these pianos nor recommend them for a few different reasons. The Adagio (KDP8826 - left pic) digital cabinet piano is a piano brand which is distributed by the Kaysound company of Canada. Although Kaysound is headquartered in Canada, they have a US distribution office/warehouse in New York which distributes into the US. As a distribution company, Kaysound does not actually make pianos. They buy them pre-made from a digital piano company in China and put the name "Adagio" on the piano, so the piano is purely a Chinese manufactured and designed piano (being made in China is fine as long as the instrument sounds and key actions are good, which they are not in these models) and the actual name of that Chinese company is called Ringway Tech Company. Ringway produces many different musical instruments and products for other distributors worldwide and the same Adagio named pianos are also sold under other names in different countries (same pianos, different names). All suggested list prices (not actual discount selling prices) for these pianos are set up by the Kaysound/Adagio company and in my opinion should not be seen as an indicator of the true value of these models, as that is purely subjective. 

The Adagio KDP8826 polished ebony version and XDP400 (left pic) imitation satin rosewood version (same pianos, different color and finish), are sold almost exclusively through Costco at $999 & $799 respectively in the US, and none of the Adagio digital pianos offered by Costco in the US can actually be seen or played in a store, therefore the consumer has to buy one sight unseen. Sams Club also offers the KDP8826 piano for sale, only in the polished mahogany finish at $998, but that model also has to be ordered sight unseen. In many cases it's OK to order sight unseen and/or untested if the item comes from a well known piano company with a history of creating or supplying good products. But Costco and other retail companies may not necessarily understand what makes a good piano and offers them because they look good and are a low price (this would include the Suzuki brand too, which I do not recommend at this point).

I have seen and played the KDP8826/XDP400 model and know exactly how it stands up to other brands and what is good and bad about it. Firstly, it comes in a very nice attractive polished ebony cabinet with built-in sliding key cover and matching bench. The styling is very nice, construction seems to be good, and it's fairly easy to assemble out of the box. The piano is user friendly and has a nice, easy to read LCD display screen (upper left pic). There are 128 individual instruments and sounds as well as percussion. Also included are 114 arranger chord styles with drums which can be fun to play (assuming you know how to use that feature). The internal audio system is 80 watts with 4 speakers (according to Adagio) which makes this piano plenty loud. So the good parts of this piano is that it looks great, can play loud if necessary, and there are more sounds and features then the average digital piano in this price range. So far based on all that, this piano looks like it could be an excellent buy.

However, THE primary reasons someone should buy a digital piano is for the ability of the piano to accurately (as much as possible) reproduce a natural, realistic acoustic piano key touch, smooth sound response, proper dynamics & expression, and good acoustic quality piano tone along with a reasonably quiet movement of the keys. The Adagio KDP8826/XDP400 does almost none of these things well or even good in my opinion. Although it's nice having some of the other fun features, they are and should be very secondary to what the instrument can do as a piano. Here are the reasons I say this.

Firstly, there are 2 acoustic piano sounds on this model which are called Grand piano & Bright piano. When playing on a regular piano as well as any name brand digital piano in this price range, the piano sound is supposed to change not only in volume (louder/softer) as you press the key harder or easier, but the tone itself is supposed to change in character with changes in brightness and mellowness as well as various overtones and nuances in the sound. Those are just a few details that make a piano sound good and is referred to as "dynamic range."The Adagio has just one piano sound no matter how hard or soft you press the key. It does change volume from soft to loud, but no changes in tonality or dynamic range. In other words, the piano sound (either Grand or Bright piano) is the same all the time on any style of music using any dynamics. This is not a good thing and not the way acoustic pianos behave.

There are five levels of touch sensitivity that you can change and set, but this feature has to do with different levels of volume response as you play the keys, and not with dynamic range or changes in tone. Touch sensitivity levels are there in case you normally play the keys too hard or too soft and you want to have a different level of volume for your particular touch. This feature is very common in digital pianos. Also, the piano sound itself on this piano is quite choppy as you play a song using single notes and chords (multiple notes) and has more of a staccato (shorter) sound as opposed to smooth and legato (longer), even when using the sustain damper pedal. The pedal sustain does allow for half-pedaling "gradual sustain," but this does little to alleviate the somewhat choppy sound that normally occurs when playing a song, especially when trying to play lightly or softly. The mark of a good piano is how the dynamics and sound responds when playing delicately and/or quietly, not just loud or harder. The Adagio does not pass the test at all in that way, and my test is fairly easy to pass.

The piano key movement on the Adagio pianos are definitely weighted more like a regular acoustic piano, so that is good and most people think this alone is what makes for a good playing experience. However, the key action movement is quite noisy and clunky, especially in the upper part of the keyboard. This is particularly distracting when playing the piano at low volumes or using headphones. The key movement noise when the keys hit bottom or come back up can easily be heard throughout the room or house and is very annoying. It's like there isn't enough felt cushion under the keys to dampen the sound of the keys going up and down. When you play the piano at louder volumes this situation isn't as noticeable, but you shouldn't have to do that just to cover up that annoying key noise which most other good digital pianos don't have. Perhaps my ears are more sensitive than others, but I doubt it. If you have little experience with good digital or acoustic pianos, you may not notice this at first on the Adagio, but after awhile, you probably will.

This Adagio piano can be fun to play using the drum patterns and chord backgrounds but most people buying these pianos do not use those features or don't know how. The piano is able to layer and split instrument sounds together which is good, and this is more more than some other pianos can do in this price range. However, with only 64 notes of polyphony (sound memory), when you layer two instrument sounds together, the lack of memory causes the two sounds to lose notes and drop out while playing songs, depending on how you're playing. A larger 96-128 note polyphony memory that is on many other digital pianos would be better overall, but in this price range it's acceptable.

There is no USB computer plug & play output on the Adagios nor can you play General MIDI song files, which is very useful and available only on the Casio AP620 furniture cabinet piano in this price range. I use them in my piano studio for lessons and General MIDI song accompaniments are very useful for practicing lessons. There are separate reverb and other controls as well as 1-track recording (which is basic) and a key transpose feature, but ultimately what the piano is and has is an inexpensive sound & rhythm control panel built into a very nice looking cabinet with a functional but clunky, noisy piano weighted keyboard having very nominal piano sounds that aren't any better than popular $200 keyboards I have played recently. As a pure piano replacement...it is not. There are much better digital piano alternatives in that price range when it comes to a good piano tone, action movement, tonality, etc from brands like Yamaha, Roland, Kawai, & Casio although may not be as "pretty or impressive looking."

The warranty on the Adagio pianos is 2 years parts & labor which is good, however it is not for in-home service, which can be very inconvenient. The owner is responsible for any shipping or delivery charges of the piano to and from a service center assuming one is nearby. The KD8826 piano is large, heavy and delicate because of the high gloss finish. I would not want to move this piano if I could help it because of potential damage. So when it comes to the repair warranty, I would just ask Costco or Sams Club to replace it (assuming they can and will) if you bought it there. But doing that would require a lot of effort on your part and you'd be without a piano for awhile until that could be done.

I would also caution people in buying the Adagio KDP88 piano now on sale at Costco for $499 (left pic) during the holidays. Although this piano looks better and is slightly less money than the competition (Yamaha & Casio), it is likely very deficient in the same areas as the KDP8826, and that would not be good. When I get a chance to evaluate it further, I will give more details but for now based on everything else I see from this brand, any good Casio or Yamaha 88-key piano weighted digital piano would be a much better choice than the Adagio KDP88. However, you don't have to take my word for it because this is just my opinion based on the fact I am an experienced piano teacher and musician with a good knowledge of digital pianos and how they should play. If you just want this piano because it's a cheap price and looks good, then go for it.

However instead of the Adagio, I would recommend buying a Yamaha DGX640, YDP141, YDP161, Casio PX830 gloss black, Casio PX330, Casio Casio AP620, Roland RP201 or Roland F110, Kawai EP3, CE200 or Kawai CN23. All of these Japanese companies produce better digital pianos for key action and realistic tone as well as having a better name and numerous service agents in the United States. Casio & Kawai also offer 3 year in-home service which is really great.

There is an old saying that you cannot judge a book by its cover, and although the covering is very nice on the Adagio pianos, those pianos are sorely lacking in the areas that really count. I am sorry to disappoint some people by this negative review, but this is a free country and you are certainly welcome to purchase this brand of digital pianos, but I would personally not do that. If you have low musical expectations, can live with the deficiencies of these pianos, or just like the way it looks so much that you don't care about the rest of it, then buy it if that can make you happy. But for a piano student, a player, or someone who wants to grow into this instrument as a piano, along with some fun stuff, I suggest you look elsewhere.

As for the nice shiny gloss furniture style cabinet on the KDP8826 or attractive satin rosewood or brown cabinets on the XDP400 & KDP88, that's really what these Adagio pianos are all about and that's why Costco and Sams Club offer them. They know people will order things that look attractive even if they have never tried them out. Yes, you can return these instruments to the stores if you don't want them, but everyone knows that is a very big hassle to take the pianos apart and rebox them and actually return them. These stores are counting on you to keep them and that's normally what people wind up doing with large purchases like this. If you really want a piano that plays and sounds like a piano, then just be careful what you choose.

By the way, if you see positive reviews out there (and there are some) by people who say they love these pianos and that the piano tone and touch is very realistic to them, then it would be my opinion those people have never or seldom played a real acoustic piano because if they had, they would not be so positive about the piano. But I guess the old sayings are true ..."what you don't know won't hurt you," and "ignorance is bliss." You can take your chances with the Adagio pianos and perhaps you'll enjoy your experience, but I would not recommend them to any of my students or friends because I would want them to be able to grow into the instrument and be able to play correctly instead of develop bad habits and grow out of the instrument. Perhaps in future models, this brand will be worth owning, but not now.

If you want more info on these and other pianos and lower prices than internet or store discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call me direct at 602-571-1864

REVIEWS - The BEST DIGITAL PIANOS & BEST PRICES - Kawai, Yamaha, Casio, Roland, Korg, Kurzweil, Suzuki. etc - What's best for YOU? It just depends on price range and musical goals

For many, many years I have been a digital piano adviser to thousands of teachers, musicians, churches, schools, and families throughout the US & the world, as well as helping   people everywhere find the right digital piano for their needs. I can tell you what the BEST DIGITAL PIANOS & BEST PRICES are for any given price range as long as you have determined approximately what you want to spend and what your musical goals are for you and/or your family. Perhaps the piano is for a very young child, teen, working adult, retired person, etc, and/or the beginning student wants to become an advanced player or just have recreational fun? Perhaps the piano is for a pro musician who wants to play it at gigs or special events and has specific requirements. Also, there are many churches these days looking for a digital piano that will fit their music needs and budget and I can help with that as well.

There are lots of reasons for wanting to play piano and I have more experience in this matter with digital pianos than nearly anyone in the US and many other parts of the world. I am a digital piano/keyboard expert, pro musician, song writer, composer, arranger, as well as having taught thousands of piano students through the years on digital & acoustic pianos. I know  the digital piano manufacturers very well and have an  experienced understanding of proper & necessary piano touch, tone, educational features, extra fun features, and overall brand quality and reliability in digital pianos. I am not a sales person, but an adviser and consultant to people throughout this country and the world when it comes to the BEST DIGITAL PIANOS & BEST PRICES in various price ranges. I know what discount prices these pianos should sell for in the US market and also how to get LOWER PRICES than regular internet discounts and special store sales in the US.

I can also tell you which brands to stay away from based on my experience with them as well as their reliability and construction. Many of these pianos can and do start looking the same after a while even though they may be very different on the inside. If you want a digital piano that not only looks good, but actually behaves like an acoustic piano in accurate tone and key action touch (which is important), then you need to do your homework and contact me as I will be happy to help you and answer your questions.

I do not have a piano store, a warehouse, or any other local retail establishment. But I know how to get you brand new factory fresh digital pianos for less money, no shipping charges, no sales tax, along with free educational & fun materials valued in excess of $300-$400. I do this because I care and want to see people experience the benefits of music like I have as well as my family and friends have. Playing music (especially piano) is one of the most rewarding things a person can do for better mental, physical, and spiritual health as part of a more active lifestyle. I have seen these rewards take place in kids from 3 years old up to older "kids" over 90 years old! I have even seen it in my kids with two of them becoming very advanced piano players and teachers themselves.

I have worked with "at risk kids" who need a quality personal outlet for expression and personal growth and there is almost nothing better than music participation when it comes to instilling a positive attitude and direction in the lives of kids. The same is certainly true for people of any age. I have worked with seniors and helped them achieve their personal music goals and am very rewarded when they can look at playing music as a great way to unwind and relax...and that's something all of us can use!

Don't be confused by the one sided or very biased talk (left pic example) you sometimes get from local piano & music stores or on-line web site stores. I am available to help if you just email me your questions or call me direct (continental US residents only). Roland, Kawai, Korg, Casio, Yamaha, Kurzweil, and a couple of other brands make some very nice digital pianos, but you want to be sure you get the right one for you along with a low price. I will do my best to get back to you in a reasonable short amount of time with the help you need to make an informed decision on your piano buying options out there in the marketplace including eBay & Amazon. Also you may not know this, but there are fraudulent deceptive web sites popping up here and there that look like the real thing but they are actually from other countries put together by syndicates and/or unscrupulous people who don't have what they are advertising or at the very least, will send you a used one without a warranty from some unknown source. On the other hand, there are some very good companies out there who are honest and appear to have good prices, but even their prices are not necessarily the BEST PIANO PRICES. So be sure you contact me before you make a purchase anywhere!

If you want more piano info and LOWER PRICES than internet or store discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.