REVIEW - Kurzweil CUP2 Digital Piano - Not Recommended at this time

UPDATED REVIEW: May 10, 2013 - Kurzweil CUP2 - No recommended at this time - I have been playing Kurzweil pianos and keyboards ever since the introduction of their famous K250 digital piano in 1984, which had the first authentic Steinway piano sample (incredible sampled sound at the time) and I still love the Kurzweil sound to this day. The Kurzweil keyboard technology is still quite competitive with other brands although some of the other brands have caught up and even surpassed them in some ways. I still use one of Kurzweil's MIDI sound modules because I can't get some of those specific sounds anywhere else.

Kurzweil piano technology was created and introduced many years ago by the the renowned American inventor Ray Kurzweil (pictured left - the pianos are named after him). The Kurzweil piano's big claim to fame was the fact that Ray was able to reproduce the sound of the grand piano, concert strings, and concert choir in a way never done before in those days. The Kurzweil sounds have been used extensively in movie & TV music production and are used by popular bands and musicians around the world. In fact, when you hear grand pianos, full concert string symphonies and choirs/voice sounds in various movies & shows, it's likely that they used a Kurzweil piano to get that. I've seen it done and the realism is amazing. 

In fact, one of the reasons Ray Kurzweil created his new digital piano technology was at the request of Stevie Wonder (left pic, with Ray K) many years ago. Stevie wanted a digital instrument that had the highest quality piano sound possible along with a great piano touch and a few other high quality instrument tones. Stevie already had an association with Ray Kurzweil because Ray invented and produced the acclaimed "reading machine" for the blind, which Stevie Wonder was using. Ray is a very smart guy and known in music and scientific circles around the world. In fact Ray even predicted the rise of the Internet back in 1988 before it was here.

Kurzweil was all about high quality piano and instrument reproduction that even the most sophisticated pianists & other musicians would love. Now after all these years, Kurzweil is still here (even though the company has been bought and sold a few times and now owned by the Hyundai company of South Korea)) and has a compact upright home digital piano utilizing select sounds and features from their PC3X pro piano series and put it into a beautiful polished black cabinet. It is called the CUP2 and this digital piano has great volume and is minimalistic in design, which many people like. The controls are located in a slide out box underneath the left side of the keyboard (see pics on left).

I have played the CUP2 quite a few times and was impressed by its attractive cabinet and big acoustic type piano sound with semi wood key action through its 140 watts bi-amped stereo power. 

Here are the specs on this new piano (pictured above left). Click on picture for bigger view.


~ New pro quality graded hammer piano action with semi-wooden keys
~ 64-note polyphonic with dynamic voice allocation
~ Triple strike stereo Grand Piano
~ 88 instrument sounds taken from the pro PC3X piano
~ Powerful 140 watts bi-amped 4-speaker pro sound system 
~ 64 higher quality sampled drum rhythm patterns
~ Layer, split, pro quality effects, and relative volume control
~ 2-track MIDI recorder
~ Recessed low profile sliding control panel box
~ Slow close piano fallboard
~ USB & MIDI connectors
~ No tuning needed
~ Designer gloss ebony cabinet with 3 full functioning chrome pedals

There are a few deficiencies in this model I did notice when playing it: The CUP2 is only 64-note polyphonic (piano sound memory) which is OK, but in this higher price range for an upright digital piano it really should have 128-note polyphony (double the memory) along with some other sound enhancements and all the other major brands have. The CUP2 is internet discount priced at $4299 which makes it lower priced than some of its competitors who make similar upscale contemporary furniture style pianos in the polished ebony cabinets. Also, when you press down a key very lightly and softly on the CUP2, the sound trigger point when you hear the sound being triggered (heard) for the first time, is about halfway down to the bottom of the keybed underneath the key instead of all the way down when the key touches bottom. This is not how acoustic pianos work because the sound is not heard at all on a regular acoustic piano until the key reaches bottom. This kind of thing can throw off a person's playing technique when trying to achieve proper dynamics and volume control. It is most noticeable when playing legato or lightly. The action key movement itself seems a bit uneven across the keys and some keys feel noticeably harder to push than others which is not a good thing. Also, the speaker system, although loud and full, is not necessarily

balanced in producing even volume across the keyboard as an acoustic piano does (or even other digital pianos). The sound gets too loud & boomy in the bass end while not having enough evenness in tonal quality & volume as you move up the keyboard to the higher octaves. These are all things that someone who has been playing piano for a little while (a few years) may notice, but a beginner may not and also would not know what to look for and that's one of the reasons I do these reviews...to help you understand this stuff. Just because a piano looks good on the outside, has a big sound, and also has a famous name on the front of it does not necessarily mean it works well...or well enough for the price. Kurzweil has made some good product in the past and also makes some excellent pro stage digital pianos and I have owned and played many of these models, but they have a long way to go in getting their home furniture cabinet digital pianos up to an acceptable level in my opinion.

If you like the way the Kurzweil piano looks and can afford to be in this price range or higher, then I would recommend you consider another piano with similar looks and a big sound but with a much better key action, key response, piano sound, polyphony, and overall better piano playing experience for sound quality & realism. This piano is by the Roland piano company and it's called a LX15. I have done a review of that model and you can find it here at this link: Roland LX15 Piano Review. In my opinion this Roland piano is definitely worth the extra money especially if you plan on keeping it for a while and want a great piano playing experience, Roland reliability which is well known in the piano business, and some very cool functions & features. 

 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 

Piano Students - "SECRETS" for becoming a REAL MUSICIAN - Using the Casio AP620 Celviano and doing the right things to become a STAR like William Joseph!

I've been teaching and playing music for over 30 years on piano, keyboard, organ, and guitar. I've played in bands, solo gigs, local mini concerts, weddings, church, etc, etc. And with all that experience as well as being around great musicians all my life, I know some of the "secrets" that piano students should know to help them develop into real musicians!

Now there seems to be a wide range of opinions on what exactly makes a great musician, especially one that plays piano. Piano teachers usually set the path for their piano students based on their teaching curriculum and teaching style. That's how it usually is. In many cases that path does not make the students "real musicians" although it usually allows the student to   have a certain amount of piano skills & playing ability at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels, but it doesn't necessarily make them a great musician. There are some very special piano teachers who are able to get their students to be real musicians because of they way they teach and what they teach, as well some students who are just "naturally gifted" and they can't help but become a great musicians. Were Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, and other well known composers great musicians? Obviously! But they and people like them are the exceptions and not the rule. Many piano students these days, even the advanced ones, can play well, but playing well does not necessarily make you a great musician in my opinion.

One such piano student who plays very well is my friend William Joseph. I have known William for many years and have worked with him occasionally in the past. These days, William is no longer a student but has grown up to become not only a very popular piano teacher here in the greater Phoenix area, but William has also become a big STAR pianist, performer and a great musician traveling the world. He is playing concerts to huge crowds who come to listen to him play his own incredible music along with his band and/or orchestra. William was discovered and is managed by David Foster, the record producer who discovered and manages Celine, Josh Groban, and Michael Buble' just to name a few.

William learned how to play piano in the traditional way from a local teacher who taught primarily classical music and music theory. After years of lessons with this very talented teacher, William could played advanced classical pieces and understood the fundamentals of piano & music but he also was able to do other things few students do; he learned how to orchestrate, improvise, and how to play along with percussion, and in my opinion, that's what makes a real musician today; someone who can think "outside the notes" on a page of music. A person who can create their own music as well as have a good sense of rhythm and timing being able to play a big variety of music styles. Not just classical or pop, or one style of music, or just with sheet music, but a variety music and being able to play without the sheet music along with the ability to "feel it and hear it." That's what great pianist musicians are like including... 

Herbie Hancock, Duke Ellington, Scott Joplin, Dave Brubeck, Dave Grusin, David Benoit, Dianna Krall, Nat King Cole, Andre Previn, Joe Zawinul, Elton John, Liberace, Keith Emerson, Billy Preston, Stevie Wonder, Patrick Moraz, Jan Hammer, Nora Jones, Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Ray Stevens, Jerry Lee Lewis, Leon Russell, Richard Carpenter, Michael McDonald, Keith Jarrett, George Winston, Jim Brickman, Shizuoka, Chick Korea, David Foster, and my friend William Joseph.

But how does the average piano student learn and practice these things in their home so they can become a real musician some day, assuming that's their goal? (it's OK not to have that goal, as long as you just enjoy playing!) Well I can tell you it's difficult unless you are either unusually gifted or talented and have a great piano teacher (as I mentioned before), and/or you have the right instrument to play and practice on. And in my experience and opinion, that "right" instrument for many people is a digital piano. But not just any digital piano; one that has functions and features which allows you to "orchestrate" and improvise music as well as having rhythms and chord arrangements so that you can learn timing and various music styles.

The digital piano not only needs a good, solid acoustic quality piano touch and tone, but it needs to have all those other teaching and learning features that can and will help the piano student become the best musician they can be. Normally to get all these features in a new full size digital piano can easily cost $3000 and more as is the case in Roland, Yamaha, and Kawai digital pianos. Some digital piano companies don't make any instruments like these. The most famous of all these full featured digital pianos is the Yamaha Clavinova CVP series. Yamaha has made these for years and their current line-up includes the CVP501, 503, 505, 509, and 409GP. These pianos are incredible but they also cost big bucks, anywhere from about $3500-$10,000 or so, depending on what dealer you buy it from. The Roland & Kawai pianos are also in the higher price range. That's a lot of money for the average family, so very few people (relatively speaking) have these great instruments.

But now for the first time I am happy to report that the Casio piano company has just come out with a very low priced 2010 model digital piano which has all these very cool features that I've been talking about! As a teacher and musician, I couldn't be happier for my students and all those other students and piano players that want to become better musicians. This new piano is called a Casio Celviano AP620 (pictured above left). And the internet and store discount price on them?...just $1399. That's it! And it comes in a great looking satin black imitation wood grain finish.

The Casio pianos are attractive, powerful, have satin ivory touch keys, play and sound like upright pianos, have orchestration and rhythm features, built-in improvisation programs to help learn to play music without the sheet music (ear training), SD card 16-track MIDI  player & recording so that you can learn rhythm and timing by not only looking at your music book, but playing along with the actual song loaded into the piano from the SD card. You can speed up or slow down that song based on your skill level...something you generally cannot do with a CD or MP3 player.

I have spoken about and reviewed the Celviano AP620 in my blog so if you want more info on it, take a look at my other articles when you have time. The AP620 has been in big demand since its introduction and Casio has not been able to keep up with all of the orders. I am able to get them direct from the factory so if you are interested in getting one, please let me know because I can order one for you, and for LESS.

Please contact me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864

By the way, if you would like to know more about my famous musician friend William Joseph, take a look at this YouTube performance. It's pretty awesome.

Digital Pianos and "POLYPHONY" - What is "polyphony" & why is it important? 32, 64, 96, 128 notes & more.

UPDATED: November 1, 2012 - Explanation of Digital Piano Polyphony - The topic of "polyphony" in a digital piano is actually boring subject but one that is good to understand, especially if you're looking to purchase a digital piano. 

As I have mentioned in other blogs I have been playing digital pianos, organs, keyboards, and guitar for many years (over 40) since I was quite young because my parents got me into lessons early, and I thank them for that. I learned about "polyphony" in digital pianos & keyboards a long time ago because it became important as I progressed in my playing skills. Polyphony (pol-y-pho-ny') with the "y" sounding like a short "i" with the emphasis on the "i" and the accent on the ny' (knee) is the ability of the instrument sounds and notes you are (at any moment) playing on the piano to be heard all at the same time without interruption or note "dropout" including any drum patterns, chord arrangements, and sustain pedal being used.

In other words, if I am playing 2 or 3 sounds layered together in the right hand along with 4 instrument sounds & drum patterns (which includes auto chord arrangements) in the left hand on a digital piano, and I am playing about 6 or 7 notes minimum at a time on the keyboard using both hands with sustain pedal being depressed by my foot at the proper times, I would need enough polyphony (digital note memory) to keep it all going. Most people don't play that way so polyphony needs are relative to how well you play, the type of music you'll be playing, the way the acoustic piano sound was sampled on that piano, and how many sounds and features you would use at one time.

128 notes of polyphony

So the general formula is: the complexity of the (stereo) piano sound sample in the piano, the amount of instrument sounds & effects (reverb, chorus, etc) plus the amount of notes (keys) you're playing at one time, plus the amount of pedal sustain time equals the need to have enough digital polyphony memory to keep that all going properly. And if the sounds are in stereo as opposed to mono, the digital piano needs even more note memory. Digital note and sound memory in many cases is referred to as "polyphony." Confused yet? I used to be:) In the "beginning," man made only 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 notes of polyphony. Then there was 8, then there was 12, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, 96, 128, 256, and so on. Those numbers may not be totally accurate but you get the picture. 

Long ago when there was only 8 notes of polyphony (I had a few of those pianos & keyboards) and you had two instrument sounds on (in a layer like piano & strings) at one time and were playing about 6-8 keys at one time in both hands (no drums or extra stuff on), you could only hear a maximum of 4 notes played on the keyboard at one time because usually each sound took up a note of polyphony when you played the keys! In other words, you couldn't hear everything you were playing because the piano ran out of memory! Notes would drop out as well as sounds and it made the music sound bad. And if you tried to record that on a digital recorder, it would only play back a few notes and sounds at a time and the song would continually be interrupted by the loss of polyphony or memory. It was a very sad time for me and others in the digital piano & keyboard world:( But it was all we had and I suppose it was better than nothing.

192 notes of polyphony

Then over the years, little by little, digital keyboard manufacturers developed better technology and with that, more polyphony memory. Pretty soon I was able to play more complex songs with more sounds without too much note dropout or sound interruption. But then came more sophisticated tones like stereo acoustic piano sounds with natural acoustic quality harmonics, overtones and string samples and more complex left hand accompaniments which all sucked up digital memory like a sponge.  I remember playing not only professional music jobs, but also in church for many years (I still do today) when people had little knowledge of polyphony and its importance. I was using a very cool Roland digital piano (at the time) with 32 notes of polyphony and a sophisticated Kurzweil sound model with 24 notes of polyphony as well as another sound module (all the modules were rack mounts) with 16-notes of polyphony all connected (MIDI'd) together. That gave me a huge 72 notes of total polyphony combining everything and at the time, that was pretty much unheard of. I had two sounds coming from the Roland, one sound coming from the Kurzweil, and one sound coming from the other sound module all layered together for a really full sound with little note dropout most of the time (depending on how I played). People couldn't believe how good it all sounded. But that was many years ago and you had to know how to put all that together properly and make it sound good.

128 notes of polyphony

Now manufacturers have started to figure out how to put more polyphony memory and other ingredients (including more cool sounds) at a lower cost (cost is always an issue) into one keyboard or digital piano so you don't need to have (own) more than one instrument. So basically, more polyphony "frees up" your music so you can use all the functions on the digital piano to their maximum. However, I will say that in some cases, 64-notes of polyphony will probably be adequate for certain people depending on how they play, although having more polyphony is a good thing. 

But if you want to progress as a player and eventually learn how to use more of the functions in your keyboard or digital piano (including recording your music up to 16-tracks), then be sure to get as much "polyphony" as you can for your budget. It's like buying a computer these days...you may not use all the memory and speed it has right away, but you may want to know it's in there in case you do:)

256 notes of polyphony

By the way, of the new top name brand digital pianos in a furniture cabinet for under under $2000 being made today, Casio is the only one I know of that has 256-notes of polyphony (the largest there is), and their new PX850 digital piano has this technology for just $1099 internet price, and you definitely can't go wrong with that. Check out the new 2013 model Casio PX850 by reading my blog review at the following link: Casio PX850 Review. Kawai also has a new model just under $2000 which has 256 note polyphony memory and it's called the ES7. Roland & Yamaha have maximum 128-note polyphony under $2000.

If you want to know more about digital pianos or want to find out how to get one for LESS Money than internet & store sale prices, please contact me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864

REVIEW - Roland HPi6F, DP990F, & HP302 Digital Pianos - Similar with a few important exceptions.

UPDATED REVIEW - August 1, 2012:  The Roland HP302 has been replaced by the new improved HP503. I am a very fortunate musician as I have played so many different types of digital pianos & keyboards throughout my music career, literally thousands of them. Not only have I had extensive experience with pro digital pianos & keyboards, I also have extensive experience with home and educational models of digital pianos.

Three very nice home furniture cabinet 88-key digital pianos made by the Roland company are called the HPi6F the DP990F, and the HP305 pianos. Although these pianos are very similar to each other in a lot of ways including having well over 300 good quality instrument tones on board, using the Roland medium grade PHAII (with escapement) key action, having 128-notes of polyphony, and also incorporating a USB flash drive input for playing MIDI & WAV song files, they are also different in some interesting ways.

The HPi6F piano was built for home music education and for student learning. It plays and sounds good using Roland's latest piano sound technology called SuperNATURAL piano. It has a color display screen built into the music rack to display a wide variety of very cool music software programs that can help a beginner piano student (or even someone who plays) the opportunity of seeing music notation and lessons visually on the screen, although the screen could be larger for that. You can then interact with those lessons by watching the music, playing along, and being "corrected" by the program itself. The screen also displays music games, and many other music related programs that make it fun to learn and can be quite entertaining. The programs on the screen move smoothly, accurately, and quickly, unlike the new Suzuki TSI-1ei music rack touch screen which is quite slow, quirky, and sometimes freezes up. Roland is always way ahead when it comes to that kind of technology.

Aside from the unique display screen with the built-in song and lesson programs along with other nice displays of music and games, the HPi6 has 60 watts total audio power with four speakers as compared to 24 watts of total audio power with 2 speakers on the new DP990F and the HP302. However here's the real biggie that one must think about when considering these fine pianos; the HPi6F sells in piano stores at a minimum advertised discount price of $3499.  That's a lot of cash these days for a new digital piano that still uses a non-touch screen.

On the other hand, the new DP990F (pictured left) and HP503 cabinet pianos (pictured below left), which are also very similar to each other except basically for cabinet design (as you can see), have Roland's latest piano sound technology called SuperNATURAL Piano. This new piano sound is on all 2012 Roland furniture cabinet piano models that sell for over $2000. The SuperNatural piano sound is a great improvement over previous Roland pianos


The discount selling price of the DP990F (which comes in two different colors, cherry & black) is $2299 (with a polished ebony finish at $2999) and the discount selling price of the HP503 is approx $2499 depending on the piano store. Compare those prices with the HPi6F at approx $3499. So basically, the HPi6F offers the cool display color screen with the fun music lesson and interactive play along programs along with a better digital recorder (up to 16 tracks vs 3) and a more powerful audio & speaker system (4 speakers with 60 watts of power). But even with those nice upgrades, we're still talking a lot more money more for the HPi6F when you could also get a good digital piano for less money and connect it to a laptop computer or iPad using the latest interactive music software. Is the color display screen, music education & notation programs, more powerful audio system, and more recording tracks really worth the extra cost?...you'll have to decide that.

By the way, in a typical home, 24-watts of power the compact Roland DP990F piano sounds OK but it should be a bit better for that price. Sixty watts of power with larger speakers (as in the HPi6F) does have a richer tone and sounds more like an upright piano. And here's something else to consider. Eventually you will (as many people do) grow out of the HPi6F display screen and built-in educational software and want to expand as I mentioned earlier.

So here's my advice, unless you really love the Roland HPi6F incl its new big brother the HPi7F, then get the Roland DP990F and connect it to an inexpensive laptop or iPad a get some very cool interactive music software for home practice and learning (less money and does more). Unfortunately the old HP302 (if you happen to find one) has a clunky and thumpy keyboard action when the keys are striking the keybed (underneath the keys). It's like there is no padding underneath the keys and it's hitting the wood bottom which makes a very loud and noticeable sound like banging your fist on a table. It's quite annoying, at least to me. I have tried other HP302's and they're all the same. I would call this a design issue and therefore would not buy the piano for myself because it bothers me. And when you have headphones plugged in to play in privacy, everyone in the room or house will just hear that thumping noise all the time and it can be irritating. I've tried it so I know.

However, if you want to look at a lower priced alternative to these Roland pianos, then check the Casio Celviano AP620 piano (pictured left) for $1399 internet discount price. I have written about it on this blog and for the money, it is a very nice digital piano with plenty of cool features that should keep you entertained for many years. It looks great, sounds & feels good, has a fairly decent acoustic piano tone (10 of them actually with an additional 240 instrument tones), has the bigger 60 watt sound system & 16-track digital recorder just like the Roland HPi6F, and as you can see, it's less money ($1100 less than the Roland HP302/503). And the keyboard action is noticeably quieter than the HP302. Also take a look at the new Yamaha CLP430 and also the new Kawai CE220 ($1899 internet discount price). The Kawai is a very nice instrument and I have a review of it on this blog at the link below. The CE220 even has real wood acoustic piano keys for a great feel with quiet movement as well as a large 192-note polyphony piano memory chip and that's not available on any other digital piano under $2500. This new Kawai model is very impressive and competes very favorably with the Roland pianos, especially for its low price.

Kawai CE220 Piano Review

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

New Digital Pianos - Where are the buttons?! - REVIEW - What to watch out for when shopping for a digital piano from Casio, Yamaha, Korg, Roland, and others

Digital Piano manufacturers include very cool features on their pianos these days such as being able to control tone brightness, reverb amount, octave changes in layered tones, transpose modulation, metronome time and speed, drum patterns, layering, split function, extra instrument sounds, and more. All of these features are really fun to use and can be very practical for learning as well as just having a better playing experience.

But there's a small problem; instead of having dedicated control panel buttons or a panel display screen where these features can be seen and easily accessed, Casio, Yamaha, Korg, and others are putting many of these features inside the piano activated solely by pressing one function button (or multiple buttons pressed at the same time) along with simultaneously pressing a specific key (or specific multiple keys) on the keyboard so that you can activate that function. And in the case of the Korg SP170 ($499 pictured above left), there are NO control panel buttons because every feature and sound is accessed strictly by pressing multiple specific KEYS on the keyboard at the same time to activate one feature or sound! In my opinion, I would never buy something like the Korg SP170 with no panel buttons, display screen, or basic panel contols. In fact, Korg puts the main volume knob on the BACK of the piano where you cannot get to it easily! Everyone else has the knob or button where it should be...on the front control panel. And their reasoning; "Korg says no buttons or knobs makes it look cleaner and more like a piano. Well maybe, but hey, a regular piano only has one sound and doesn't need buttons, knobs, or slider controls! And a regular piano isn't made out of plastic or metal either! What was Korg thinking?!

Anyway, manufacturers are cutting down on or removing altogether simple, easy to use buttons from the control panel so they can save money and make it more difficult for you to use the other features you're paying for, and some of these cool features and functions can be important to your playing as I mentioned before. Now if the piano had a nice, reliable, and functional display screen (maybe like a cell phone or iPod:), then that would be even better:) But those display screens do cost a lot of money. 

So here's my rule of thumb; when your looking for a good digital piano, try to get as many dedicated control panel button as possible along with a display screen (if available) in your price range. Actually Suzuki makes a piano with a touch display screen for around $1500 or so but it doesn't work well because it's very slow and freezes up sometimes.

However, if you will basically be using your digital piano for the piano sounds with maybe a couple of other instrument sounds and functions from time to time, then having only a few control panel buttons probably won't be a hindrance to you.

As an example of digital pianos with and without buttons, are the new Casio PX130 (top left) and the PX330 (bottom left). The PX330 is only $200 more than the PX130 and has buttons for all features. The PX330 has significantly more features & tones which easily justifies the small difference in cost. It also has a very nice LCD display screen for all of these features which makes them much easier to use. Also, the instrument tones and other functions can be changed in "real time" on the PX330 as opposed to having to stop playing so you can press and hold a button and specific keys at the same time to make a change. 

So even though the keyboard "specs" may seem like your getting a lot of features and functions, be sure you can access them as easily and quickly as possible or all those extra features may be useless to you. Of course if you are on a "tight budget" you may have to purchase a digital piano with fewer buttons. But that's better than nothing because the idea is to make music and enjoy life!

For more info on digital pianos or to learn how to get a new one for LESS than anyone else, please contact me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864

REVIEW - Yamaha YDP141, YDP135R, & P95 Digital Pianos - Basic but nice

UPDATED REVIEW - February 10, 2013 - Recommended - The Yamaha YDP141 & P95 are discontinued and the new 2013 model Yamaha P105 ($599 internet price) & YDP142 ($1099 internet price) have taken their place. The Yamaha P105 & YDP142 have significant new upgrades and you can read about these new models on my blog review here: Yamaha YDP142 Review.

Yamaha has a few entry level 88-key digital pianos including the Arius YDP135R (left pic) at $999 internet price (incl bench), YDP141 ($999 internet price - lower left pic), and a portable model called the P95 ($499 internet price - lower left) which has now been replaced by the new Yamaha P105...go here for my review on that model: Yamaha P105 Review. The YDP135R, YDP141, and P95 digital technology has been out for a few years and they are essentially the same pianos with the same touch key action (GHS basic keyboard action), same sampling technology (6 basic instrument sounds on the YDP135R & YDP141 and 10 instrument sounds on the P95), 64-note polyphony, 12 watt speaker system/audio power, and other features incl reverb, layering, etc. The P95 can also be connected to a specially made Yamaha piano stand and 3-pedal system (for $175 more) that makes it operate and look more like a cabinet piano. The P95 also comes in two colors, black & silver for the same price.  

There are only minor changes from previous models and they would include matte black key tops on the P95 and some minor changes to the sounds, but that's about it. The minor changes to the tones also include the piano sound being re-sampled by Yamaha and put into the newer instrument, but you may or may not hear a difference but the sound is very nice. I have played Yamaha digital pianos for many years and like them very much. They are generally reliable, sound good and are fun to play.

Yamaha P95

However, there are three things I wish these Yamaha pianos had such as a USB high speed connection to iPad or computer for interactive play with piano apps & programs, a key touch with less physical key noise and better dynamic response for increased natural expression (like thw higher priced Arius series, 128 note polyphony piano sound memory with increased dynamic range for intermediate to advanced music, and dual audio outputs (necessary to connect to additional speakers or sound systems if desired) which would be useful in the P95 because many people like to connect to external speaker systems with portable pianos

Casio PX750

There is another instrument that just came out called the Casio Privia PX750 (new 2013 model) in a compact cabinet and it utilizes a 4-level stereo sample as opposed to a 3-level on the Yamaha YDP141 and YDP135. Also, the new Casio acoustic piano sound has much better dynamic range than the Yamaha's (it is very noticeable) with longer natural sustain/decay time due to its new digital technology. This translates to the things that piano teachers and musicians want which is the ability to have full dynamic expression in your music. That kind of digital piano technology is usually reserved for models priced at $1500 minimum. If you compare all of the specifications of both the Casio PX750 and the Yamaha YDP135R/YDP141, it would appear that the Casio wins out...and at just $799 internet discount price, it's $200 less than the Yamaha YDP135R or YDP141. I think the Casio should be a definite consideration and it comes with a 3 year parts & labor factory warranty. Not only does the Casio PX750 easily beat out the YDP135R &YDP141 in my opinion, except for the more powerful speaker system, it also beats out the the higher priced YDP161 ($1499 internet price) with the Casio having a distinctly more realistic upright piano key action movement along with its new ivory & ebony feel keys not found on the Arius series. When it comes to the furniture cabinet color, my favorite color is satin black and Casio is offering that color in the PX750. Yamaha also offers the satin black color on its YDP161 but not on the lower priced models.Casio also has an upgraded model called the PX850 (internet price of $1099 which I also recommend. Take a look at my reviews for more detailed info.
Casio PX750 Review
Casio PX850 Review

I also recommend looking at the new Yamaha P105 portable piano (as I mentioned earlier) over the Yamaha P95 ($599 internet price for P105 - left picture with optional stand & pedals) because for just $100 more you get 128-note polyphony (twice as much memory as the P95), better tones, drum rhythm patterns for rhythm training and play along, a much improved acoustic piano sound similar to the Yamaha P155 ($999 internet price), dual 1/4" audio outputs, and a USB 2.0 MIDI compliant connection to computers and iPad.

Yamaha is a great brand and I recommend them highly and in fact in the sub $1000 price range, only Yamaha & Casio are worth considering at this point. The other great brands like Kawai & Roland don't compete in this price range and the off-brands that have cheap prices (like Williams, Suzuki, & Adagio) just aren't very good as musical instruments in my opinion and I don't usually recommend them. So that leaves Yamaha & Casio...both companies highly respected, both from Japan, and both with a long history of producing good digital pianos. But right now for the money, I am recommending Casio Privia PX750 or PX850 over Yamaha YDP135R/141 in the (approx) $1000 price range.

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

REVIEW - Roland RP201 & F110 Digital Pianos - Nice piano tone with basic key action

UPDATED REVIEW - Feb 10, 2013 - The Roland RP201 & F110 are now discontinued. Roland has the new updated versions now called the RP301 & F120 (the same as each other except for cabinet). I have played those pianos and was not that impressed with the ivory feel G-keyboard key action with escapement, but the piano sound is overall better than previous models. Click on the following link to see my REVIEW of the the new RP301 and F120:
Roland RP301/F120 Review

This is my review from the now discontinued RP201 & F110: Roland is famous for musical instruments of all kinds and I have been playing and using them for years. In fact, that's all Roland does; they make high quality digital home and professional music products. From pro digital drum kits to digital accordions, digital pianos to home and pro digital organs, guitar amps to multi-track recorders; pro synthesizers to special effects, they pretty much do it all. In fact the Roland company owns and makes the BOSS guitar products and Edirol audio & digital computer music products lines which are used by music professionals and recreational music lovers all over the world.

Roland RP201

Roland has a big line up of cabinet digital pianos that cover all music levels in various price ranges. Their lower priced pianos (under $2000) are limited to the RP201 ($1599 to approx $1999 depending on the store) - pictured left) & F110 ($999 closeout price at Costco - pictured below left). Essentially, these two pianos are the exactly the same instruments having identical an control panel, key action, and speaker & audio systems (24 watts each) in different cabinets (the F110 is in a compact contemporary cabinet). Just like auto manufacturers, they can make pretty much the same piano in different body styles and that's what these pianos are. The RP201 & F110 are entry level pianos for students and beginners who want a nice digital piano at a lower price. Realistic piano tone, 128-note polyphony (for better and smoother sound), over 300 nice sounding instrument tones and the ultra cool "jazz scat tone", good half-pedal response, 3-track recorder in the F110 and 1-track in the RP201, 4-hand twin piano function, split & layering of tones, and a few more cool features. These pianos are easy to use, very reliable, and sound good.

Roland F110

But as with every piano, people want to know how the key action feels and responds to touch? Roland currently makes 3 key actions with a couple of variations in them. The best way to describe these key actions is (without getting technical) ...basic, better, and best. The Roland RP201 & F110 (pictured left) pianos have the "basic" key action and the key touch and movement is somewhat lighter and also less natural feeling than the other Roland key actions in their models over $2000. So the main downside to the Roland F110 and RP201 is the fact the key action does not really feel like an acoustic upright key action in my opinion, although the key action in the cabinet version RP201 seems solid and the white keys have a very quiet movement (much quieter than the higher priced Roland HP302 cabinet model) but the black keys tend to be noisy as you play them, especially when they go back up.

If you want to stay in a price range under $2000 I would suggest you also consider Kawai, Yamaha, and Casio digital pianos in similar price ranges as the RP201 and F110. Make no mistake though, the piano sound on these Roland pianos is very good, although the built-in audio system is only 24 watts of total power which is OK but not great as compared to built-in speaker systems (40 to 60 watts) in other digital pianos at similar prices that I have played.

Casio AP620

If you want a good, realistic key action with great piano tone but need to keep the price down closer to $1000 range, I would instead look at the Casio Celviano AP620 (pictured left) for $1399 internet discount price, Kawai EP3 with stand at approx $1259, Yamaha YDP141 at $1149, and the new Casio PX750 at $799 internet price. The Casio AP620 has realistic piano tone, is 128 note polyphonic, has a more realistic upright piano touch in my opinion along with the new ivory feel keytops, better audio-speaker system (60 watts on the AP620), SD card memory function, 16-track recorder on the Casio AP620 (as opposed to 3 track or 1 track in the Roland's), 360 drum patterns, bigger full size cabinet, lots of built-in music education features, direct to computer or iPad USB connection for instant plug & play to interactive software programs available for piano education, and more (Roland does not have this useful plug & play USB feature). The Kawai piano has very good piano tone & touch (much better than the Roland in this price range) with very useful features and a USB computer output, and the entry level Yamaha's do a very good job as basic pianos with a better piano key touch than the Roland's (although the Yamaha piano does not have a USB computer output or audio outputs. I have reviewed all of these models on my blog so take a look when you have a chance.

As far as Casio goes, it is not the only option, but I am not comparing Casio to Mercedes Benz either:) However, in my opinion it offers the most quality & features for the money in a lower price range and that's what we're talking about here. A Casio digital piano is a very good choice and the company is known for producing some fine electronic products including digital pianos for over 30 years. Once you get up towards $2000 and beyond in a digital piano, then there are definitely other good options including the Roland HP & Yamaha CLP Clavinova, and Kawai CN series of digital pianos.

Learn more about these pianos from my blog reviews at the following links:

Casio PX780 review - very hot product!

Kawai EP3 & Yamaha P155 Reviews 

Yamaha YDP141 

For more info on digital pianos and how to get one of these models for LESS than any advertised US price on the internet, please contact me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864 

REVIEW - Yamaha YDP181 & CLP330 Clavinova - Nice Digital Pianos except for Key Action

Yamaha YDP181

UPDATED REVIEW - March 2, 2013 - The YDP181 ($1699 internet price) is still the top furniture cabinet Arius digital piano (traditional piano) for Yamaha. The YDP181 is overall a fairly basic digital piano when it comes to what it offers and it is my best guess this model will be discontinued soon for a newer version. My opinion is based on the fact that the lower priced Yamaha YDP141 and YDP161 just had major updates for 2013 (and are now called the YDP142 and YDP162) and the YDP181 did not have any upgrades for 2013. So in some ways the new lower priced models are better than the higher priced YDP181.The Arius series of digital pianos sells for under $2000 and Yamaha also makes the Clavinova CLP/CVP series of digital pianos and their prices are typically over $2000 US and are never advertised locally or on the internet in the US, and you can only purchase them from a local piano store. The Arius YDP series (stands for Yamaha Digital Piano) are advertised locally in the US and on the internet. As far as an alternative for a regular upright acoustic piano in a digital piano, in the Arius series the top of the line & more affordable YDP181 is Yamaha's answer to an acoustic piano replacement in a furniture cabinet style piano and is currently at an internet discount price of $1699 (pictured upper left).

There was a nearly identical model piano in the Clavinova CLP line called the CLP330 which was out for quite awhile and is now discontinued and replaced by the Yamaha CLP430 as of a couple year ago. The CLP430, which is a better instrument in a few different waysis a nice upgrade to the YDP181 so I would recommend that if you are wanting a Yamaha digital piano, you consider getting the CLP430 which can be purchased for not much more than the YDP181 (around $2000 or so on sale). Yamaha also makes the YDPV240 at $1999 internet price. The advantage of the V240 over the YDP181 is its automatic chord and rhythm features, extensive instrument sound banks, recording features and music education technology which is not on the other YDP or CLP models. The YDPV240 is a fun instrument and should be a consideration in shopping for digital pianos

The YDP181 has a quiet and sturdy key action but it is also a bit too stiff when playing lightly or softly in my opinion. What I mean by that is the keys on the YDP-181 do not press down easily as an acoustic upright piano. I have a detailed explanation of that on another review I have done on both the YDP161 & 181 and you can check that out at the link below. Except for the stiffer key action movement on the initial key touch on the YDP181, the piano is very nice. Here are the main differences between the YDP181 & CLP330 (although the CLP330 is not available as a current model):

Yamaha CLP330

1. The CLP330 (replaced by the 430) has an upgraded key touch response called the GH3 action (same in the new CLP430). It gives the player more control and sensitivity (using an extra internal key sensor) over the piano sound as opposed to the regular GH action on the YDP181. The weight and feel is not different, just the sensitivity response using an extra electronic key sensor which is especially useful for faster note playing. Both key touch actions are nice overall but the stiffness of the physical key touch when playing softly in the upper octaves is not what I personally like.
2. The CLP330 has an upgraded cabinet design (which has been redesigned in the new CLP400 series) along with a choice of different cabinet colors. The YDP181 is only available in a dark brown rosewood finish.

Other than that, the features, voices (14), sound quality, audio system, USB flash drive input feature, 128-note polyphony, and control panel layout of both pianos are identical. In fact, the YDP181 has the new CF pure sampling which means that Yamaha samples its CF series acoustic piano to produce the sounds in both the CLP330 and the YDP181. This increases the quality of the piano tone over lower priced models, but you really need to know what to listen for to appreciate it. And that recorded sound is limited to the actual electronics and sound system in the piano. The new CLP400 pianos are much nicer in my opinion

Yamaha YDP161

Yamaha makes some great digital pianos and keyboards and I've been playing them for over 35 years and like them very much. They are reliable, have good factory warranties and are an easy company to work with. Yamaha also makes a slightly less expensive Arius model called the YDP161 (now discontinued and replaced by the upgraded YDP162) at $1499. However, spending the extra money for the YDP181 because the upgrades such as the USB flashdrive input feature, more instrument sounds, and the larger built-in speakers along with a much better control panel may be something you should consider. Overall, the YDP181 is a nice digital piano for under $2000 (except for the stiffness of the keytouch when playing softly/lightly), and that should be one of your considerations for a digital piano.  If you'd like more info on the YDP181 and a comparison to the less expensive YDP161 (now discontinued), then go to the following link below:
Detailed Review of Yamaha YDP181 & 161

Casio PX850

UPDATE: The Casio digital piano company has released a brand new 2013 model digital piano called the PX850 for a $1099 internet price. I would not have thought this new Casio piano could be as good as it is for such a low price, but in all ways is better than the Yamaha YDP161 (now discontinued) and YDP181 and even easily challenges the the Clavinova CLP430...and it's a lot less money. Yes I know some people feel low price and a brand name like Casio cannot  equate to a high quality digital piano that comes close to competing with something like a Yamaha, but you would be wrong if you believe that. Do yourself a favor and read my recent review of this new Casio (which I have played) and you'll likely be very impressed with what you read and see..and my recommendations don't come easily. Casio PX850 Review

As with many things, piano tone and touch is a subjective thing because people's music expectations and experiences may be different from others, so you may have a another opinion, and that's OK. As long as you enjoy playing music and it works for you, that's what really counts in the end.

For more info on digital pianos and how to get one of these models for LESS than any advertised US price on the internet, please contact me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864