Buying a digital piano for under $1500 – a complete guide on where to start

By Holly Terrens (Australian Piano Warehouse – Brisbane)

Thinking of taking up the piano? Wanting to enrol your child in piano lessons?

You may hear the basic specifications you need for an authentic piano playing experience: 88 keys and weighted action.

With so many different models on the market, the task can seem arduous however, once we break down the options, you will feel confident on the model you need to suit your budget, lifestyle and space.

Let’s take a look at four models for under the 1500-dollar mark:

Kawai KDP110

Kawai produce both acoustic and digital pianos. Their famous piano sound ‘Shigeru’ is one of four piano tones available on this model. Being a cabinet style, it looks like a piano – only much smaller, making it a beautiful and practical furniture piece for a living room, bedroom or study.

Benefits:

• Powerful speaker. Unlike other models within this price range, the Kawai KDP110 boasts a 40W speaker. A powerful speaker doesn’t mean you should be playing full blast and upsetting the neighbours, instead, it means that when you have the volume set to an appropriate level, the tone will still be rich and beautiful.
• Responsive action – exactly what one would want in their piano playing experience.
• Great value for money with the piano stool included.
• Shigeru piano tone.

Roland F140

The Roland F140 is an excellent choice for those wanting a home style piano that is slimmer than a cabinet, and sleeker than a portable piano. Roland use an ‘Ivory Feel’ key. This means that when the key is touched it feels like wood, rather than plastic, for an authentic piano playing experience. It comes in both black and white.

Benefits:

• Slim line design – perfect for smaller spaces.
• Great value for money with a piano stool included.
• Folding bench to protect from dust.

Roland FP30

Unlike Yamaha and Kawai who manufacture acoustic pianos, Roland only make digital instruments – in fact many electronic sounds you hear on the radio today come from Roland’s technology! They continue to pioneer with their digital technology, making them an excellent choice for beginners and professionals alike.

This is a portable model, making it a good fit for someone who might be considering taking the piano out in the car to gigs, or kids taking it between homes. There is also the option to buy a fixed stand and/or a three-pedal unit (the same pedals you see on an acoustic piano).

Benefits:

• Just like the F140, the FP30 uses Roland’s Ivory Feel key.
• Is portable, with the option of adding a fixed stand and pedals
• Roland have a variety of apps for music learning and making which can be used with this model (as well as the F140). To find out more information, visit www.roland.com/au/categories/apps

Yamaha P125

The P125 is another great portable option. Yamaha don’t use an ‘Ivory Feel’ key like Roland, however the action itself feels good to play and some people even prefer the feeling of a plastic key rather than the ‘Ivory Feel’. The piano is very easy to control with different tones, metronome, record function, and rhythms ready to go with the touch of a button.

An amazing reason to choose Yamaha would be because of their new app called Flowkey. The subscription-based service is available to Yamaha customers and free for three months. Here is where you can learn notes, chords and everything you need to get started playing music that you love. Flowkey also contains numerous scores for beginners and established players alike. From pop, to classical, you’ll be playing your favourite songs in no time! Check it out on www.flowkey.com

Benefits:

• Especially for an adult learner not planning to get piano lessons, Flowkey is an amazing learning tool.
• Action feels good to play.
• A fixed stand and pedals can also be purchased.

It’s always best to see the piano in person to get a feel for the sound and size. Even if you haven’t been playing for long, it’s still a good idea to sit down in front of the piano and play around with the controls and feel the action, after all, you’re about to begin a long journey with your new instrument!