Kawai ES-110 and 120 are great. Also Yamaha P125 and Roland FP30 are great beginner pianos. Naturally also the higher numbers from those mentioned.
this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2023
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Thanks! I will take a look at those models. Also, there is a store near my place which only sells Casio and Korg digital pianos. Do you recommend anything from those brands?
I noticed most digital pianos come with 1 year warranty only and that looks quite short to me.. Are maintenance and repairs expected if I plan to keep the piano for at least 5 years? Is there a brand with a reputation of making products with good quality that can last for years?
Oh and about maintenance and repairs. Short answer: no, I don’t think you need to worry about any maintenance for at least 10 years and then, you’d be better served buying a new instrument. Your mileage may vary and sometimes these instruments break. The better you treat them (no liquids, no slamming, no dropping, no exposure to direct sunshine all day), the better they usually last. In normal use a normally functioning piano will last you a long time with no maintenance save for wiping it with a damp cloth if the keys feel sticky. An acoustic piano will require at least a hundred dollars of maintenance per year if you want it to work and sound properly. Digitals are almost free in comparison.
Also: a good pair of headphones is good to have. It is important the pianist feels they can practice without remorse or wondering if they are disturbing others. The possibility to play silently is one of the main reasons for getting a digital instrument.
There is a pretty vast difference between a digital and an acoustic and for advanced players it is a real concern: they should get to practice on a real instrument. But that is after playing for 10 years and if the pianist is gifted. “Normal” players playing for their own amusement can play on a digital all their lives in my opinion. I’ve been playing for 42 years and I still have a Kawai upstairs and a hybrid Yamaha downstairs as my main piano and I am between advanced and very advanced these days.
The Korg B2 is another popular choice for beginners. Never tried one myself so I can't say much past that.
Generally, any quality digital piano such as the ones you've been looking at will last quite a few years, given that you care for it properly.
Edit: About maintenance, there's hardly much you'll have to do beyond just cleaning the pianoand making sure not too much dust accumulates (I recommend just covering the keybed with a large sheet) Issues with the internals should be taken back for potential warranty claims.
The Casio PX series has received fairly good reviews. I didn’t much care for the older models, but the new (and very slim) PX-S1100 and the slightly older S1000 felt pretty nice. I think it would serve you well. One thing to keep in mind is that I don’t recommend the X shaped stands. They are cheap, but ultimately get in the way of learning to use the pedals as well as are really annoying when they get in the way of the legs.
A new pianist can maybe get away without using a pedal for the first year, but it is an essential part of playing and depending on the teacher, it will be needed sooner than later.
Thanks a lot for the detailed answer. Well noted on the X shaped stand, I'll get piano that comes with a proper frame. I think I'll go down to that store over the weekend and try those Casio PX.
Just a quick note: There is a new Casio design piano (PX-S7000) that costs around 2500. I tried it today and to be frank, it doesn't bring that much more to the table compared to the USD 500 PX-S1100, so I would not recommend it unless your have extra cash and design is something you value above all else. Good luck finding a good instrument!
Digital pianos are fine. You never need to tune them, and your budding pianist can use headphones with most models. What weighted keys do is make a digital piano feel more like an acoustic piano. There's a more resistance to pushing down a key. "Hammer action" is similar. At 5, I don't think either is strictly necessary, but if you want something he'll grow into, go ahead and get something with hammer action or weighted keys. Likewise, consider the number of keys. A full-size piano has 88, but there's a lot that learners can play with fewer.
The real question is this: do you think that your 5 year old will continue to play piano? If he loses interest, will you force him to practice or will you let him drop it?
If he will continue to play piano, whether forced or by choice, invest in a quality instrument with 88 weighted or hammer action keys.
If you expect him to lose interest eventually and don't want to buy something expensive that won't be used, or expect his progress to be slow enough that number of keys won't be an issue any time soon, then something very basic will be fine. Look for something secondhand - brand isn't particularly important, just the fact that it plays.
As for personal experience, I've been using an Alesis Recital for around five years now. I picked it because it was the cheapest thing with the minimum specs I wanted, and I was broke AF. I don't have any experience with other digital pianos.
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