Kawai ES-7 , Kawai CN-34 or Roland HP 504, which one is better ?

[mom17]

I am looking for Piano for my son and confused with above three models which are in same price range. I don't have much knowledge of Piano, Parents/Teachers , pls. help with your reviews on these or any other model which is same price range.

[JulieMichelleRobinson]

None of the above.

If you can stretch a bit more (I mean, those are all in the £1,000+ range already) then I'd go with a Yamaha Clavinova (CLP series is cheaper, CVP series is more expensive but doubles as a keyboard too, with different sounds, drums etc.). They have a feel more similar to an acoustic piano and the sampling of their grand piano on the Yamaha instruments is amazing. One of those would pretty much do for life.

If the extra bit of price is too much, the top end of the Yamaha Arius series is similar to the Clavinova but cheaper and not quite as fantastic. Or the Casio in the similar price range.

Out of the ones you've listed, I'd probably pick the Roland. The Roland keys tend to be rather springy, though, but otoh their electronics are really good and these are the folks who make a genuinely amazing electronic harpsichord. I think the feel of the Yamahas and Casios is more similar to 'the real thing' but it depends what other functions you want.

And, of course, any digital piano in that price range will be more than fine for a beginner - it's just that you want the 'best' you can get for the money, but 'best' for you might be 'most like a piano' or 'with most added functions.'

[mom17]

Thanks a lot. How is Yamaha CLP 535 and CLP 525 in comparison of above ?

[JulieMichelleRobinson]

More piano-y. Of course, it's a bit subjective. I tend to prefer good piano touch to bells and whistles, anyway. The clps are a good range.

[teacherwith2kids]

A friend of my son's has a Korg digital piano and I've been looking into something like the LP-180. It's not for 'lessons' - DS plays 2 woodwind instruments - but various music teachers have suggested that it might be useful to have a keyboard of some kind in the house as he's likely to do GCSE, and would like to do some composing / improvisation, as he cuyrrently does on his 'melody' instruments.

He also does lots of 'extra curriculular' music groups etc that sometimes bneed to rehearse out of school. The digital piano needs to be good enough for the piano player to play e.g. when groups get together to rehearse, though it doesn't need to be in any way 'whizzy'.

Any views?

[mom17]

JulieMichelleRobinson, I am not very clear by your last comment , can u pls. make it more clear. I am totally confused with Roland HP 504 and Yamaha CLP-535 which have very less difference in pricing.

[JulieMichelleRobinson]

Mom17

Basically, either would be fine. My personal preference would be for the Yamaha. This is solely based on the fact that I think Yamaha digitals (Clavinova range upwards) feel more like acoustic pianos than the Rolands do. This allows for more finesse of touch as the student progresses towards higher grades. The Yamaha will have a graded feel, with lower keys being heavier than the higher ones like on an acoustic piano. I'm not sure that the Roland has this, although it has hammer action keys with escapement.

If you think the tech features of the Roland will be of benefit, by all means choose that. As I said, anything in that price range will be absolutely fine. I am also going by piano-feel rather than sound - you might prefer the sound of the Roland, if you get the chance to try them both.

[JulieMichelleRobinson]

Teacherwith2kids,

I'm assuming 'budget' here, because if you are rolling in it you can always get a grand piano...

If it's not for piano lessons and you aren't concerned about having hammer action keys (piano feel) but only touch sensitivity, then anything over around £300 would do the job.

Suggestions:
Yamaha P-series (touch sensitive but not hammer action) - P-35 is used in lots of schools and can be had for £350 if you're lucky.
Casio CDP 120 or above. Roughly the same as the Yamahas, with graded touch sensitivity but not hammer action.

If you want something with more of a piano feel, then I'd probably go with the Yamaha Arius series (YDP series) or the Casio Privia series. Both would be in the £500-£1000 range. Or go for Korg or Roland equivalents. Look for something like "graded hammer action" in the specs.

[mom17]

Thanks a lot JulieMichelleRobinson, u have helped me a lot in taking a final decision.

[teacherwith2kids]

Thanks! Budget is indeed an issue, but it's one of those 'what do you get if you spend more?' questions. It sounds as if the key difference between 'c. £350' and '£500 up' is the piano feel that comes with hammer action keys. For the classical / jazz duet / trio / emsemble rehearsals / improvisation sessions I was referring to - a componant of DS's social life, strange as it sounds - a 'piano feel' keyboard get more use, because the pianist is a pianist IYSWIM. Thank you.