Calling any piano players!

[pisspants]

Hi there
Dd is going to be starting piano lessons shortly and we only have a crappy keyboard at the moment. I will leave it a couple of months to make sure she wants to carry on before making a decision but assuming she does carry on with it I think a real piano is out of the question really as we are a small mid terraced house. So I am going down the route of getting an electric piano, something like a clavinova.
I do not have a big budget (lone parent) but could possibly stretch to buy a new one if could get it on finance but am at a bit of a loss as to what route to go down
To get a new clavinova the cheapest model is £1100 approx.
Yamaha also do an Arius keyboard which I gather is only any good for a beginner and they are about £700 new. It seems to make more sense to buy something better which is a bit more money that will last as long as needed so have discounted this option I think.
The other thing would be to go for a cheaper brand but it is hard to know what is decent.
Or to get something second hand. but I dont know what spec to go for and a lot of them seem ancient. How much has technology moved on over the years with these pianos? would a 10 or 15 year old one be noticeably worse than a new one assuming there are no tech problems with it?
If anyone had any advice on good models, makes etc then I would really appreciate it as I am going round in circles a bit. Thanks in advance

Weighted keys on keyboards are brilliant - and they're a lot cheaper than a Clav.

However, they still feel completely different to clavs and, in turn, proper pianos. I wouldn't suggest anybody spends over a grand on something before the child has been learning and practising regularly on a keyboard.

BUT I do disagree with the 30 minutes a day. 10 minutes every day is a more realistic time for beginners and they will progress far more if it becomes something that isn't a huge task they need to be forced into after a couple of weeks and probably just about begrudgingly manage whilst Mum hovers and forces it on the day before the next lesson.

If a learner sees it as fun and not another bit of homework to do - or worse, a punishment - they won't continue. The best way to do that is to make it a small thing they do each day - the time spent will increase naturally.

In terms of buying a piano, the tutor/school should be able to advise on the Assisted Purchase Scheme terms to not have to pay VAT.

And, from experience, clavs are relatively easy to repair and get spares for, whilst some of the cheaper brands are complete pigs - one had the cable from the pedals caught and pulled out. All it needed was to reattach the tiny cable. But the cheaper one was made so it needed the purchase of 1000 connectors, as they aren't available individually, plus a crimper and the cable was immersed in resin so it could only be repaired once before it was too short. Clavs, however, I've had in pieces and they've always taken minutes to sort out.

(See Also: how to replace/repair pedals. £500 for a full pedal replacement because a tiny piece of plastic has shattered after a year - or 50p for a little piece of metal via Yamaha and a screwdriver).

Another one here who got a free upright piano from a friend moving abroad. I paid for the transport £60 and had it retuned - another £60. DD is now doing her G5 and we are looking at upgrading it. Our piano tuner also restores pianos and he is restoring a 2nd hand Bechstein that we are seriously considering buying off him when he finishes.

There are plenty of 2nd hand acoustic uprights going for free/cheap which will suit beginners. I wouldn't spend hundreds if you haven't got it just in case, your child gives up within the year. Renting an upright would be a good option.

I’ve looked and it turns out we don’t have a Clavinova! My DP is the proper pianist so was the one that chose it, and I swear we went in with the intention of buying a Clavinova but we actually have a Yamaha Arius YDP-161. I have piano lessons and play a proper piano at my teacher’s, and while it’s definitely not exactly the same I don’t feel held back by our piano. And as we live in a tiny flat (and my DP can’t help wincing when I mangle whatever it is I’m trying to play...) the headphones are a god send