So, you want to buy a virtual piano. You've been to a lot of music stores and played on a lot of digital pianos. You got a lot of advice that goes against each other, and now you don't know what to do.
Many people end up in this situation when they want to buy a digital piano and go to their local piano store with some printouts from the internet but not enough information or advice to make an informed choice.
Look for virtual pianos when you shop.
You walk into your local piano store and see lots of digital pianos with different designs, colors, and shapes. Some digital pianos have just a few buttons, while others have a lot of buttons and flashing lights.
You need some advice, but the advice you get from a salesperson will always put the shop's profits before your own.
When you go to one piano store, they tell you that the Roland digital piano is the best digital piano by a long shot. They say that it has great sounds and plays and feels a lot like a real piano.
You say, "What about the Yamaha? I've heard that it's a good piano as well."
"No, the Roland virtual piano is a lot better than the Yamaha," they say. Then they sit down and play the Yamaha and the Roland to show you how much better the Roland is.
Why do piano stores always try to get you to buy a certain brand or model?
Well, the reason for that is either that they want to get rid of a model or that they're making more money with one logo than the other.
You walk over to another piano store to ask for more advice and compare prices. Again, when you walk in, you see a similar set-up. Like before, the salesperson shows you the different virtual pianos and tells you that the Casio is the best digital piano and not the Yamaha or Roland. People think way too much of the Roland virtual piano.
You say that you just went to another piano store and were told that the Roland virtual piano is better than the Yamaha and that the Casio is not even close to being as good. The sales person says, "They don't know what they're talking about." Now you're really upset and leave the store in a bad mood.
If you've been through all of the above and are at your wits' end, I'm here to help. I'll give you my honest opinion on which virtual piano you should consider, as well as the pros and cons of each. Continue...
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Yamaha digital pianos
The most well-known virtual piano right now is made by Yamaha. By a long shot, more Yamahas are sold than any other brand of virtual piano.
Yamaha has gotten to where it is today through good branding, marketing, and product development.
Yamaha worked so hard to make their digital pianos, called Clavinova, sound and feel as much like real pianos as possible that they used the sound pattern from their own concert grand piano for their virtual pianos.
Nine out of 10 points.
Advice: Go ahead and buy any of the Yamaha virtual pianos.
Price: Base models start at £989 RRP. You should be able to buy a Yamaha virtual piano on the internet for about 20% less than you would pay in a store.
Casio digital pianos
In the last few years, the Casio digital piano has come a long way. People used to think that Casio digital pianos weren't very good, but they've improved so much in recent years that they're now considered to be one of the best digital pianos on the market.
Casio digital pianos have always been the best digital pianos for the money. The Casio virtual pianos aren't as good as the Yamaha or Roland digital pianos, but they are usually cheap, costing between half and two thirds of what the Yamaha and Roland digital pianos cost.
7 out of 10 points.
Advice: Great value for the money! Go ahead and buy any digital piano from the Celviano line made by Casio (Casio AP). If you are short on space, you might want to remember the Casio Privia digital piano range.
Price: Base models start at £799.99 RRP. You should be able to find some great deals on the web.
Most Casio virtual pianos sell for about 28–30% less than their RRP.
Roland virtual pianos
The Roland virtual piano is made with high-quality materials and makes high-quality piano sounds, especially in the middle of the keyboard. Even so, the sound is a little thin and fake from the middle to the high treble.
Roland has always been known for charging a lot for their brand, and they won't lower their prices if it means that the quality of their digital pianos will suffer.
The Roland digital piano uses samples from a Steinway live performance grand piano to make its sounds.
8 out of 10 points.
Advice: Buy any Roland digital piano, whether it's an HP, F, or KR.
Price: RRP for the most basic models starts at £899. Prices on the Internet seem to be set, so you might not be able to save more than 5% off RRP. You're more likely to get a better deal on a Roland digital piano at a local music store.Best Deal Here
Korg virtual pianos
Korg is probably best known for their level pianos and high-end keyboards. They do make a small number of virtual pianos that have many of the same features as the Casio virtual piano.
Digital pianos from Korg are pretty cheap, but they don't sound as good as digital pianos from Yamaha, Roland, or Casio.
Four out of ten stars.
Advice: I wouldn't remember a Korg digital piano, but some people like the way they sound.
Price: Prices for basic clothes start at RRP £999. You should be able to get a Korg virtual piano for about 30–35% less if you buy it online.Best Deal Here
Kawai virtual pianos
Digital pianos are way overrated! Kawai says it has made the perfect piano action and sound with a magic potion that no other company can copy. This is a bunch of hogwash.
I have tried and tested these virtual pianos, and I find that the keys are too soft and spongy, and the sound can be very bright, harsh, and electronic.
3 out of 10 points.
Advice: You shouldn't really remember a Kawai virtual piano unless you like the sound of a Kawai piano.
Price: The most basic version starts at RRP £999. You should be able to buy a basic Kawai virtual piano online for 20–25% less than the RRP. Best Deal Here
Gem virtual pianos
Gem digital pianos look and sound great. They don't have a lot of good things, though. The sound may be very bad, and they only have a few digital pianos to choose from. The lid tends to squeak, and the keys make a lot of noise. They say that their pianos use "Drake Technology," which sounds crazy, doesn't it? What is it, though? Well, I guess it's just a feature to help them sell, but I don't think their virtual pianos are much better because of it.
3 out of 10 points.
Advice: I probably wouldn't remember a Gem digital piano, but if you want a polished ebony look, it's the cheapest digital piano on the market in that exact color. Best Deal Here
Price: Prices for basic clothes start at RRP £999. Gem digital pianos aren't very popular, so there isn't always a lot of competition online. This means you might not be able to get a big discount on one.
Ketron virtual pianos
Digital pianos made by Ketron are popular, but they are very expensive, especially the virtual grand pianos.
If you have a lot of money, you can buy one of those pianos again. If you don't, you should go with one of the "big three," which are Yamaha, Roland, or Casio.
6 out of 10 points.
Advice: I probably wouldn't remember a Ketron digital piano if I didn't have a lot of money to waste, but if you like the way it sounds, which a few people do, go ahead!
Price: Prices for the most basic models start at £1299. You might not be able to get a big discount on a Ketron digital piano because they aren't very popular and there isn't much competition online.
Suzuki digital pianos
Suzuki make awesome motorbikes, but virtual pianos??
Yes, Suzuki is very well-known for their motorcycles, but they are also very well-known for their musical instruments. They are known for the "Suzuki coaching technique," and they make great violins, bows, recorders, harmonicas, guitars, and decent acoustic pianos.
Suzuki's virtual pianos Best Deals, on the other hand, don't quite cut it. The Suzuki doesn't sound good, isn't put together well, and isn't very nice to play. The prices for these virtual pianos are very reasonable. I'm sorry, Suzuki, but I have to be honest.
2 out of 10 points.
Advice: Don't purchase a Suzuki virtual piano. Pease don't buy a Suzuki digital piano. Never purchase a Suzuki virtual piano! Why would you want to waste your money on a Suzuki digital piano when there are so many other good ones to choose from?
Price: The basic model starts at £799 RRP. You can find big discounts (20–25%) on digital pianos made by Suzuki. Be careful if the piano store near you wants to sell you a Suzuki digital piano. Ask them how it stacks up against a Yamaha or Roland digital piano.
Kurzweil digital pianos
Kurzweil is well-known for their keyboards and high-end audio products, but their digital pianos aren't as well-known. Kurzweil virtual pianos have been around for a long time. Until recently, they were mostly used in the United States. The digital piano from Kurzweil can be very strong and sounds great.
5 out of 10 points.
If you could find a store that sold Kurzweil digital pianos, it might be a good idea to try one out. I've seen some of these pianos on eBay.
Price: Check Amazon, which is probably the only place on the web where you can find them.
More virtual pianos (no longer within the equal league as above)
Alesis, Bohemia, Bohm, Daewoo, Ensonio, Farfisa, Hammond, Orla, Samick, Solton, Technics, Viscount Allegro, and Wersi.
These digital pianos are much worse than any of the other digital pianos I've talked about, so you shouldn't even think about them.
I can recommend a specific website that has full information, independent advice, reviews, and a number of most of the digital pianos mentioned above:
Digital Pianos: Yamaha, Roland, Casio, Korg, and more - SoundsMusical.Com
With the information above, I hope you can now go buy a virtual piano.
Don't pay too much attention if you feel like you are being pushed towards a certain digital piano.
Ask the piano salesperson to show you some great piano brands, and then choose for yourself based on the information above and what you feel is best for your needs.
I wish you the best of luck and hope you enjoy your new digital piano.
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