Which electronic piano best imitates the feel (not sound) of a real piano?

[libraboy]

My neighbors have been complaining about my piano practice and I'm thinking about getting an electronic piano. Which brand/series has the best action that imitates the feel and touch of a real piano (grade-weighted keys, hammer action, etc.) I don't need sound to be great and price is not an issue.

Also, do you guys think that practicing on electronic piano would injure my hands or stall my technique? I've heard that Liszt and Rachmaninoff practiced on silent keyboards when pianos are not available around them....

Thanks much!

[allthumbs]

Check out the Roland V Piano

https://www.roland.com/V-Piano/

[quantum]

Looks interesting.  Has anyone tried a V-Piano? 

[rob_the_dude]

Kawai MP8 or MP8 II

The trouble with the V-Piano is who makes it - Roland. If a company doesn't make an acoustic piano then how can the actioin be any good?
The keys look wooden, but in fact they are plastic, with brown painted sides to imitate the wood
The MP8's, though have the real wooden keys.

[kay3087]

Take a look at the Yamaha keyboards. It seems they're always releasing a new version of a keyboard and improving them, and from the few I've played, they're fairly nice.

[quantum]

What I've heard about Yamaha keyboards is that there is actually a resistive force pushing upwards on your fingers.  You are not just holding down the weight of the key, but also some sort of spring.  I don't know if they have changed this.  

I played extensively on Yamaha keyboards for a couple musicals and at the time was unaware of such resistive springs.  It is not perceptible at first touch, but after hours of playing you do feel it in your fingers.  

On the flip side I own a Yamaha grand, and very much like the touch and responsiveness of the action.  

Roland does have a connection to making serious classical electronic organs through Rodgers.  The fancier models do have nice wood core keyboards.

[lhorwinkle]

You might be better served by asking at pianoworld.com  ...  you'll get lots of attention over there.

As for "Roland doesn't make acoustic pianos ... how can their keyboards be any good" ... this is spurious logic.

As for Yamaha keyboards being spring-loaded ... not so.

[quantum]

As for Yamaha keyboards being spring-loaded ... not so.

care to elaborate?

[rob_the_dude]

As for "Roland doesn't make acoustic pianos ... how can their keyboards be any good" ... this is spurious logic.

Sorry, but if a manufacturer tries to fob off its customers by painting the sides of the keys brown to make it look like wood, but i wouldn't trust them to make a good action. It ain't logic either as I was looking at the RD-700 when i was buying a digital and the MP8 was far superior.

[yaccob]

Obviously, the closest that you get to the feeling of a real (=acoustic) piano is by using an electronic piano which has the real hammer double-escapement keyboard of an acoustic piano... the so called hybrid piano.

To my knowledge only Yamaha manufactures such pianos, and they are quite pricey compared to 'regular' e-pianos, but since you state that money is not an issue, i'd definitely go for the new Yamaha Avantgrand, either a grand piano version (N3) or an upright (N2). They were just launched and I believe the list price for the N3 is around US$ 19,000.

I personally own an older model, Yamaha GranTouch GT2, and am very happy with the authentic grand piano touch... and the fact that I can play at 1am without disturbing the neighbors

[gyzzzmo]

Accoustic piano's already differ alot in feeling themselves, so hard to give advices. I like the yamaha clavinova series myself, but thats me

[oxy60]

The wonderful aspect of being a piano player is that you have no control over what type of instrument you will sit at next. Maybe you have prepared a fantastic subtle passage and you get a "clunker" for performance. This happens all the time.

Now with portable keyboards that you can take with you some of the surprises can be eliminated. Select one that feels and sounds good to you. You may need a stand alone music stand. And don't forget to match the support, bench and keyboard to yourself with the music stand in place BEFORE you leave the store.

[Bob]

I've heard of people having their keyboard tweaked too.  Adding weights, making the key move smoother, things like that.    That might be another angle on things.  Voids the warranty of course, but it makes it fit you nicer too.

[the romantic]

I have a Yamaha Clavinova CLP-990 and the action is very realistic indeed.  I find it to be slightly on the heavy side, but then acousitc pianos also vary in how they feel.

My keyboard has spruce keys and a graded hammer action.  Meaning that there are actual hammers inside the Piano which strike the soundboard.  The hammers are also graded into....I think it's 5 but could be 6, different weights, so that the higher you go in the keyboard's register, the lighter the feel - just like a real piano.

My model is rather an old one now, and about 2 years ago I went along to play the latest Yamaha range.  In my opinion, the sound was slightly improved but the action on all the new keyboards was inferior to mine, as were the technical specifications (Polyphony & Speaker output for example).

For build quality I'd go with Yamaha every time.

[rob_the_dude]

Thats what the MP8 has, all the keys are cut from the same plank, to make them feel the same 

[oxy60]

I would like to add to what I said above to bring your own earphones for the sound and feel test(s) in the store.  I prefer to use a noise canceling type. They're quite expensive. Unless you need them for other purposes, maybe you can borrow a pair. I prefer to practice with regular earphones so I can hear what's going on around me.

[arensky]

I just bought a Yamaha P-85 keyboard, it's their bottom of the line but I'm very happy with it. I use it for gigs, it's lightweight and very portable. Sounds great, and the feel is great, although you must realize that NO electronic keyboard will feel like an acoustic. This one does have resistance though, and the price is great; last I checked it was around $699 new, I got mine barely used on consignment for $524    Try it, you might like it, and your wallet definitely will!

[oxy60]

What kind of case did you decide on? I also have a P-85 and am very happy with it. Are you also using the "X" stand or did you find another solution?

[arensky]

What kind of case did you decide on? I also have a P-85 and am very happy with it. Are you also using the "X" stand or did you find another solution?

I was relieved when I got the keyboard home to find that it just fit in the softcase that I used with my old Kurzweil K1000, which the P-85 is replacing for gigs. I have a couple of X stands but I'm using the four legged steel speaker stand I used for the Kurzweil, which was too heavy for the average X stand. The P-85 is fine with the X stand but it's definitely more stable on the speaker stand, which is also easier to set up, although it's quite a bit heavier.

[bmichels]

I think that the real alternative and comparison is between a  YAmaha Avantgrand N2/N3 (electronic piano with a REAL grand keyboard action)  and an Acoustic piano with a silent / Anytime system.

There are similar prices: 

Avantgrand N2 = price of a YAmaha U1 or U3 silent
Avantgrand N3 = Price of a Kawai Grand GE20 + Anytime system ( and just a little cheaper than yamaha CG1 + Silent)

And here is my dilema !   I learn piano, I very ofter play during the evening (so silent mode)  and I really want a "real" acoustic piano keyboard action.

So what should I choose : Avantgrand or "real" acoustic with Silent system ?

- I am afraid that the acoustic silent/anytime  will have a sound through headphone really less good than a Yamaha Avantgrand that has a really more sophisticated sound generator ?

Help please.....

[oxy60]

I was relieved when I got the keyboard home to find that it just fit in the softcase that I used with my old Kurzweil K1000, which the P-85 is replacing for gigs. I have a couple of X stands but I'm using the four legged steel speaker stand I used for the Kurzweil, which was too heavy for the average X stand. The P-85 is fine with the X stand but it's definitely more stable on the speaker stand, which is also easier to set up, although it's quite a bit heavier.

To solve the problem with my X stand stability I cut and finished a piece of 3/4 ply to go under my P-85. Everything is just fine but I'm thinking about two "U" bolts to hold the top to the stand.

How are you handling the output? The P-85 puts out a stereo signal. I've listened to the individual channels and I think the sound is better as stereo. So I have two 300W monitor speakers which I place side by side. In a bigger room I spread them out.

I'm also thinking about a stereo waw-waw pedal so I can control the total volume with my foot, like a Hammond B-3.

[elzbietaj]

yamacha clp 330/340

[xander1984]

I've had Casio AP-45 digital piano (about $900~1000 when I bought it) for few years. If I could go back in time I'd much rather bought a used acoustic piano at the same price level. Recently I started seeing more and more digital piano more expensive than $2000~3000 and some just under $10000. I played some of them and they have many features and sounds better than my Casio digital piano but no matter how good it sounds, it doesn't get better than a decent acoustic piano. Because with an acoustic piano, you're the one who makes the sound whereas with a digital piano the sound is already there not to mention difference in the hammer-action. If you're serious about piano, don't buy digital.

[music32]

I like the Privia PX 110, though it's basically out of circulation, but for one site on the Internet that had one new one left. Just Google for the PX110. I am not as fond of the updated 120 and less so, the PX130. It seems the product has gone downhill with each new generation.

[oxy60]

Just came home from a trip where I used an AP-500 (Casio) and today I sat down at my P-85. What a difference! Using the same earphones the AP-500 sounds cheap. The bass was not full no matter how much weight I put on it. On the P-85 I just touch the bass and that is  enough. It seemed with the AP-500 I was always fighting to get a good tone with even balance between the registers,