Piano purchase decision for a 7 year old begginer

[vlads11]

Hi Folks,

I am looking to purchase a piano for a 7 year old that has started to take piano lessons 4 months ago and is really enjoying it. She is currently on a 61 keyboard RockJam and I can definitely hear it's not quality. My goal is to purchase something that will encourage her to continue practicing and improve. Budget: $1200
 
Option 1: Mid-70s Wurlitzer, Kimball, or something similar -  range $200-300 - risky?
Option 2: Used Yamaha/Kawaii, these are generally really good - range $1200-1500 used
Option 3: Good Digital Piano - used or new range: $300-1200

I am new to this and by no means an expert, our piano teacher is suggesting an acoustic piano, personally I am leaning toward a good digital piano but wanted to hear what others think. The above are just 3, I am open to hear suggestions as long as they align with the goal of encouraging and fostering kids love for music and learning.

[ivorycherry]

Hey,
I used to play on a Casio Privia PX-150 and it lasted me a good 3 years and I think it’s great for beginners and intermediate players. The better and newer models that are kind of the “upgrade” from the PX-150 are also great and most of them should fit your budget. I’m pretty sure they don’t even sell the PX-150s anymore. I probably would recommend the Casio Privia PX-770 or the PX-870, the PX-870 being an upgrade from the PX-770, which is an upgrade from the PX-150. They are both good and I would recommend them, and it looks like the PX-770 is $750 USD and the PX-870 is $999 USD on Amazon.

Obviously, an acoustic is far better in so many ways, but, if that’s not really an option, the ones I recommended to you would be good, but, to be honest, most digitals would be okay as long as they have grand piano action in them(most do). A beginner shouldn't need an acoustic piano immediately, but I would definitely look into investing into one at some point, they are far better than digital pianos.

Hope this helps,
Alex

[quantum]

Hi and welcome to Pianostreet

An acoustic is best for long term learning.  However, if it is not possible at the moment a good digital piano would be much better than your current keyboard.

With used acoustic pianos don't just look at the price, you need to try out the instrument in person to evaluate it.  There might be some really good quality instruments going for low prices, especially if they are a less known brand or the owner wants it moved out quickly.  Always have a piano tech that you trust (not selected by the seller) evaluate an acoustic and produce a report before buying. 

Yamaha or Kawai are safe choices for a vertical acoustic, as long as they are in good technical condition.  They make pianos that can survive the pounding of university practice rooms.

For digital pianos, the action of the keys is more of a concern than the sound, because you can supplement with sampled pianos if you want to upgrade the sound. 

[noelcp]

I vote for a good digital, and the main thing to look for is a good 'hammer weighted' keybed.  The pluses should be obvious:  she can practice w/ headphones as desired, never needs tuned, is easy to move around, and as I say ones w/ good hammer weighted action feel and play great and will have a very similar feel to an acoustic piano. 

If it is very physcally close to a Windows PC you can also purchase just a 'midi controller w/ hammer weighted action' and connect to that, where for a lousy $149 you can pick up the Garritan Abbey Roads CFX Yamaha Grand, and it sounds so good it could easily be used for recording.  In fact, it's standalone VST (virtual studio tech) has a built-in recorder so she can record her songs and play them back as .wav files.  I bought my m-audio 88 key hammer weighted controller new for $499, and added the Garritan CFX and have a fabulous practice station.  An amplifier of sorts would need to be added to have sound beyond my Sony studio monitor headphones, but as I only use it for my own practice I don't need it.

If she stays with it you can always go acoustic down the road a little.  Today's digitals are quite good to learn on, and as I say VST or sampled pianos are often so good they can be recorded and sound fabulous.  And they have 'velocity sensitivity' which translates to the harder the keys are struck the louder and more nuanced the sound becomes as w/ acoustic pianos.  If you decide to go digital be sure to consult w/ someone very familiar with all the ones in your price range so you get one that sounds good and plays well.