Clavinova Vs The 'real Thing' Options

[RichardHK]

I am new here and have noticed quite a few references throughout the site to the Yamaha Clavinova electronic pianos. I know very well that often space and other considerations would warrant an electronic piano, and I do love the Yamaha home/portable P series pianos for their realism and feel.

But... How do you serious piano folk here rate the Clavinova vs the 'real thing'? For same price to be fair.

I am considering a Clavinova instead of a Yamaha U series upright. The latter is rather old-fashioned looking, and have no room or money for a baby grand. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Any comments?

Richard
Hong Kong

[crazy_purple_piano_freak]

Personally although i have a clavinova and the touch is supposed to be the same I'd prefer the 'real thing'...its just not the same!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

[Trebor]

Clavinovas are good - there's no doubt about that. For the price they deliver a nice sounding replication of a piano which takes up less space and is considerably cheaper. However, they lack a 'soul' for want of a better word. They don't have the same uniqueness to them. On a real piano, if you use the sustain pedal, the dampeners are removed and the strings resonate creating infinite numbers of subtle sounds that combine to form the overall effect. At the moment, I don't think Clavinovas can replicate that.

And also, I have a Yamaha upright and I don't think they look old-fashioned.

[RichardHK]

... And also, I have a Yamaha upright and I don't think they look old-fashioned.

Thanks for the quick comments ya both. This forum is so active!!

We also have a Yamaha upright, a cheaper model than the U3 or whatever is next step up. And we do love our current model. Good looking and still sounds good after near 20 years. But in Hong Kong the U3 taller board is wrapped in an old-fashioned casing. They think folk want to pay for something that 'looks' more traditional and expensive perhaps. Clavinovas have subtle design changes too as the price goes up.

On the realism of all those strings and woodwork vibrating, the latest electronics can certainly get close, but they do benefit from some big speakers pounding your chest and body to compete with the real-thing. Headphones won't cut it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Any comments on the keyboard feel? Given the horizontal, gravity effect, I can see Yamaha being able to get closer to a real grand piano mechanism rather than an upright. (??)

Will drop back in here again tomorrow. So late in Hong Kong now.

Richard.

[sbhoa]

Expensive toy..... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

But if that is the only option can do the job.

This post has been edited by sbhoa: Jan 5 2006, 07:06 PM

[SteveHopwood]

Expensive toy..... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

But if that is the only option can do the job.

What a brilliant description (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

Pianos are not electric devices. They are instruments with souls.

At least, good ones are.

Steve (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Semele]

This question is always cropping up here.

Do you have a problem with the length or the wall height?

Length being exactly the same for an acoustic or digital piano.

I have a U3 and a digital. My friend...Jelly Roll Morton expert...loves my U3.She is all black and beautiful and he loves her bass.That should say it all as he has to play with a Yam Clav.

PS Once the circuit board has gone in a Clav,it's very expensive to replace and they lose their value.Think of it as buying a new car...you lose £1000 once you drive out of the forecourt. But well made acoustic pianos hold their value,and ,if you look after them,like you should always do pianos,like ships,being female,you will get your money's worth and the feel is superb!

[PlinkPlonkMan]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) Hello I have both a Clavinova and a Yamaha piano. Comments about resonance are true the clavinova output of sounds is nowhere near the sound of the real thing. The biggest advantage to a Clavinova is you can plug ear phones in and not drive everyone crazy listening to scales and the same piece of music over and over again. With the clavinova you do not develop the sensitivity of and action that operates the keys on a piano.
In other words you may not play a note sometimes if you do not depress the piano key correctly. The clavinova will always make a sound when the key is depressed, it's sort of too easy to play a clavinova. I also found that if you are accidentaly pressing a piano key when playing you will hear that you have made that mistake as the strings will reverberate. This will not show up on a clavinova if you are just resting on the key.
Trust this helps. Piano first always..
BFN Mike (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[RichardHK]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) Hello I have both a Clavinova and a Yamaha piano. ...
... This will not show up on a clavinova if you are just resting on the key.
Trust this helps. Piano first always..
BFN Mike (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Thanks Mike.

Very good feedback and much better than saying Clavs are no good at all. Cos they do have their strengths.

Agree a piano first always. But electronic ones can earn us more money! We need both like you have. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Richard

This question is always cropping up here.

Do you have a problem with the length or the wall height?

Length being exactly the same for an acoustic or digital piano.

I have a U3 and a digital. My friend...Jelly Roll Morton expert...loves my U3.She is all black and beautiful and he loves her bass.That should say it all as he has to play with a Yam Clav.

PS Once the circuit board has gone in a Clav,it's very expensive to replace and they lose their value.Think of it as buying a new car...you lose £1000 once you drive out of the forecourt. But well made acoustic pianos hold their value,and ,if you look after them,like you should always do pianos,like ships,being female,you will get your money's worth and the feel is superb!

Sorry for raising a perpetual query. I guess the question will never go away! Hong Kong flats are not that spacious and a U3 is wider than current piano and will not fit into the spare room!

Thanks for your good feedback. Especially useful to hear about your U3. I am sure if we do get one (for the lounge!) it will last longer than me. And look forward to the feel too. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Richard

[Fen]

Do you have a problem with the length or the wall height?

Length being exactly the same for an acoustic or digital piano.

But with the advantage for the digital in that the 'top' comes off and it can be manhandled into a lift and through fairly narrow confines - had to take all the banisters off at my place when they delivered my (not huge!) acoustic! The acoustic's about 10cm wider than my old clavinova - enough that I had to lose a wardrobe from my spare room. Well worth it though!

[parent_l]

Two Christmases ago we replaced a Clavinova with a nice upright piano for our children - their teacher felt that the Clavinova was no longer appropriate.

The piano sounds wonderful and is played a lot. Everyone walking into the house sits straight at the piano and plays. The children play on it all the time. It has been an extremely successful purchase, and is greatly loved.

However, there were some advantages to the Clavinova:

• we could choose what room it went in as it could be readily moved up and down the stairs. The piano had to sit in our front room on the ground floor, and couldn't be manoeuvred any where else in the house. Previously the clavinova had been in a small basement room - so was very unintrusive. Now the piano is in our main living room - which in many ways makes it played more, but it is very dominant in an otherwise quite small room.

• Practice was not intrusive to our neigbours - I never told the children not to play - just to turn the volume down possibly. Now I am forever telling them that it is too early or too late to play the piano (we have thin walls between us and our neigbours). The result of this is that practice time is considerably reduced. We used to have a before school slot where each child would get some done, so that however little was done, a little was done every day. That has gone now - and although the piano is played a lot, the very helpful regularity has gone (the evenings can be far harder to predict : homework and life's distractions come to the fore then!).

Ideally, given space and money one might have both ... or perhaps one of those Yamaha pianos that are both acoustic and digital.

Just my tuppence worth. We wouldn't give up our piano now - but I think our neigbours would love us to. Even with a muting rail the marvellous resonance of the piano is disturbing to them.

[StuMac]

I've got both - Clavinova and a small broadwood grand!

Play both of them, but there really is no comaprision. Calvinova actually sounds "dead" when you switch straight from the Broadwood. havings said that - great value for money and well worth having, really stimulated my interest in piano and a very succesful purchase. I recon it would be better for a child to learn on a Clavinova than some of the clapped out uprights I've seen!

I mainly use the Calvinova for unsocial hours! Another advantage is they can be connected to a computer to record or give input to ear training programmes etc.

[Jen W]

I have a hybrid Yamaha 'Silent' piano - it's a smallish Yamaha acoustic upright plus a digital piano all in one, which is very useful for not annoying the neighbours! When they're out I can disengage the digital and play acoustically. I find this ideal where neighbours are to be considered.

[AshleighM]

I have a hybrid Yamaha 'Silent' piano - it's a smallish Yamaha acoustic upright plus a digital piano all in one, which is very useful for not annoying the neighbours! When they're out I can disengage the digital and play acoustically. I find this ideal where neighbours are to be considered.

How do you find that? I am considering changing ours for the silent system in April (its a hired piano - Yamaha C109). Is it any different to a standard upright piano to pay, and do you find you practise more if you don't annoy people? We live in an apartment and there is always someone to annoy (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

Ash

[RichardHK]

Took my 13 year old lad down to piano showroom today to try out a range of instruments. He plays an 18 yr old Yamaha P116 console upright now which is still in good condition. He is up to grade 8 ABRSM and grade 8 Trinity Rockschool and heading for diploma. Now needs a more responsive keyboard, otherwise Ok.

Tried both electronic and acoustic. Budget dictates a max of about GBP3,000 which will buy a Yamaha U3 acoustic, or top of the range Clavinova 309. He played Yamaha U1, U3, U5, plus some baby grand and full grand Yamahas. And played Clavinova 309, 307, 305. Also tried the portable P250 and a Korg Triton Extreme synthesiser!!

Conclusion: He likes the Clavinova 309 best. Reasons: keyboard really plays and feels like the acoustic Yamaha grand. Keyboard much better than existing home piano and the U1/3/5 in showroom. And he can play harpsicord and other non-piano sounds.

We both agreed the U3 and above acoustics sounded better, but only for a single piano sound. My lad loves the idea of having more than one piano sound played from a grand-piano feel Clav keyboard.

We will decide a little later. And will get him to sit down for longer at the U3 and Clav to be really sure he will be happy (same price). And if we do buy a Clav we will keep the old acoustic until we can afford (and if we need) a better one later.

For your info and any comment.

In particular: How many folk here have played on a Clavinova at home, used the real thing for lessons, and passed their DipABRSM???

Richard
Hong Kong