Hi All,

I'm thinking of buying an upright piano, but I feel like it's too expensive to get one here in the uk. Instead, is the digital piano a good alternative ?

How much would a piano (brand new or used) cost ? I don't really need a top of the line one coz i want to concentrate more on my violin playing.

But given a chance (time and money), i want to do some formal piano lessons, too.

A digital piano is a good alternative but I don't think I will ever enjoy playing on one as much as I do on an acoustic upright, I would really like to try a grande piano but have yet to try one.

Hi,

I recently bought a Piano on Ebay for £100. I wanted a Piano to practise on for the Piano Grades I am taking. I know this is a very risky thing to do and you should really see the Piano and hear it but I sort of got an hunch with this one (I did see the picture on ebay and found out the history of the makers of the Piano.)

John Broadwood and Sons made the Piano in 1898 (traced using the model number inside the Piano.) A piano tuner came out to the Piano expecting the worse put found it to be in great condition. It needed a good old MOT but it was in great working condition.

Personally I'm not too keen on these Digitial Piano's, I prefer the real thing. I'm sure you could pick up a decent upright Piano for half the price of a Digital one.

Good luck in your search,
Craig

Hi. I've recently bought a digital piano. It was a more suitable option for me because I live in a flat, so I can practice quietly, or using headphones. It will also be easier to shift when I move.

QUOTE (tootsie @ Jul 1 2004, 08:56 PM)

I'm thinking of buying an upright piano, but I feel like it's too expensive to get one here in the uk.  Instead, is the digital piano a good alternative ?

This is pretty old, but the information on digital piano pros & cons is saill fairly relevant.

http://rmmpiano.tripod.com/digital.FAQ.html

i bought a digital piano...

well, its good in terms of that i can practise after midnight and control the volume

but you cant really play classical pieces on digital piano....well u can but its difficult.

the keys do not respond much as the acoustic one.

but yes, u can get certain pianos for half the price of a digital one. Make sure u check its condition before buying it!

And the digitals which compare best to acoustic are not so much different in price than acoustic.
But they are unlikely to last as long and will lose their value(resale) MUCH faster.

QUOTE (sbhoa @ Jul 2 2004, 05:05 PM)

And the digitals which compare best to acoustic are not so much different in price than acoustic. But they are unlikely to last as long and will lose their value(resale) MUCH faster.

You can get a reasonably good portable digital like the Yamaha P90 for about $1000 new, not including amplification.
I don't know how to compare that to the price of an acoustic, but it's a lot easier to carry the digital round to a friend's house etc.!
The feel of a keyboard on a digital like the Yamaha with fully weighted keys is probably good enough for most amateurs. However, I find the pedaling on digital pianos to be rather limited. e.g. the sustain pedal is generally either completley on or completely off and there may be no "una corda" pedal.

If you're just going to use the piano at home and want something that looks like a piece of furniture an acoustic may be the way to go. However, if you want to play with other people (especially if you want to play in a rock or jazz group) a good digital (88 note, weighted keyboard) could be more versatile.