Well, santa has brought me some money, and i need a decent digital piano, and having a look around these seem nice, and also are nice looking so what do any other digital piano fans/users think of their specs?

http://www.gear4music.com/Keyboards-and-Pi...music-Black/90I

http://www.gear4music.com/Keyboards-and-Pi...music-Maple/9IA

I don't know about the specs really. What really matters is what it feels like and you can't find that out from a webpage (They're all going to say they have a realistic response, but the question is just quite how good). Go to a shop to try some out.

Many folks will tell you to save for a real piano but I think that a digital is a wise choice if you have an old banger at the moment. I don't know these pianos at all and would be inclined to go for a Yamaha if I had to choose. I played a lovely little digital piano recently called a Classenti and that was very nice indeed and without built in songs etc that you don't really need. Try to get to a local shop for a try out and then look on line to see if you can find a good deal. What a lovely Christmas present! Lucky you.

Ive decided thats not really a good choice, as i dont think i can play it before i buy it...going to go to cambridge tomorrow to have a look in Millers.

Good idea. Mine came from there.

I would recommend the Roland FP-7, which is what I have. It sounds nicer than my proper piano It's only downfall is that it only has one pedal at the moment, but I think you can buy extra ones if you really want a soft pedal or a whatever-the-third-one's-called pedal.

sostenuto

I doubt mum or dad will be contributing, so im on a £650 budget

Good advice re: try before you buy. Also, your money goes a lot further buying slightly used equipment.

the only thing is, with the G4M one, it says 14 day money back, but i dont know if 'it was crappy' is an excuse for not wanting it?

EDIT:
''Once your goods are delivered, you have 14 days to decide that you definitely want to keep them. If you decide an item is not suitable you can return it back to us for a full refund, providing you have taken good care of the goods.''

Could it be worth buying it and seeing?
If i have 14 days, thats easily enough time to see what i think of it and all.

Go to Millers first, as they're likely to have something equivalent, if not the same.

I would be wary of returning it, as it doesn't say they'll pay the postage, which will be huge for a piano.

i hope they're open tomorrow
ooh and i hope the old AB syllabus goes on sale now.

Wow. Santa was generous this year, h_c! I'd echo what others have said and suggest a Roland or a Yamaha. They base their sound on beautiful Steinway grands; I thought the demo on the website you gave, whilst not bad, was a little bit on the tinny side.

Don't rush into choosing; I know it's exciting and you feel as if the holidays will soon be gone, but it's worth taking a week or two to research this properly and make sure you get the right instrument for you. Hopefully it will last you a good few years, so it's worth thinking about which features you really want on it.

Hope you enjoy the selection process and find a lovely instrument.

G4M do have a shop/showroom (in York!), and their g'tee seems to be genuine. People who have bought saxes from them seem pretty happy.

But you should check them out - and with the Yamaha you know what you're getting ... I recently saw a really nice one in Banks (York) for around £500. Great sound, nice cherry finish - don't ask me the model number, since Yammi model numbers are incomprehensible to me!

I have a Roland FP 7, and I like it too - although I don't think it sounds as good as my acoustic. What I do like about it is the feel of the keyboard - the main reason I chose it over the competition. I bought it as a second instrument and I'm not bothered about the pedal and haven't even got it connected up. I'm afraid that I don't think it will fit inside your budget though, HC - although a similar second-hand one probably would.

I agree the Yamaha YDP range would be worth looking at, and yes, they are available for around £500 or a bit less. Have fun looking!

(ed - Nick - me too! HC you can see some of the Yamaha c£500 online - do a search on Yamaha personal pianos).

I have a used Technics digital piano and the sound quality is superb especially through headphones. Mom teaches in a music shop and these are her favourite too.

I've only had it 4 months but haven't had any problems. I tried quite a few models before deciding on the one that I've got.

I think the best thing is to try before you buy as what suits one won't suit another

Lois

I have a Yamaha Clavinova (i think the model is a CVP-301 but I'm not sure) and I highly recommend it. The action is not the very best but the sound and the touch are excellent.
However I played an equivalent model Clavinova from many years ago and it was significantly more realistic, might be worth looking at second hand ones as they might be better than new ones!