Here are some pianos/keyboards that have lots of good features for a reasonable price. Please read 7 Must-Have Features for Digital Pianos and Keyboards to see why I recommend these. Let me know if you have unanswered questions still, or if you’d like me to research a particular instrument you are interested in buying. You can leave a comment below, or use the contact form to message only me. (Your email is never shared, BTW.)
Williams Allegro 88-Key Digital Piano
$299.00 at Musician’s Friend – Shipping is FREE
This is a budget-friendly keyboard with all of my recommended features: 88 hammer-action/weighted/touch-sensitive keys, built-in speakers, audio out, headphone jack, sustain pedal, MIDI in/out, 64-note polyphony (not the most, but still plenty). It only has 8 different sounds, so what you’re paying for here is truly the playability and having a compact, affordable “piano” to practice on. You can always buy external sound sources later to expand the capabilities of this keyboard, although with only 64-note polyphony, thicker sounds will be limited. Still, a great start & beyond…
If you buy this keyboard, you will need a stand (unless you have a bookshelf or desk rated to hold 40lbs). It is 20.27″ deep. A bench would be great, but a chair or stool would work fine, too.
On-Stage Single-Braced Stand
$24.95 at Musician’s Friend |
Keyboard Stickers
$1.79 at Musician’s Friend |
Piano Benches
Priced from $29.99 |
Yamaha P-105 88-Key Weighted-Action Digital Piano
$599.00 (down from $999.00) at Musician’s Friend – Shipping is FREE
This may be more than you want to spend, but it would be a wise purchase considering the features it has – 88 graded-hammer-action (very nice!), 14 voices, 128-note polyphony (yay!) and very high quality sound. This is not a piano to just “get by with for now,” but rather a quality investment that the whole family should enjoy, not just the piano student in the family.
This piano only weighs 26 lbs. and is only 11-3/8″ deep! It could definitely sit on a shelf or bookshelf, though a stand like the one above would allow you to adjust the height to be just right for each player.
2 Responses to “2012 Affordable Keyboard & Piano Recommendations”
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Having a great quality family piano is key to enjoying it. A good rule of thumb is to go with the most expensive, best known piano that you can afford. This will give you an instrument that will last for generations to come and your grandchildren will even be enjoying playing your investment.
True, too! I truly wish everyone wanting the joy of music in their home could afford expensive, name-brand instruments… but these are a good place to start.
Thanks for your input.
~Cristin