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Pianos are wonderful and versatile instruments & it’s no surprise they’re so popular.
Over the years, as technology has developed, and the different types of piano have grown and grown, one of the most common questions we get here at ePianos is “What is the difference between a real piano and a digital one?”
Also known as ‘acoustic pianos’, real pianos, as the name suggests, are physical instruments that produce sound through real, mechanical parts.
When you press a key, a hammer strikes the corresponding string which produces the sound. The sound then resonates around the cabinet naturally.
This type of traditional piano has been around since the 18th Century and continues to be one of the most popular instruments in western music.
Digital pianos, on the other hand, are electronic and use digital technology to produce sound. Digital pianos do not have strings, and instead, use sensors and digital signal processing (DSP) to generate sound.
Digital pianos come in a variety of designs, from full-size, weighted-key models that mimic the feel of a real piano, to compact, portable models with unweighted keys.
There are many differences between real and digital pianos, and which type is better depends on the individual’s needs and preferences.
Here are some of the key differences between the two types of pianos:
Real pianos have a rich, complex, and dynamic sound that until very recently in modern times, has been very hard to reproduce digitally.
Real pianos differ greatly in both design and construction, and so the sound you get from an acoustic is an ever-changing variable depending on the room you’re in & temperature, etc.
Digital pianos, on the other hand, offer a wide range of sounds that can be selected and manipulated using onboard controls or software. They can reproduce the sound of the best-sounding pianos in the world, without the need to tune them.
Digital pianos will give you consistent & reliable sound.
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Watch Chris showcase the Yamaha CLP-785's incredible digitally produced grand piano sounds.
It has to be said that playing a real, acoustic piano feels great.
They all have weighted keys, and of course, the older you go you even get real ivory & ebony which we rightly steer clear of now!
The touch of an acoustic piano is half the battle when being a piano player — It’s also as much about the ‘feel’ of the music too.
The touch of digital pianos can vary depending on how much you spend, but at the top end of models, if you closed your eyes and played them, you would never know they weren’t the real deal.
The sound digital pianos produce now is of such a mind-blowing quality that you have to hear it to believe it.
Well, look, if you’ve got over £100,000 to spend on a Steinway Grand piano (and the space in the living room) then definitely buy that.
Digital pianos are reliable investments and usually much more affordable options than buying a real, acoustic piano.
Sure, you’ll find someone’s grannies upright on eBay for £50 but beware it will also sound like £50’s worth of piano too.
Yamaha’s Clavinova range for example uses Yamaha’s own CFX grand Piano as the main voice on their digital piano range.
That means for a fraction of the cost of the real thing, you’re still getting the real thing.
All while saving on tuning costs, not having to worry about where it goes (and moving it!), and saving the pennies too.
So unless you have tens of thousands to spend, for me it’s digital all the way!
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These items are sold on behalf of Yamaha, and are sent to us on a per-order basis, typically within 5-7 working days, unless an ETA is otherwise stated.
We'll contact you the moment your purchase arrives with us to organise delivery, based on your selected option.
Example products: Yamaha DGX670, Yamaha P-525, Yamaha YDP-S55, Yamaha Clavinova.
These items must be sent with a heavy-goods courier (typically APC or FedEx). On occasion, depending on which is fastest, we will drop-ship directly from Yamaha to your address via Dachser.
Tracking will be provided by the haulier, with a typical arrival time of 1-2 working days.
*If you have included the optional £180 "Yamaha Premium Service" home delivery & setup option offered on selected products, we will contact you regarding arrangements after purchase.
**The Yamaha CSP Series, Yamaha CVP905 & CVP909, Yamaha CLP875, 885 & 895GP, and Yamaha NU1Xa are all sold on behalf of Yamaha and arrive with us on a per-order basis. As soon as your piano has arrived, we will contact you to organise the appropriate dispatch method. ETA for stock is shown on the product page for those items.
***If you have included the optional £99 home delivery & setup option offered on selected products, we will send your details direct to the installation team, who will contact you within 48 hours to make arrangements.
Depending on which option is most appropriate, we will either contact you to discuss a bespoke ePianos delivery surcharge for goods we can’t package for a 3rd party courier, or otherwise dispatch goods via FedEx or APC.
If a courier is used, tracking will be provided by them directly, with a typical arrival time of 1-2 working days.
Example products: Yamaha PSR-SX920, Yamaha P-225, Yamaha NP-15.
These items will be sent via courier (typically APC or FedEx). On occasion, depending on which is fastest, we will drop-ship directly from Yamaha to your address via UPS or Parcelforce.
Tracking will be provided by the courier, with a typical arrival time of 1-2 working days.
Smaller items, such as books, discs, etc, will be dispatched via Royal Mail second class.
After purchase, you can download the file either from the order confirmation page or the "Downloads" tab in "My Account".
If you have selected the option to receive a pre-loaded USB stick, then this will be dispatched via Royal Mail.
We will contact you regarding any pre-ordered items, and let you know when they arrive so as to arrange delivery with you at a convenient time.
Used items can also be purchased using either of the following options (minimum loan amount of £250 after deposit):
Total amount payable: £893.32
Available finance options are displayed at checkout. Alternatively, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to discuss the options, or email a finance application to you. Find out more by clicking here
Our seasonal opening hours are as follows:
We are closed on all bank holidays, therefore the processing of sales and deliveries will be delayed.
For orders of any stock displaying a 7-10 day lead time, we will contact you as soon as the item arrives with us to schedule a delivery with you.
Occasionally, there may be availability issues with our suppliers, in which case we'll get in touch with you to see if you're happy to wait, or if you'd like to cancel the order and receive a full refund.
This is a special order "agency" item, and comes to us directly from Yamaha on a per-order basis.
It typically takes 7-10 days for this item to arrive with us, whereupon we'll contact you to discuss the arrangement of delivery.
For any pre-orders, we will contact you as soon as the item arrives with us to schedule a delivery with you, and update you with an ETA.
Occasionally, there may be availability issues with our suppliers, in which case we'll get in touch with you to see if you're happy to wait, or if you'd like to cancel the order and receive a full refund.
*Cashback amount varies product to product, as indicated.
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