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So, you googled ‘Best digital pianos of 2023’.
There’s a lot of info online, right?
This blog will give you something different.
Yes, I will be telling you what I think the best digital pianos of 2023 are.
But, then I’m going to tell you something else: The main issues & regrets that people report to us after buying them.
I was looking into buying my first road bike recently and I really, really wished someone in the bicycle industry had written a blog like this.
When I googled ‘Best road bikes of 2023’, I found plenty of ideal-looking bikes and narrowed down my list to a handful of models.
But, I couldn’t proceed with a purchase because the fear of buying the wrong model was crippling me!
What’s more, the information online only seemed to say positive things about the models they recommended. Nobody seemed willing to explain what riders’ regrets were after buying certain models of bikes and using them for extended periods of time.
That was the type of information I wanted to read about road bikes, so that’s the information I’m going to provide for you about digital pianos.
Here we go…
With this budget, you can expect to get two very important features of a digital piano:
Here is the model that I’d recommend:
The Yamaha P-125A Portable Piano
This has been our biggest-selling portable piano ever – and we’ve been in business for over 25 years!
The Yamaha P-125A gives you everything that an aspiring pianist needs to get started.
Watch my demonstration video below.
7m
Watch Chris review the Yamaha P-125A portable piano
Once they’ve become familiar with the Yamaha P-125A’s comparatively basic operating system which consists of a small array of buttons on the front panel, some customers have expressed regret that there’s very little else they can do with it.
Although its simplicity is part of its appeal, the P-125A doesn’t really entice you to come and play it by engaging your intrinsic musicality.
For example, there are no options to introduce a full backing band or orchestra, to record on multiple layers (more than x2 anyway), or to teach you how to play a piece of music.
If these sound like features that you might regret missing out on, then watch my video comparing the Yamaha P-125A to the much more capable Yamaha DGX-670 below.
Or even my ‘Reasons NOT to buy a Yamaha P-125’ video here.
25mWatch Chris comparing the Yamaha P-125A & Yamaha DGX-670 digital pianos
With this budget you begin to see some premium features like a much more traditional-style piano cabinet, and more importantly, some very advanced voice software (meaning that the piano will sound and feel more authentic to play).
Here is the model that I’d recommend:
The CLP-735 has been our best seller in this price category.
At comfortably under the £2000 mark (at the time of writing!), this model has been very popular with beginners and people with some playing experience who are buying their first digital piano.
The CLP-735 specification is adequate to satisfy both of those groups having; a) An highly-realistic piano-style key action (called GrandTouch-S), and some of the digital piano industry’s most advanced software called Virtual Resonance Modelling & Grand Expression Modelling.
In short, these features offer you a much wider palette of sounds with which to express yourself when playing the piano.
With this, experienced piano players have room to play with sensitivity and beginners have the scope to grow.
I made a video called “Everything you wanted to know about the Yamaha CLP-735 but were afraid to ask”. Hopefully, it’ll answer some of your questions about it.
14mWatch Chris answer frequently asked questions about the Yamaha CLP-735 digital pianp
It’s usually the CLP-735’s all-plastic keys and the condensed amplifier/speaker combination.
Why?
Well, it’s usually because their playing standard has improved faster than they anticipated (often within 6 months) and they’re hitting the CLP-735’s limitations in terms of being able to play with fuller expression.
Why do the CLP-735’s all-plastic keys and condensed amplifier/speaker combination cause this to happen?
I’ll explain. Starting with the plastic keys.
Traditionally, the keys on an acoustic piano are made of wood due to its natural feel and tactile response.
As the deftness of CLP-735 owners’ playing improves, they begin to find the plastic keys a little slow in response to their keystrokes.
As for the CLP-735’s condensed amplifier/speaker combination causing regrets, this is also to do with restrictions on players’ ability to play with expression.
The Yamaha CLP-735 has x2 30W amplifiers and x2 16cm speakers.
These technical specifications don’t mean much on paper so I’ll explain what it means in my best human.
Players of the CLP-735 can hear the range of sound produced from their playing being a little muffled and throttled, particularly when playing the higher and lower range of the scales (that’s the tinkly sounds at the top and the growly sounds at the bottom).
When trying to make an evaluation of the Yamaha CLP-735 in a showroom setting, it’s not uncommon for a beginner, or even some experienced players, to not properly explore its full sonic capabilities.
Consequently, they don’t realise that, over time, the CLP-735 might cause an artificial (and rather unfortunate) limitation in their ability to grow into a fully expressive pianist.
They often wish that they’d spent a little more (around £400) and purchased the Yamaha CLP-745 which has both wooden white keys & a significantly better speaker/amplifier combination.
These differences between the Yamaha CLP-735 & CLP-745 are something I speak about in the video below. (Note: In this video, I’m showing the older CLP-635 & CLP-645 but the key specs remain the same on CLP-735 & CLP-745).
With this budget, which is admittedly quite open-ended, you’re able to purchase a digital piano that has real longevity.
In purely piano-playing terms, it’s likely that you’ll get something that will be sufficient for your playing needs as long as they last, and for as refined as they become.
The best digital piano of 2023 in this budget is:
This model is the pinnacle of Yamaha’s Clavinova range. It has the best key mechanism, sound software, speaker & amplifier combos, and, with a cabinet design unique in the CLP range, looks absolutely beautiful.
Here’s my playing review of the Yamaha CLP-785. (Sometimes, I love my job).
Ok, ok. I haven’t forgotten the theme of this blog.
Here we go.
Well, it’s not a lot, to be frank.
However, it’s worth keeping in mind that the Yamaha CLP range is by design a relatively simplistic concept of digital piano.
The Yamaha CLP range’s design objective is to give you the truest replication of playing a concert grand piano possible in a digital instrument.
The Yamaha CLP-785 is not designed to accompany you as you play to make you feel like you’re part of a living, breathing band or orchestra.
The Yamaha CLP-785 is not designed to offer you easy-to-follow lessons on how to play the piano.
The Yamaha CLP-785 is not designed to offer you hundreds of different high-quality instrument sounds and a full digital recording studio capability.
The Yamaha CLP-785 is not designed to be a karaoke machine that shows you lyrics on a screen and allows you to plug in a microphone for singing with professional vocal effects.
All of these things that the CLP-785 can’t do have something in common: They go far beyond what a traditional piano offers and engage your musicality in a more holistic way.
Consequently, some CLP-785 owners do report feeling a lull in their desire to return to their piano for practice day after day, week after week. Which, of course, has ramifications for their learning journey.
This is very common among aspiring pianists and is essentially a story of human fallibility. We can easily be bored by routine and crave stimulation to help motivate us.
In these situations, Yamaha CLP-785 owners may have been better served by purchasing a Yamaha CVP model instead.
The Yamaha CVP series offers everything the CLP series does plus all of the highly engaging functions and features that I’ve described above.
And, you shouldn’t make the mistake of dismissing the extra features on Yamaha CVPs as mere gimmicks.
A lot of research, and feedback-led development has gone into making them much more than simply a piano. They’re far more like all-encompassing musical centers for your home.
I highly recommend that you explore them
Here’s a video I made featuring the Yamaha CVP-809 (now superseded by the CVP-909).
It’s so difficult to make the right choice when buying a digital piano, isn’t it?
You might well have already purchased exactly the right one to suit your needs and be perfectly happy with it (Why are you reading this blog?) and I’m very pleased for you.
However, this blog is to help the undecided people, and, as I mentioned above, I wished this type of information had been offered up by an experienced industry pro when I was spending hours browsing road bikes.
I really hope that my explanation and the angle I’ve taken in this blog have been helpful to you in making your decision on what digital piano to buy.
I’d love to hear your feedback, so please leave a comment below or pop me an email at sales@epianos.co.uk
And, naturally, our sales team is ready and waiting to answer your questions on anything to do with digital pianos & keyboards on 01295 266788 or via our website Livechat.
Good luck!
*Disclaimer: No, the Yamaha CLP-785 doesn’t come with a brown Labrador.
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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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