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Which digital piano is closest to an acoustic? Over the past 30 years, the evolution of digital pianos has continued to amaze & surprise the music world, with the likes of Yamaha, Roland, Korg & Kawai leading the way in the seemingly endless potential in what these instruments can do.
The real question is, can a digital piano really replace your standard acoustic piano? And if it can, amongst the plethora of choices out there now, which one is best. Well… read on to find out more!
I may be biased, but for me, if you want something that plays/feels/sounds like a real Piano, then Yamaha is the place to start.
If you want something somewhat close to a real piano and don’t want to break the bank account, Yamaha’s flagship Clavinova range is a great place to be.
Within the range, you have 7 different pianos which all vary in terms of how close they are to the ye’ old traditional acoustic.
I always say you want to bridge the gap between if you were playing on a real piano as much as possible within your budget.
As you probably know, a real acoustic piano has ‘wooden keys’ (and on the older models of pianos, you’ll find they have real ivory key tops… which of course are now no longer produced since the ban of ivory in 1989!).
So, if a real acoustic piano has ‘wooden keys’ in an ideal world, you’ll get yourself something with ‘wooden keys’ too.
The Yamaha CLP-745 is the first in the CLP range to have wooden keys, and it really is worth the extra spend when it comes to comparing it to the other models in the range.
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David compares the entire (upright) range of Yamaha CLP700 series Clavinovas
The great thing about the Clavinova’s are their expansive capabilities, all while maintaining the utmost quality (there are lots of models out there that can do lots of fancy bells and whistles, but lack in the quality department!).
All the digital pianos in the Clavinova range have over 30+ voices built-in, giving you endless fun with experimenting and composing; As well as a 16-track recorder right at your fingertips. It’s like having a £100,000 CFX grand piano AND a mini recording studio too!
If you’re wanting something of a higher quality & have more cash to splash, then the Yamaha Avant Grand range is definitely for you. There are only 4 models in this range, and these do differ quite a lot in terms of size/style, and features.
The main aspect of the Avant Grand range that makes each model so unbelievably brilliant is its use of the real mechanisms you find in traditional grand and upright pianos.
Which digital piano is closest to an acoustic? I think we’re getting closer now, aren’t we?
While the CLP range emulates the mechanics, using clever techniques like weights, the Avant Grand pianos have the real parts inside.
So when you press a key, there is a real hammer inside the body of the instrument, that triggers the sound.
This allows the player total control over the dynamic range and offers a sensation so close to a real piano that if you closed your eyes you wouldn’t know the difference.
There aren’t many digital instruments that can do that!
I hope this has helped answer your question of ‘which digital piano is closest to an acoustic?’. Byebye for now!
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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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