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Hi All,

Just looking for some help in purchasing our first d igital piano - very much on a budget. We have had a look on the web and have found the follwing pianos in our price range:


All by Gear4Music:
PDP 220
PDP 300
8800 Digital Piano

This one by Purple Turtle Trading (through ebay):
PTM100

Not sure which one to go for - does anybody know anything about these?

Thank you

I looked these up because I have never heard of them before.
Many music suppliers like Gear4Music put their name on cheap digital pianos like these - Thomann is another company that does this - but they did not develop the instrument themselves, opting to work "in partnership with other experts" or something to that effect and sadly, the keyboards do not get good reviews. I can't speak from direct experience because I avoid these for a number of reasons.

Foremostely, the official brands (Yamaha, Roland, Kawai, Casio, etc.) specialise in these instruments and have spent a lot of time perfecting realistic tone, keyboard action and durability. As I often say, you get what you pay for when it comes to digital instruments, the secondhand market being the exception. I can't remember if I read on this forum or elsewhere about someone recalling their great disappointment with their Thomann branded digital pianos. Both the companies mentioned here are reputable enough as suppliers, but suppliers really ought to stay out of the instrument manufacture business.

If money is a real issue here, a DGX620 can be gotten around £300/400 which will have more attributes that your average supplier-brand instrument but there is much better than this! If you can let me know a few more things, I may be able to steer you towards something better:

> What do you have to spend on an instrument?
> What do you need the instrument for, e.g. learning, fiddling around, etc.?
> What would you say are the two most important things you want from the instrument, e.g. realistic piano-like action, realistic piano voices, portability, cheapest going...?

Who knows?! To be fair, maybe the Gear4Music branded digital could be worth looking into but as supplier-branded instruments go, the odds are not good. If you can not try the instrument before buying it or at least talk to someone - somewhere - that can compare the keyboard with the official makes, then I would seriously recommend you go for something more established. If you want some more advice or help, give me the extra info I asked for and we'll see what you can get.

Thanks for the help - looks like it is possible to get something of much higher quality for just a little bit more than we were initially prepared to spend. The piano is for our daughter who will be starting lessons in September. The Yamaha DGX 620 appears to be unavailable and I think has been replaced by the DGX 630?

The DGX-620 was available online at a discounted price because the 630 had been released and it is possible that you may still find one in your local music supplier.

If you need something that is more piano-based for learning and keeping within a budget, look out a Yamaha YDP140 which should be around the £600. Similarly, the Casio PX-120 may be worth looking into as well. These will both have a better hammer action keyboard than the DGX which I believe has a semi-weighted action of some kind.