Best Digital Pianos UNDER $1000 to $500 - REVIEW | GO HERE!

🎹 UPDATED REVIEW | Dec 2, 2022 | Best Digital Pianos Under $1000 to $500 - Yamaha, Roland, Kawai, Casio, Suzuki, Korg, etc...which one is best and which one should you buy?! My name is Tim Praskins and I am a digital piano expert and have been teaching & playing on them for over 40 years (started teaching as a young teen:) and have taught 1000's of students during my extensive music career. I play acoustic concert grand pianos, digital pianos, and pro keyboards professionally (as well as play and teach guitar & organ) and do digital piano consultations for schools, churches, piano teachers, studios, and families all over the world to help you decide what piano might be best for you in your price range. 

There are some people out there who say they specialize in digital pianos orhave had some experience on them, but that does not necessarily mean they know what they are talking about because most of them don't. Although there certainly are a few changes and/or additions in digital piano models for 2022, a few of them are still the same as they were in 2021. When any new models or changes come up I play and examine them and then review and post them on this blog so you can know more about what's going on out there.

I definitely know what I am talking about when it comes to hundreds of different models of digital pianos now and in the past because I have been doing this for just over 40 years. My older son Erik and I (Erik is also a very talented guy and knows his digital piano stuff) are willing to share that info with you at no charge and explain it on your level and give you free personal advice.

I am an experienced teacher & pro musician and offer digital piano advice without needing to "sell" pianos like other so-called reviewers try to do with Amazon links to digital pianos so they can make money regardless of how poor that digital piano may really be.  All my reviews are my opinions and done by myself  for the public at large.  If you want to know more about me and my work, please go to the following link: More about Tim Praskins and AZ Piano Reviews

Picking out a new digital piano can be a daunting task because there are so many brand, models, price ranges, and features. Rather than take your "best guess" and leave it to chance, do yourself a favor and contact me and I help you get through the maze of confusion so that you can make an informed decision on the new digital piano that would be the right one for your specific musical needs and budget. 

There are 5 brands of 88-key digital pianos that I recommend right now which, in my opinion, are quite good in the lower price range under $1000. Those brands are Yamaha, Casio, Korg, Roland, and Kawai. There are other name brands offered under or near $1000 including Kurzweil that you may see advertised out there, but at this point I really do not recommend them near as much as I do Casio, Yamaha, Kawai, Korg, and Roland for a number of reasons. Typically I don't recommend a brand or model if there are noticeable deficiencies in key action, piano sound realism, or pedaling as compared to a real acoustic piano and that is why some brands or models that you may see advertised on the internet are not recommended by me. 

It may not be necessary for you to spend more money (over $1000) on a digital piano, even if someone else (like a store salesperson or someone on the internet) says that you need to spend more money to get a proper piano. However, if you do have the budget to spend more than $1000 (up to $2000 or more), the quality of piano sound & key action reproduction in many of those models are very good and can be even more enjoyable to play, especially if you have a higher playing skill level or just want a piano that sounds and plays more like a real acoustic piano. *If you would like to learn about my recommendations for best digital pianos between $1000-$2000, go to my review of those pianos at the following link:New Digital Pianos between $1000-$2000

Casio now offers 9 models of piano type weighted key digital pianos to the general public under or near $1000 internet discount price including the basic but newer CDP-S360 ($579), PX-S1100, ($699), PX-S3100 ($879), the PX-360 ($999), PX-770 ($899) compact cabinet model and the top of the line 2021 cabinet model PX-870 ($1199 internet price...yes it's more than $1000, but worth it). Casio also offers a Pro Digital Stage Piano called the PX-5S at $1099 internet price which has no built-in speakers and is for people who want to perform on stage or create special music in a studio, etc, and will be using their own powered monitors or speakers, but want something a bit more flexible in terms of live instrument sound and effects along with controlling capabilities.  

Finally, Casio has a top of the line model portable digital piano called the PX-5000 ($1199 internet discount price) which is the first lightweight self-contained (with internal speakers and music rack) portable keyboard instrument to straddle the worlds of pro digital pianos and home digital pianos all in one instrument. I have played this  model many times already and recently published a review of this very impressive instrument. Although it is sold on the internet for more than $1000, it is worth consideration if it is within your budget and you're looking for a feature packed portable digital piano that "plays like a dream."

Yamaha currently offers 5 models of 88-key digital pianos models under $1000 including the P-45 ($549 internet price), P-125 ($699 - left pic), DGX-670 at $849, YDP-105 at $1099 internet discount price, and the YDP-S35 at $1199 internet discount price. I have reviewed all of the Yamaha models under $1000 with the exception of the P-125 and the DGX-670, so stay tuned for my reviews on them coming soon. Also, I have played those pianos many times and you can always ask me about them. 

I do recommend all of the Yamaha's mentioned here, and although the least expensive Yamaha P-45 portable model is somewhat basic in what it can actually do, it's still a good beginner piano for those people who need to stay under $500 cost.  Many of the digital pianos that Yamaha produces sell for over $2000 whereas most of the digital pianos produced by Casio and Korg sell for under $2000. So when it comes to Yamaha, especially in a furniture cabinet style, you'll need to spend a bit more money in some cases if you want better quality key action and sound, but it can be worth it. It just depends on the piano itself and what you actually get for the money. 

Korg B2

Korg offers 5 models under $1000US including the newer B2 ($599 - with stand & pedals $150 more), The next model is the SP-280 ($899), the LP-180 ($729 internet price), XE20 ($899 price) and theLP-380U ($1349 internet price), just slightly above the $1000 price range which is definitely worth considering. Of the Korg models under $1000 my favorite is the newer XE20 which has their upgraded key action, dynamic tonal range, and velocity sound response as compared to other brands in this price range. 

These are the most important aspects in picking out digital pianos. So the overall best piano options in the lower price range under $1000 are either the newer Yamaha, Casio, and Kawai pianos or the Korg XE20 (SP - with stand & triple pedal unit) in my opinion. Some of the Yamaha & Casio pianos I recommend are portable so you would need to purchase an optional furniture style stand (or cheaper metal stand), pedals, and bench to make it more complete. But even that expense should not put you over (or much over) $1000 if that's where you need to be.

Kawai ES110 and cabinet

Kawai offers 2 model under $1000 which is called the ES120 portable digital piano at $899 internet discount price (not including optional 3-pedal crossbar unit and furniture stand) and the new KDP75 furniture cabinet digital pianos $999 internet price. This is the only 2 models that the Kawai piano company has for under $1000 and I must say they are impressive. The ES120 hammer style weighted action and acoustic piano sound is excellent in its price range as is the new KDP75 which is somewhat of a cabinet version of the ES120 but with fewer features. The ES120 is designed to be a lightweight portable piano replacement because of its minimalistic design and lack of some of the "bells & whistles" of other pianos have. But if you don't need or want much in the way of extra features and just want a satisfying piano playing experience in a low price range, the Kawai would be the one to pick. 

It is better overall in my opinion than the Yamaha P-125 and Roland FP30X as far as key action goes for a low priced portable digital piano. But the ES120 is also slightly more money than the Yamaha P-125. But as they say, you don't get something for nothing in this world (unless you're the U.S. government:)

Roland has 3 digital pianos with weighted key action for 2022 under $1000 and one of them is called the FP-10, which is Roland's lowest priced portable self-contained digital piano with piano weighted key action under $1000 ($599 internet selling price) and is offered in either satin black or satin white. Roland has the next model up from that one called the FP-30X which is $749 internet discount price. I have played both the FP-10 and the FP-30X and was impressed with some of their abilities although the key action was somewhat heavy and sluggish in my opinion. 

There is a newer Roland furniture style digital piano called the RP-102 and this piano is based on the portable FP-30X model but it is in a more traditional furniture cabinet and is $1099 internet selling price. The RP-102 has some but not all of the features in the FP-30X, so in reality the FP-30X is actually a more advanced digital piano than the newer RP-102. The RP-102 is Roland's 1st furniture cabinet digital piano selling for under $1000 at $899 so they finally have something they can compete with against the "other guys" who already have models under or around $1000. Check out my RP102 review here: Roland RP102 Review

Adagio digital piano

All of these brands & models I mentioned here are the piano style weighted 88-key digital pianos, although the key action movement will be slightly different from one brand & model to another. They all have built-in speakers although the power & quality of the speaker system vary, and generally all of my recommended pianos are acceptable depending on your musical goals and experience. However, there are other brands and models out there in the lower price ranges that IDO NOT RECOMMENDbecause they are of much lower piano playing realism (in my opinion) with regard to key action, piano sound, and pedaling based on all my experience with them. These pianos are lessor known brands and they include (but are not limited to) Artesia, Adagio, Donner, Suzuki, Williams, Adams, Robson, GEWA, as well as any spring action (non-weighted/semi-weighted) digital pianos.  

It's interesting to note that I have seen some positive piano owner recommendations and reviews on popular music store and Amazon web sites for some of these "off-brand" pianos. In my opinion, some of these pianos do not resemble what an acoustic piano should play and sound like. If you have little experience playing real acoustic or digital pianos in general and you purchase one of these off-brands, you may not discover or realize what you actually bought until it's too late. 

Also, some of the off-brand digital pianos can create and foster bad playing habits in piano students because of the deficiencies in these pianos concerning their key actions, piano sound response, pedaling, and/or other aspects of piano playing. Nice attractive exterior cabinets in digital pianos do not always mean those digital pianos are good for playing music correctly...even at minimum standards. Just because a digital piano is attractive on the outside does not it good on the inside with regard to key action, sound, realism, electronics, reliability, etc. In fact, some of the more basic looking pianos for less money in the good recommended brands do a much better job than some of the more attractive deluxe furniture style cabinet brands in the off-brands. So you should never judge a piano by its appearance or even the hyped up sales & marketing info you get from a manufacturer. You just should not believe everything you read from a manufacturer because their goal is to sell you their piano so they often times exaggerate their claims of how good their pianos are...and I have seen this many times. So be careful.

Of the five brands mentioned in the lower price range here, I believe Casio overall offers a noticeably better piano playing key action experience than Yamaha or Roland, although Yamaha has some very nice models at $1500 and above. The lower priced Yamaha P-125 & DGX-670 are fun to play and certainly worth looking at and I do like them, but the Kawai ES120 and Korg XE20 piano key action and piano sound is definitely superior to Roland or Yamaha under $900 in my opinion. But ultimately, all of these models I mentioned here would be fine, although everyone I talk to pretty much wants the closest reproduction a regular piano as they can get for the least amount of money. 

For many beginner or recreational piano players and students, it can be difficult for them to determine which piano actually does do the better job in terms of the piano touch, tone, and pedaling realism because sound and touch are normally a subjective thing. Also, to make matters more difficult, it's not likely you'll find all of these pianos in one place at one time to physically try them out these days, or even find some of them locally at all. One of the best things to do in my opinion is to your research and then listen to an experienced expert like myself and even watch some demo videos on-line and then you'll get a better idea of what might work best for you and your family.

With regard to beginner piano students and their music education, as a long time private & group piano & keyboard teacher, this is something I know a lot about. It is never too early or too late to start piano lessons and enter into the exciting & rewarding world of playing music. I teach and have taught thousands of students from 4 years old to 94 years old. Whether you play piano as a recreational hobby, or go on to do it professionally as many of my friends and some students have done, it's always a tremendous blessing for me to see people at any age enjoy the piano playing experience and bring music into their lives in a very personal way. 

The little girl in the left picture is involved in piano lessons and she loves it whether she's playing on a big concert grand piano such as the Steinway 9' grand she is sitting at (above left pic), or whether it's at a digital piano utilizing iPad apps to further enhance the learning and playing experience. If you want important info on the best way to proceed as far as lessons and learning go as well wanting to be sure you're getting the right instrument for your needs and budget, please contact me and I'll be happy to answer your questions. Also, click on the links below to read my reviews on these pianos under 
$1000. 

Korg B2 Review 
Casio PX770 Review
Casio PX870 Review
Korg LP380U Review
Yamaha P45 Review 

Out of all the digital pianos under $1000, I would say overall my favorite cabinet piano near or at $1000 right now is the Casio Privia PX-870 at $1199 internet discount price (left pic).This piano really surprised me for its low price after I played it because it has a nicely designed compact cabinet with the 3 built-in full function pedals and slide out key cover, and it had a pretty big sounding acoustic piano tone with a wide dynamic range. The key action has a 3-sensor key technology not normally found in less expensive cabinet digital pianos until you get around or above $1500 or more in other brands. The Casio PX-870 also has the synthetic ivory & ebony keys (normally found on pianos in higher price ranges), 256-note polyphony piano memory (which is a lot), half-damper recognition (a good feature for piano students and players), fairly realistic acoustic piano hammer (graded piano weighted) key action, direct USB output for instant connectivity with laptop and iPad (go to the following link to learn more about iPad apps: iPad Apps and learning piano), and some useful built-in educational features.

iPad app

There are some people who equate the name Casio and its lower prices with lower quality, and it is true that sometimes lower price can mean lower quality (especially in key action & piano sound) such as what I have experienced with the Williams, Artesia, and Suzuki digital pianos. When it comes to recognizable & respected brand names in the acoustic piano world, Yamaha & Kawai pianos have always been known to be in that recognized group and many pianists, piano teachers, churches, schools, and families do own Yamaha & Kawai acoustic pianos. But some competitive Yamaha & Kawai digital pianos right now cost more money than the new Casio pianos depending on the model. 

Casio actually is a respected Japanese technology company which has been in business approx 60 years (that's a very long time) having produced millions of electronic products including keyboards & digital pianos for about 35 years. Casio is not necessarily my favorite digital piano company because I don't actually have a favorite. Kawai, Roland, Yamaha, & Casio are all my favorites but each one does better in different price ranges and it also depends on your musical goals and budget as to which brand and model will be best for you.

In my opinion any of these name brand recommended pianos would be fun to own and play, but the Casio company has really outdone themselves with their PX-870 furniture cabinet model at $1199 internet price and the extra cost over $1000 is definitely worth it. This model is a "home run" for cabinet digital pianos under $1000 and also under $1200, but even with all that being said, the Casio PX-870 still may not be the right instrument for you. There may be a better option depending on your particular needs & musical goals. Please contact me before you make a piano purchase anywhere and I will give you free expert advice. You may even want to spend more than $1000, as I have already suggested, and there are some good options in that range as well. Go to the following link to read my review on the Casio PX-870: Casio PX-870 Review

IMPORTANT PUBLIC NOTICE ABOUT MY REVIEWS - Just so you know, there is no precise or impartial digital piano rating system (like stars, check marks, numbers, etc) as some people on the internet would have you believe...and that's why I don't do it. There are just too many variables. In fact there are some so-called "reviewers" out there who have no idea of what they are talking about, they say things that are just not true at all, they rate cheap keyboards along side of digital pianos which is ridiculous (keyboards are not digital pianos), and what they report is only so they can link you to an Amazon site to make THEM money if you buy something. 

These "reviewers" are as impartial as bees are to honey...in other words they will say things that gets you to buy a "recommended" piano off their Amazon web site links. If you see something like that then run away from those people as they are not there to help you, regardless of what they say. In fact, I have noticed that many of these "fake review sites"steal my content and then post a version of it on their web sites. I know this because they copy some of my blog review sentences would they would otherwise NEVER say and they could not have been able to test out many of the unique pianos that I have and then come up with the conclusions they state in their so-called reviews. It is true that imitation or downright coping is the sincerest form of flattery but unfortunately on those sites it is done solely to make money off of you without regard to what is actually true, and that does bother me!

I always recommend that you do your homework before you buy because as I said, ultimately any of these pianos may be a good choice for you. However there are definitely some models that offer more for the money depending on the price range you can be in, and if you would like my help in making your decision, please contact me as I do not charge for my advice and I do this as a labor of love:) 

***Check out my "TOP 10 "Biggest Bang For the Buck" Digital Pianos at the following link: TOP 10 "Biggest Bang For The Buck" Digital Pianos

***Click on the following link for my newer, even more up-to-date review of 2022 Digital Pianos Under $1000: 2022 Digital Piano Report

If you want more info on these and other digital pianos and lower prices than internet, Amazon, Bundles, or store discounts in the USA, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call me direct at 602-571-1864