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REVIEW - June 1, 2023 -
Digital Pianos for 2023 and beyond - What new digital piano models are coming from Yamaha, Casio, Kawai, Roland, Korg, and others this year in 2023? FIND OUT HERE |LOWER PRICES HERE | The past year in 2022 was a very challenging year with regard to lack of digital piano product availability from all major suppliers, new price increases, some piano stores going out of business throughout the US, increased consumer demand, and just overall uncertainty of our economy these days.
Speaking of the US economy, now we all are dealing with "inflation" for the first time in many years and it's going up much more quickly than most of us expected. Higher gas prices, high food prices, high medical prices, higher taxes, high housing prices, and overall much higher cost of living. There are many causes that can contribute to inflation, but regardless, we have it. So then we put all this together with some continued product shortages on some models, price increases, and continuing supply chain issues in some areas, unfortunately things have not returned to "normal" yet with regard to new digital pianos, although it looks like they should be be getting better as we continue through 2023, unless something unexpected happens.
One of the main culprits contributing to uncertainty for digital pianos for the past year 2022 and still somewhat into 2023 was the world-wide computer chip shortage. It had been q very serious situation affecting all of the digital piano manufacturers, some more than others. But it was a very real thing and and is getting noticeably better, I don't see it ending yet. My best educated guess is that we will continue to see digital piano product shortages in certain models for the rest of the year in 2023. Computer chips are in high demand for all kinds of consumer products and digital pianos are no exception. In fact demand for consumer chips worldwide is so strong that some of the overseas chip manufacturers are currently building multi-million dollar chip making factories right here in the US (it's about time) hoping it eases product delays here in the US one day.
TOP DIGITAL PIANO BRANDS RIGHT NOW
Kawai is a great brand and I like them very much. However, they still do not know when their digital pianos will be produced again in normal supplies because they don't really have control over computer chip production since those raw chips come from 3rd party chip companies which is true of the other digital piano companies. The Kawai digital piano lineup right now includes the ES120, KDP75, KDP120, ES520, ES920, MP7SE, MP11SE, VPC-1, CN201, CN301, CA401, CA501, CA701, CA901, NV5S, and NV10S. All of these models are very impressive and start at $900 and go up well past $10,000. The CA series including the 401, 501, CA701 and CA901 are brand new 2023 models that just came out and they replace the prior CA49, CA59, CA79, and CA99. The lowest priced ES120 at $949 is also a 2023 model that just came out.
Yamaha is another great piano company and they are having their own share of production delays with their most popular digital piano models. This includes the CLP-795GP digital grand piano which is very hard to get right now. Depending on the Yamaha piano, some models will likely be delayed for another approx 1-3 months or more for any new orders. That ETA could change but for now they are having difficulties for all the reasons that other manufactures are experiencing, including computer chip shortages, shipping delays from overseas, labor shortages, etc.
Yamaha's most popular portable & home cabinet models right now include the P-45, P125, DGX-670, YDP-105, YDP-S35, YDP-145, YDP-165, YDP-184, P-S500, CLP725, CLP-735, CLP-745, CLP-765GP, CLP-775, CLP-785, CLP-795, CSP-150, CSP-170, CVP-701, CVP-805, CVP-809, CVP-809GP, NU1X, N1X, N2X, and N3X. Yamaha actually has more models (from their pro keyboard division) than that but I have listed only their popular cabinet and home portable models. Yamaha has, by far, the largest amount of models of digital piano manufacturers out there.
Roland is a popular digital piano brand and they have had similar issues as Yamaha & Kawai with their most popular models which are also delayed for 30 to 60 days in some cases. Roland has many models of digital pianos including FP-30X ($749), FP-60X ($1249), FP-90X ($2199), F701 ($1599), RP701 ($1749), HP702 ($2800, HP704 ($3750), LX706, LX708, and the recently discontinued GP607 and GP609 digital grand pianos at approx $5000 to $9000. However, like Yamaha, Roland also produces pro stage digital pianos, electronic guitar products, electronic drum products, and many other categories of music digital products which are experiencing product delays as well.
The Casio digital piano company has also had delays. But even though their home digital pianos are very popular, the Casio company has seemingly been able to get ahead of the curve of product shortages where the wait time for their piano models is not near as long as Yamaha, Kawai, or Roland and many of their best selling models are in stock right now. This is surprising considering that Casio sells far more "units" of digital pianos and keyboards than does any other digital piano company.
The current Casio models over $500 include PX-S1100 ($699), PX-S3100 ($879), PX770 ($899), PX870 ($1199), AP-270 ($1199), PX-S5000 ($1199), AP470 ($1699), PX-S6000 ($1799), PX-S7000 $2499), AP-710 ($2799), GP-310 ($4299), and GP-510 ($6299). Casio also has some much lower priced entry level portable models and many 61 key keyboards under $500 which I have not listed here nor did I list the Yamaha or Roland portable digital pianos under $500. Of the Casio cabinet models currently on the market, the most popular models by far are the PX-S3100 ($879), PX-870 ($1199), PX-S5000 ($1199), PX470 ($1699), PX-S7000 ($2499), AP-710 ($2799), and GP-510 ($6299).
Korg is another major digital piano and keyboard company which is very popular with many of their products actually made in Japan as opposed to all made in China or other places. Korg products are well known and used by professional musicians around the world for their quality piano key actions and piano sounds in attractive contemporary cabinets with powerful internal speaker systems. Korg has also been having big product delays on their most popular models but apparently just received a shipment for their overseas factory so they have them in stock at their US warehouse right now.
The most popular Korg pianos right now are the B2SP ($749), XE20SP ($949), LP-380U ($1349), C1 Air ($1599), G1B Air ($1999), and SV2S ($2499). Korg has a few other portable digital pianos as well, but the ones I listed here are most popular. The Korg home cabinet digital pianos don't go beyond $2000 internet price whereas Yamaha, Roland, Kawai, and Casio all have models above $2000 and beyond.
TOP DIGITAL PIANO BRANDS FOR 2023
So what do things look like for new models for the remainder of 2023? Well here's the confusion lately with that question. Starting with Yamaha, almost all of the Yamaha pianos out now, especially the Clavinova CLP and CVP series, have, overall, not been out very long. However, the CSP Clavinovas have been out for a few years and it's my best (educated) guess that those 2 models called the CSP-150 & CSP-170 will be upgraded sometime late this year or in 2024. They could get the newer Yamaha key actions along with some possible "tweaks" to the speaker system, cabinet design, and maybe a few of the Smart Pianist app functions. I also anticipate that perhaps 2 more CSP models will be introduced including a top of the line wood (longer key) key action model and also a CSP model in a mini grand cabinet (that would be very cool!)
UPDATE:The Yamaha "Arius" home digital pianos between $1000 and $2000 have been manufactured for many years under different model names. The Arius models between $1000 and $2000 called YDP-103, YDP-S34, YDP144, YDP-S54, and YDP-164 have now been replaced by newer models and are available now. Those newest model numbers are YDP-105 ($1099), YDP-S35 ($1199), YDP-145 ($1299), YDP-S55 ($1599), and YDP-165 ($1799). They have improved piano sound realism but the key actions, especially in the 2 newest higher priced models, the YDP-S55 and YDP-165 are noticeable heavy and stiff and unfortunately, I cannot recommend those 2 models because of the key action in them.
Nearly all of the Yamaha models models have also gone up in price approx 9-13% over the previous models from last year. The price increases are due to new production and shipping cost increases. With regard to the Arius series, overall the new Arius models have not changed much over the previous models. Cabinets are the same, key action is the same, internal speaker system is the same, and functions are pretty much the same. It would appear that Yamaha made some tweaks in the piano sound engine and improved it a bit along with upgrading the USB connectivity in a couple of Arius models, but that's about it.
I am disappointed that Yamaha did not improve their key actions in the higher priced Arius models including the YDP-184 because those actions are noticeably heavy and stiff in my opinion, especially when pressing down the keys lightly. The higher priced Yamaha Clavinova models had the same issue and Yamaha just redesigned those key actions in a good way to improve playability so I was hoping Yamaha would do the same in these new Arius models, but they did not.
We do predict a new model coming out at some point near the end of this year 2023 to replace the current model YDP-184 which sells for $2399.The 184 has been out for a number of years and has an older and much heavier key action in it. Since Yamaha has improved the the Clavinova series above it, then it's just a matter of time until Yamaha improves the YDP-184 to give it the upgrades that it really needs.
Roland has had their lineup of home digital pianos out for about 3-4 years but that's really not a long time in the world of digital pianos. The Roland FP-X portable series recently came out as did the 701 model pianos, so those likely won't change for awhile until a couple years from now at least. The oldest models for Roland home pianos that have been out for many years would be their digital grand pianos GP607 and GP609. Those 2 models have just been replaced by the new and updated GP-3, GP-6, GP-9, and GP-9M digital grand pianos. So now there are 4 models of digital grands in the Roland lineup with a very small micro-grand cabinet model, which is the GP-3 at just over 2 feet deep and selling for $3999, going up to a large 5' deep cabinet which is the GP-9 and 9M selling for well over $10,000. These 4 models should be popular but only time will tell.
Roland, like the other guys, is still having some supply issues with their current lineup of digital pianos including the HP, LX, and GP series that are still on back-order with some models with delays along with price increases on certain models. Nevertheless, the current lineup of vertical (upright style) and portable digital pianos are still too new for any more upcoming changes for 2023 in my opinion. However, there is one new portable interactive "arranger" digital piano that just came out by Roland called the FP-E50 selling for $999. This model takes some of its features including the key action and internal speaker system from the lower priced FP-30X and then adds a bunch of new interactive features and sounds to the new FP-E50. This model could turn out to be popular so we will wait and see.
The current model Kawai digital pianos overall are still fairly new in the last year or two with a few of them having just come out within the last 1 to 10 months months or so such as the CN201 at $2299, CN301 at $2999, CA401 at $3099, CA501 at $3999, and the DG30 micro grand piano at $6099. Since Kawai already had some model upgrades late last year and this year, we probably won't see many more this year, or at least until the end of this year.
We always have up-to-the-minute info on these things, so please ask us! The oldest models in the current lineup are the MP7SE and MP11SE portable "stage piano" digital pianos. The older ES110 home portable was just replaced by the new ES120 at $949 late last year. The ES120 has significant upgrades is a variety of ways and is a much better piano than the previous ES110. There may be changes coming up to the popular MP7SE and MP11SE stage/studio models towards the end of 2023 (that's just speculation at the moment) although they continue to be very good sellers for the Kawai company right now.
The brand new more advanced models Concert Artist series CA501 at $3999, CA701 at $4899 and CA901 at $6399 are the latest Kawai higher-end entries for 2023 and they just came out.These 3 pianos are the top of the line Concert Artist Series furniture cabinet models and they are definitely impressive for their price ranges. There is also the new CA401 at $3099 that begins the Concert Series models and it is also impressive with its all-wooden key extended length key action that everyone seems to love. If you are looking for excellent piano playability at a somewhat lower price, then the CA401 would be a great choice.
Finally, Kawai has their very top of the line Novus "hybrid" series with the NV5S upright and NV10S grand key action model. These 2 piano exactly replicate the "feeling and movement" of actual acoustic piano key actions taken directly out of the acoustic Kawai pianos. One model an a full upright key action and the other Novus model their Millenium grand piano key action. So if you want the most authentic key action and piano sound experience in a Kawai digital piano, and are willing to pay for it, then the newer Novus models will give that to you. If you want more info on all of the Kawai digital pianos then read my review of these models at the following link: Kawai digital piano review
Casio has just come out with 3 new 2023 models called the PX-S5000, PX-S6000, and PX-S7000 Home/Pro portable digital pianos, and they are very impressive. I have done a detailed review on them so please read it to discover what these new PXS models are all about.
It seems as if Casio is somewhat ahead of the "inventory curve" right now and hopefully for most or all of 2023. The lower priced PX-S3100 is selling for $879 and it also has some very impressive features. The most popular current Casio PX-870 and AP-470 models do not have Bluetooth wireless connectivity yet whereas a few new Casio portable digital pianos do have that technology. But people usually purchase the popular PX-870 and AP-470 furniture cabinet models under $1700 for arguably the best piano playing experience in their respective price ranges for a furniture cabinet model, and not as much for a lot of extra "bells & whistles."
When it comes to Casio, it is possible they'll upgrade a few of their current furniture cabinet models with the Bluetooth technology along with some other new features, perhaps at some point in late 2023, that's our best guess. But by that time they could also cost more money too.
Casio currently has their higher end AP-470 at $1699, their AP-710 at $2799, the GP-310 at $4299, and the top of the line GP-510 at $6299. We think these models will continue through most or all of 2023, although their are certainly possibilities for new models between $1000 to $3000 price range.
Korg just recently updated their LP-380 piano to include a USB port with USB audio streaming technology because it did not have those features before and its very useful. They now call that new model the LP-380U and I have done a detailed review of it. The other Korg cabinet pianos are still "relatively new" and have been selling so well for them over the past couple years that I really don't see any changes in 2023 for those models, especially because they also have had extensive product delays from their factories because of computer chip shortages and shipping delays in general. The Korg G1 Air is an especially popular contemporary furniture cabinet model at $1999 for home piano playing. So you should definitely consider this one if you want a great piano playing experience for just under $2000.
ADDITIONAL PIANO INFORMATION
The bottom line is this: If many current model digital pianos by the main manufacturers are really not that old and still selling better than ever because of increased product demand coupled with product shortages, and also the fact that "Covid" has still not gone away, I really think there will be little overall product change among the major digital piano manufacturers for the remainder of 2023. I believe there will be a few new models perhaps, but not many, and probably towards the middle or end of the 2023.
The "off-brand" digital piano companies that regular piano stores typically do not carry are names that you can find at big consumer products stores like Costco, Guitar Center, and other similar businesses including Amazon. They sell brands that are usually exclusive to them and some of those brands are "house brands" or the "off brands" that they have made for them to sell from factories in China. Based on my experiences playing those models, they are not anywhere near the capabilities of the name brands in being able to produce an authentic piano playing experience, and actually a few of them are not good at all in some notable ways which generally have to do with the piano playing experience with the key action, piano sound, pedaling, or all three of those things.
Off-brands, (not the well known name brands generally seen in piano stores), include Williams, Suzuki, Artesia, Donner, Eastar, Kurzweil, the One, Alesis, and a few others that tend to show up on Amazon. Their digital pianos are not necessarily "bad," and a few of them have some pretty cool "bells & whistles" on them as well as some nice looking cabinets. But I would personally not recommend them because of my disappointment with those key actions, the piano sound realism and most of them, and pedaling issues that I have found on many of those models.
In most cases those brands just don't allow you to have a good piano playing experience...and for me that's ultimately what it is all about. Off-brands can be less money but you "usually get what you pay for" as the old saying goes.
FINAL THOUGHTS
When it comes to the purchase of a new digital piano, in my opinion it should not just be about the lowest price, a beautiful cabinet, or bells & whistles like color touch screen, or big speakers. It should be more about how good can that instrument be in trying to recreate the better piano playing experience in that price range as compared to a good acoustic upright or grand piano or a "name brand digital piano in a similar price range. In that way those off-brands, as I call them, just don't cut it and that's why they are a cheaper price.
If you want the best piano playing experience that you can get for around $500 to well over $10,000, then stay with the name brands including Kawai, Casio, Yamaha, Korg, and Roland . They offer the best and most realistic piano performance, best authenticity, best durability, best warranties, and best resale value of all the brands out there for the money.
Don't get fooled by "slick advertising" and slick promotional videos for some of those off-brands that I mentioned. I have done reviews of most of those lesser known brands and models so that you can know more about their pianos As for those off-brands possibly coming out with new models yet in 2023, it's possible, but I doubt it because they recently came out with a few updated models in 2022 which are still disappointing in most cases. But even if they did come out with newer models yet this year, I doubt they would be much better than what they already have now because of their past track record. So my recommendation is to stay away from those brands.
So again, if you want a new name brand digital piano anytime in the near future, please do not wait. Take my advice and put in your order now or as soon as possible. Most places will allow you to order with a relatively small deposit that can be refundable should the piano not be available right away or if you get to a point where you don't want to wait any longer.
I have been told by a number of people around the country waiting for their piano orders that some of them are still waiting for their piano order to come in that was placed many months ago or more. This is not counting new orders placed now. But it does seem to be finally getting a bit better with regard to inventory.
My recommendation is...get in line and know that you may have to possibly wait a little awhile for specific models and/or colors, although some popular models are in stock now. Be patient...you'll eventually get the piano you want and likely have it for years to come. So what's another couple months when you'll have it for many, many years into the future?!
Also...
please contact us before you buy any piano from anyone. We will help you get what you want and at lower prices with free shipping and no tax, brand new.
Want to know more about the latest digital pianos and how they rank for TOP 3 IN ALL PRICE RANGES? Then check out our review & report of these digital pianos at the following link: TOP 3 DIGITAL PIANOS IN ALL PRICE RANGES
If you want more info on new digital pianos and LOWER PRICES than internet discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.
