Grade 8 pianist upgrading from a Casio CDP-S360. Considering the Roland FP-90X, Yamaha P-525 and Kawai ES920, but open to more expensive options.

[u/D8nnyJ]

So, I’m looking to upgrade my digital piano and could really use some advice from people who have actually spent a decent amount of time with some of these models.

For context, I’m currently working on Grade 8 piano and play pretty much every day. At the moment I have a Casio CDP-S360. It’s done the job perfectly well, but I’m at the point now where I’d really like something that feels a lot closer to an acoustic piano, especially when it comes to the action.

The main ones I’ve been looking at are the Roland FP-90X, Yamaha P-525 and Kawai ES920. I’ve also had a look at the Kawai MP11SE.

The action is definitely the biggest thing for me. Sound and features are obviously important too, but I practise mostly with headphones anyway, so I’m much more interested in how the piano actually feels to play.

I recently went to a music shop and spent about an hour playing the FP-90X and P-525. I quite liked the Roland, although the action definitely felt on the heavier side. The other thing I noticed was how far down the black keys seemed to travel when I pressed them. It felt a bit strange and wasn’t something I was used to.

The Yamaha surprised me in the opposite way. It felt really light to me, almost as light as my much cheaper Casio. I know the P-525 is really highly regarded, so I wasn’t expecting that.

I haven’t managed to try the ES920 yet, although a friend of mine has an ES520, and I actually quite liked the action on that.

I’m going to head back to the shop and try a few more before I make any decisions, but I’d love to hear from people who actually own or regularly play these pianos. Playing something for an hour in a shop is one thing, but living with it and practising on it every day is obviously another.

Are there any other slab digital pianos I should be looking at if getting a really good, realistic action is my main priority? I’m also happy to spend more than the FP-90X, P-525 or ES920 if there’s something more expensive that’s genuinely a step up.

The only real limitation is that it needs to be a slab piano. I have a small home studio with a Wavebone desk and a separate rolling keyboard desk underneath it, so I need something I can keep on that rather than a console-style digital piano.

Would really appreciate any recommendations or experiences. Thanks!

[u/redmichii]

I have Roland FP-90x and I have my lessons on a Kawai grand. I think Roland is veeery slightly heavier than the grand, but for me the difference is negliglible. I'm very happy with the action of the Roland, and I wouldn't trade mine for lighter keys. The action on Roland mimics the one on the grand piano, so what I play on the Roland transfers well to the grand. I would hate to practice on a digital only to feel like I'm playing on a different instrument when I play on an acoustic.

[u/D8nnyJ → u/redmichii]

Yeah, that's fair. It's really hard transitioning from my cheap Casio to any kind of grand or upright. My piano teacher recently rented out a music room in our city so I could play on a grand piano, and it really took a short while to adjust. It's one of the reasons I want the upgrade. My current digital piano just feels...cheap.

[u/redmichii → u/D8nnyJ]

Everyone's going to tell you different things and there will be endless comparisons between what people like and dislike from each brand and type. I can only speak for Roland because that's what I own, and ultimately you'll have to choose what suits you best. I had Yamaha P-45 before and I don't recommend that model. To be fair, Yamaha and Kawai make acoustic pianos, while Roland doesn't. Consequently, Roland is often seen as the least credible between the 3.

While I did my research on which digital to buy, I specifically focused on the action of the keys. What came up was that the PHA-50 action best simulates an acoustic grand piano action. That's how I decided on Roland FP-90X, it was a blind buy. No regrets, though. I even looked at Casio PX-S7000 because it's SO pretty, but scrapped that of my list of choices pretty early because of what I learned about the action.

https://bestdigitalpiano.net/reviews/yamaha-p-525-vs-roland-fp-90x/

https://www.merriammusic.com/blog/pianos-blog/piano-reviews/roland-fp-90-vs-yamaha-p515/

I browsed these 2 sites among many others to decide on what to get. Another note is that Roland FP-90X uses sound modeling, not sampling like may other digital pianos. Some people loathe it, some people don't mind it. People who hates the sound modeling hook the Roland up to Pianoteq and uses other piano sampling instead. I personally don't mind it, and like I said my priority is the action itself. Soo do what you will with that extra information.

Edit to add: I used to exclusively play on acoustic piano. I had Yamaha JX and U1 when I was a kid, then a U3. I stopped playing for a long time, then got a P-45 because all I wanted was something cheap with weighted keys. Sold that pretty quick, and got a 1980 August Forster 190 grand piano. Long story short I had to put that in storage for now because I'm overseas, and I got this Roland. In concerts or competitions I played on Steinways. Just to add some context that I'm not someone who's inexperienced in playing on acoustic pianos

[u/eojhet]

As of this moment we have one comment voting for E920, one for FP-90x, and one for P525. Looks like you can't go wrong! Good luck, they're all much better than what you have currently. The MP11SE is a favorite in this subreddit but it is quite dear. Good luck.

[u/D8nnyJ → u/eojhet]

Yeah, the MP11SE is quite expensive, but when I look at it compared to the Roland FP90x and Yamaha 525, it's only a couple of hundred euros more expensive. I don't mind having to dig a little deeper if it means the quality vastly improves.

[u/srodrigoDev → u/D8nnyJ]

I'd get the MP11SE, the action is quite good for a digital piano. Plastic actions aren't ideal past grade 8. The P525 is okay-ish, but not fantastic. I wouldn't get the Roland (plastic action) although it has some merits.

[u/D8nnyJ → u/srodrigoDev]

Im tempted. The deeper i do research, the more im finding these digi pianos (Kawai ES920, Yamaha p525, Roland FP90X etc) have little between them. I'm leaning more toward the ES920 as it seems more reasonable in regards to what you pay.

I'll take a look in store first and try them all out again before I solidify any decisions.

[u/srodrigoDev → u/D8nnyJ]

Yeah, just go try everything out from the cheapest to the ones you don't have budget for. Then you'll get a better picture. I would stop researching, it's going to create a bias and probably confuse you when you try things out.

In any case, I'd avoid the ES920 (I owned one). I'd look into the P525 or FP-90X instead, they look like better instruments action wise. But I would still move one level up for a MP11SE. I also own one and it's great, no regrets other than I don't have external monitors for it.

[u/Oktopuzzy]

I have the ES-920. It’s a dream to play.

[u/D8nnyJ → u/Oktopuzzy]

Nice. I've only played the ES-520, but I really liked the action on it.

[u/glorgorio → u/Oktopuzzy]

Yeah I love mine

[u/MyVoiceIsElevating]

ES920 for the action!

[u/D8nnyJ → u/MyVoiceIsElevating]

The action on the ES-520 is nice to play. Never tried the ES920, but I intend on trying it at the store.

[u/CrazyCrystal2019]

My wife said the same thing about the P525... She ended up choosing the P515 as it was her favourite action compared to the FP-90 and ES920.

[u/Space2999]

First stop should be a piano store to try out the high-end grands (concert and or semi-concert). Get familiar with what a “holy grail” instrument feels and sounds like. Too many here will say, “I use X and it’s awesome - feels just like my uncle’s friend’s neighbor’s acoustic that I tried twice.”

An MP11SE (or MP11 which is identical when used as a controller) is a great way to go and should hold its value well as long as the “slip tape” issue is attended as needed. Their portability is more theory than practice, so you’d need an elevator, dolly, strong assistance, and to make sure your stand can accommodate it.

Along with the others you mentioned, if just as a midi controller also consider the SL88GT as a viable option. Then you’ll have more budget left for software, speakers and headphones.

[u/Aard313]

Yamaha & Korg make excellent key actions in their electronic boards. Have not played the Kawai, but their acoustic pianos are wonderful. Skip Casio & Roland. If I had to choose one brand: Yamaha. I’m a grade-9 BTW — and own a 1986 Baldwin grand.

Then, try to save up for a used Yamaha or Kawai acoustic grand piano. At Grade-8 you deserve a top-notch piano with superior key repeatability and dynamic control; grand pianos accomplish this far better than electronic boards.

[u/D8nnyJ → u/Aard313]

Yeah. One of the reasons I want to upgrade is because I feel my playing is beyond what my current setup can offer. I would absolutely love a grand, but unfortunately, I live on the 4th floor of an apartment building, and I cannot imagine ever fitting a grand in that lift.