Should I buy a digital or acoustic piano?

There are a great number of digital electronic pianos available like Clavinova, Kawai, Kurzweil, Suzuki and other digital pianos.

Often come to our us with the sole intention of "purchasing a digital piano".  They are often the victim of misinformation given to them by sales people in music stores who do not have the customer’s best interest at heart. Therefore we hereby present to you some information in an unbiased manner in order for you to weigh the pro's and con's of buying a digital versus an acoustic piano.

The Facts:

Some dealers prefer to push digital pianos as they are more manageable, do not require delivery, setup, delivery or a dealer backed warranty. The manufacturer of the ditial piano does provide a warranty, so the dealer has no responsibility.

Acoustic pianos however involve a great deal of precision and care on the part of the dealer, as well as a host of extra costs. The piano must be unpacked, then set up, at which point it requires tuning and regulation. This alone involves five to ten hours of labour. Once it is sold it then needs to be delivered, often tuned again, and the dealer must give the customer some sort of guarantee on the piano.  No wonder some piano dealers recommend electronic pianos! There are some good reasons to purchase a digital piano.  But buying digital because it’s what the dealer would rather sell isn’t one of those reasons.

Our Opinion:

The initial cost of an acoustic piano (f.i. a new  Pearl River Piano that sells for around PHP 150,000.00) could be a little more than the purchase of a digital piano (an inexpensive good one sells around PHP 100,000) although the price difference is marginal. However, after 3 years, your acoustic piano will be worth good money, but the value of your digital piano will have depreciated to (almost) nothing.

If you are purchasing the instrument for your children, it is recommended that you purchase an acoustic piano. This is because children especially require the real touch and sound of a piano. Their brains are like sponges and grow accustomed to whatever they are presented with. This means that they will begin to expect the lightly weighted feel of an electronic piano, and when it comes time to complete Royal Conservatory examinations, they will have a very hard time adapting. We encounter numerous frustrated parents whose children's teachers have told them to go buy "a real piano" after just investing a lot of money in an electronic one. For close to the same amount of money they laid out initially for the electronic piano, they could have bought an acoustic piano of good quality!

However, digital pianos have their specific purpose as well. Some examples include:

- locations that have no way to control the climate, 

-nursing homes, rock bands, or even just for fun.

These are just some of the entirely practical applications for choosing electronic pianos. If you have considered all of this information and would like to make an informed decision to purchase a digital piano, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. We are simply here to ensure your decision is an informed one. 

Digital Pianos:

Some advantages when considering an electronic piano:

  • No need to ever tune it
  • Headphone jack and volume control
  • Possible lower initial cost
  • An array of sounds other than just piano
  • MIDI and computer connectivity
  • Lightly weighted keys requiring little hand strength

Acoustic Pianos:

Some advantages when considering an acoustic piano:

  • Value holds, and sometimes appreciates
  • Much more presentable, and aesthetically very pleasing
  • Real weighted piano keys 
  • Real piano sound that can never be duplicated
  • Enjoys a much longer life
  • A genuine musical instrument

Space:

It is a misconception that a digital piano takes up less space than its acoustic counterpart. In most cases the square footage required is identical, providing the digital pianos has 88 keys and 3 pedals. Back to front page.