What Did Brendan Buy for HIS Family?

As the son of a piano technician, a lot of folks assume that I can’t like digital pianos. After all, if customers ONLY bought cheap keyboards, then we’d probably be out of business. But nothing can beat a good acoustic piano. That being said, there are definitely situations where a quality digital makes sense

 

There are a number of reasons why I chose to get a digital piano:

• Headphones – Our 6 month-old son sleeps well, but why push the envelope? Headphones in a home with small children is REALLY handy.

• Moving Costs – our apartment is up a flight of stairs and we’re planning on moving in the next few months, meaning many hundreds of dollars in additional moving fees.

• The Right Space – Like with many families, space in our apartment is at a premium. I think you can always find a spot if the piano is a priority, but the best spot in the house is right in front of a baseboard electric heater, which would be very damaging for a wood piano.

• Secondary Piano – I have access to 50+ pianos here at the store, whenever I like. Although few of our customers have this luxury, many families do have a primary acoustic instrument, but need a keyboard for any number of reasons – one to send with the student to college, interest in recording original compositions, headphones, etc.

• Interesting Sounds, Rhythms, and Other Features – I like playing some of my favorite pieces with marimba, harpsichord, string ensemble, and other fun voices (sounds). Combine those voices with some of the built-in rhythms and it can really spice up my frequent practice sessions.

 

So why did I ultimately choose the Privia PX-780?

• Really good sound and feel – all of the Privia keyboards have the same action and sound technology, so they all feel and sound good. But the PX-780 has more powerful speakers, which is nice.

• Deluxe Feature Set – some of the Privia only have 18 voices, which is fine for beginning students, but I honestly really like playing around with the 250 voices and 180 rhythms on the higher-end Privias, which sound great.

• Better Case – I know this sounds minor, but I really like having the headphone jacks on the front of the instrument, because I think it makes life easier and simpler. It has a nice flat surface for putting sheet music (and/or beverages), and a key cover, which is handy for keeping our 2 kittens from sleeping on this apparently comfy keyboard (and getting hair in between the keys). It’s also comes with a nicer bench – instead of a folding bench, it’s a nice metal bench with 4 straight legs – a little taller and sturdy looking. (You can upgrade this for $50 on any package that has a standard bench included).

• Price – Although I did take advantage of our modest employee discount, the range of prices on models still varies from around $699 to $3968. The PX-780 package is only $999, which is a steal. The Privia line offers a ton of value, so when I had to put my money where my mouth was, I did what all of my customers do – pick the piano that fits their needs, doesn’t break the bank, and, most importantly, gets them excited to play piano.