Discount Yamaha P140 88-Key Digital Piano (Black)

I recently did an exhaustive review of the digital piano world as I am trying to teach my children to play the piano. Accoustic pianos are not a choice due to the size, weight, cost, and tuning requirements. I love the idea of a piano that is always in tune (and can move if we move), but I wanted to be sure I was teaching my kids in a way that they could easily play a grand piano if presented with one. The biggest concern is muscle memory, and making sure their fingers are used to the feel of a real key.

Roland makes some of the top-of-the-line pianos, but they also come with a high cost. I am sure the sound might be a bit better, but I could not justify the expense. I tried out some of the higher-end Yamaha pianos, and while I was impressed, still was shocked at the cost. The P85 was the lowest cost Yamaha piano I tried that seemed it could be good for teaching. It sounded nice, feature the weighted keys with "graded hammer standard" (GHS), and was reasonably portable. However, I felt the P85 keys were a little hard to push with a little too much return. I had a higher-end Yamaha nearby (non-portable) and found the keys much better. The store also had a grand piano, and the higher-end Yamaha was much closer than the P85.

With a little research, I discovered that the high-end Yamaha pianos (the ones that cost $2k and up) use "graded hammer effect" (GHE), a step up from GHS. The P-140 was the least expensive piano to support GHE. It also has 64 note polyphony, 14 voices with 3 tonal varieties, and support for a sustain pedal (you only need 1 pedal for most playing).

What are the downsides to the P-140? Some other digital pianos have far more voices, more recording capability, and louder speakers. I think the built-in speakers on the P-140 are rather pathetic. But they are good enough for practice.

When I bought the P-140, the P-155 was being introduced. It has essentially replaced the P-140. Better speakers, 128 note polyphony, and more features, but essentially the same piano. I found a seller who was looking to liquidate his P-140's for a good price (with a free stand as well), and I decided the P-155 was not worth the extra cost. If my kids really start playing seriously, I may invest in a Roland, but for now, the P-140 makes sure they don't learn bad habits. My number one criteria was realistic action, and the least expensive way to get into the higher end GHE is the P-140.Get more detail about Yamaha P140 88-Key Digital Piano (Black).