Electric Piano

whiterob81

Hi, I'm looking to buy an electric piano in the next few months and i've been browsing around on thomann. some are advertising that they have "hammer action keys" and others are advertising that they have "weighted keys". is this just different phrases for the same thing or are they completely different things?

Eoin Madsen

Well, they should be effectively the same as far as I know, but "weighted" keys is a little more ambiguous, because you can also get "semi-weighted" keys. "Hammer action" seems to imply fully-weighted, ie like a real piano. I'd look on the manufacturers website for clarification in any case.

Dick Turnip

hi, im in the same boat looking to buy an electric piano. basically i did a few years of lessons when i was a kid and gave up when i went to secondary school as i thought it wasn't cool enough (one of the biggest regrets of my life!) so now 10 or 11 years later i find myself wanting to get back into it.
I'm thinking of taking lessons again in a few months to do a few more grades, theres still a piano in my parents house but i cant rely on it for practise as im only back at weekends. so i want an electric piano for my own place.

However i don't have the first clue about them, i want to get one simply as i'm in rented accomodation and an upright piano would be a nightmare to get around every time a lease is up.

What brands are recommended? and are second hand electrics reliable? what would i want to be paying to get a decent one. considering im using it just to get back into playing, learn some pieces for my own entertainment.

thanks in advance!

whiterob81

Hi Dick, I'm in the same boat as yourself. i still haven't actually bought my electric piano yet but i've been researching it for the last while. at the moment i've got a yamaha synthesizer without with only 5 octaves and without weighted keys, something like that is cheap enough, maybe just over 200 euro and will get you as far as maybe grade 5. but after that you'll need to look into getting a piano with 88 keys and weighted keys if you're serious about doing further grades.
i've been to music maker on exchequer street and electric pianos start at 700 euro for a yamaha. they also have very nice roland ones for about 900. these pianos come with sustain pedal included and they might throw in a stand for cheap enough too.
also looked on thomann, and thomann brand stage pianos can be bought for around 400 euro or less, they also have m-audio stage pianos for just over 500 euro. however, i've no idea what these pianos are like to play so that's why i've been reluctant to shell out straight away.
as for 2nd hand piano's, i've no idea.

crosstownk

My 2 cents.....

Hammer action is what a piano uses - so a hammer action keyboard attempts to replicate this 'feedback'. Weighted keys are simply that - weighted and have a better response and feel than light, plastic keyboard keys. But I'm sure it's possible that keys can be both hammer action and weighted.

I use a hammer action keyboard and also have a real piano. I find the hammer action OK, but it's nowhere as good as the real thing, but it's a whole lot better than plastic keys.