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Top 9 Best Cheap Keyboard Piano In 2023 Reviews šŸ˜šŸ™ŒšŸ’Æ

Kawai ES100

Kawai ES100

Yamaha P45

Yamaha P45

Casio Privia PX-160BK

Casio Privia PX-160BK

Buying a piano can be a really big investment. It’s a decision that takes careful consideration and a lot of research. Even for seasoned players, deciding on a piano can be a chore.

But don’t worry, we’re here to help.

We’ve put together a comprehensive review of the best cheap keyboard pianos on the market.

Read on and find out that ‘cheap’ doesn’t always mean ‘low quality’.

So let’s get started…

Top 9 Best Cheap Keyboard Piano In 2023 Reviews šŸ˜šŸ™ŒšŸ’Æ
Photo by Jacques Schoeffel

Top 9 Best Cheap Keyboard Piano To Buy In 2023 Reviews

Below are top 9Ā best cheap keyboard to learn piano:

Best Digital Piano Under $1,000

1 Yamaha P-115B 88-Key Graded Hammer Standard Digital Piano

Yamaha is certainly not new to the world of pianos. The piano-making experts have given the world numerous state-of-the-art instruments, the P-115B being one of them.

Surely, no one is saying this is Ray Charles’ standard piano, but for the price, it’s excellent.

First off, it’s a digital piano, which is what everyone on a budget is using these days. Plus, being digital, the piano is definitely going to be very easy to interact with. The screen controller is a touch screen which makes interaction even easier.

As for the sound, we couldn’t be more impressed. Yamaha sure overdid themselves for a piano at this price.

It comes with Yamaha’s CF sound engine, as do a number of the more expensive pianos in the Yamaha range. And with a polyphony of 192, there is no limit to chord possibilities with this piano.

The keys are weighted contributing to the beautiful sound you’ll be getting. Weighted keys give responses closest to those from an acoustic piano.

Also, the weighted keys are excellent for beginner players. Why? It helps to build proper fingering technique for when they start playing on an acoustic piano.

Thankfully, the keys are matte-finished, so they aren’t slippery. This also means that you can play for longer.

Lastly, with this keyboard, you also get a power adapter, music stand, sustain pedal, bench, headphones, a dust-wrap, a double-X stand and even an instructional DVD. Basically it’s all you need to play, right out of the box!


Yamaha P-115B 88-Key Graded Hammer Standard Digital Piano

Our rating:4.4 out of 5 stars (4.4 / 5)

Pros
  • CF sound engine.
  • 192-note polyphony.
  • Weighted keys.
  • Makes great beginner bundle.
Cons
  • Bench and stand are a little flimsy.

2 Yamaha DGX-660 88-Key Weighted Action Digital Grand Piano Premium

With our next piano, Yamaha goes one better with the DGX-660. This is even more impressive (and, as you would expected, more expensive) than the P-115B.

Like theĀ P-115B, it also features the legendary Yamaha CF sound engine. Giving the piano a lovely tone similar to that of a Yamaha concert grand piano.

Add that to the excellent graded hammer action, taking the play to a whole new level. Closely resembling an acoustic piano, this piano plays heavy on the lower registers and lighter on the higher notes.

The piano also doesn’t cramp your style and allows youĀ to play your piano just the way you like it.

There’s even the piano room function, where you can create a personalized piano environment. You can choose from a variety of acoustic, as well as digital piano settings to your personal taste.

Also, with the 6-track recorder, you can now record your performances as well as song ideas. Simply hook up a good microphone to your piano and record yourself singing. And with the inbuilt speakers on the piano, you can playback your recording too.

You can even learn to play your favorite songs by following the notation on the Score Display. The Score Display comes in crystal-clear LCD, so it’s easy to read. Depending on what you want, you can switch from a score display to a lyric display.

It will even display the score for your own composed songs. Excellent!


Yamaha DGX-660 88-Key Weighted Action Digital Grand Piano Premium

Our rating:4.6 out of 5 stars (4.6 / 5)

Pros
  • Pure CF sound engine.
  • Graded hammer standard action: heavy lows, and light highs.
  • Comes with inbuilt speakers.
  • Crystal-clear LCD Score Display.
  • 88 weighted keys.
Cons
  • Some of the high keys tend to be a little noisy.

3 Casio PX350 BK 88-Key Privia Digital Piano

So, here’s the Casio PX350 BK, an exceptional quality, affordable piano.

Casio has come up with a piano that sounds natural and realistic. Its patented sound source, AiR (Acoustic and intelligent Resonation) gives the piano detail and realism. Plus, with the fantastic sound engine, the piano delivers a powerful performance every time.

And while on the subject of sound, the sustain pedal is amazing. Coming with a new Damper Resonance Stimulator, giving a full, rich sound when used.

Now to the keys…

There are 88 in total. Each key having three sensors that help to capture every nuance and dynamic you play. Add this to the excellent hammer action and you have a great sounding instrument.

But let’s stay on the hammers for a bit more, shall we?…

Closely mimicking an acoustic piano, the Casio PX350 BK uses the same dynamics as an acoustic piano to enhance your piano experience. Simulating the way different sized hammers, move around in an acoustic piano at different speeds, depending on the velocity of the keys being played.

And if you didn’t really understand all that, the bottom line is that it makes your piano sound fantastic.

It would have been useful to have a conventional 1/8 headphones jack, this piano needs a converter. but they are easy and cheap enough to buy. Once you do thatĀ listen to yourself play, you’ll be a very happy pianist.


Casio PX350 BK 88-Key Privia Digital Piano

Our rating:4.1 out of 5 stars (4.1 / 5)

Pros
  • 88 weighted keys.
  • Excellent sustain pedal.
  • Textured keys.
  • Great hammer action.
  • 250 built-in instrument tones.
  • 17-track recorder.
Cons
  • A few keys get a little noisy at times.

4 Kawai ES100 88-Key Digital Piano

Here is a superb choice if you’re looking to purchase a piano for live performance. Because of its light weight (33 pounds), the Kawai ES100-88 is easy to lug around, making it an ideal gig buddy.

But that’s of little use if the sound is terrible. So, let’s get down to how this dude sounds…

Kawai went in for the kill with this one. Using several features to give this piano a heavenly sound. For instance…

Its hammer action referred to as Advanced Hammer Action IV-F, gives you the feel and sound of an acoustic piano. But that’s not all.

Have you played on a grand piano before? Well, it doesn’t really matter, because playing on this baby will give you the same feel. Thanks to its Harmonic Imaging, the piano sounds like a grand piano. Very impressive!

And did we mention that this ā€œlittle pianoā€ boasts a whopping 192-note polyphony? Yes, it does.

As for the keys, of course, it’s worth mentioning that they are 88 in number, and they are weighted. They come with a fantastic action and are relatively quiet giving an acoustic piano feel.

Finally, here’s a ā€œlittle thingā€ that we particularly like about the Kawai…

The audio jacks are positioned at the front as opposed to the rear. Finally, one manufacturer that understands that it’s simpler, to just plug into the front of a piano, then bend over backwards just to insert a headphone jack into the back of it.


Kawai ES100 88-Key Digital Piano

Our rating:4.2 out of 5 stars (4.2 / 5)

Pros
  • Lightweight and great for gigging.
  • 88 weighted with super action.
  • 192-note polyphony.
  • Quality speakers.
  • Advanced hammer action mimics acoustic piano feel.
Cons
  • Does not come with a stand.

5 Alesis Coda Pro 88-Key Digital Piano

Here’s another standard keyboard that’s easy to lug around too: the Alesis Coda Pro 88-Key Digital Piano.

Doing well on portability, let’s see how it does with sound…

Alesis got it right with the keys on this dude as they are weighted and complete. The hammer action is great. In fact, the keys give such good action that they feel slightly similar to those on a grand piano.

However, we couldn’t get past a few issues…

To start off with, it only comes with 64-note polyphony. It’s not terrible for the price, but generally, the polyphony could have been much better, at least, twice what it is,Ā to be honest. It’s not so bad in itself, but it does get limiting.

This is probably the biggest issue with the piano, though.

Secondly, it only comes with 20 built-in instrument voices. This is low but just about manageable for a beginner.

But hey, the Coda Piano still gets it right on other scores….

Its stand comes in a wood finish which is durable and elegant.

Also, the keyboard comes with a power source which you don’t find with many keyboards in the market today. Plus, a sustain pedal is also included.

And don’t forget the speakers… they are actually pretty good quality. You’ll love listening to yourself at least.

Although not great for the reasons listed, if you’re only looking to get something for personal, not-so-intense practice, this is one of the options.


Alesis Coda Pro 88-Key Digital Piano

Our rating:4.3 out of 5 stars (4.3 / 5)

Pros
  • Portable.
  • 88 standard, weighted keys.
  • Great hammer action.
  • Quality speakers.
  • Comes with stand, sustain pedal, and power adapter.
Cons
  • 64-note polyphony.
  • Only 20 built-in instrument voices.

Best Digital Piano Under $500

6 Casio Privia PX160BK 88-Key Full-Size Digital Piano

You probably aren’t expecting much from pianos priced at under $500, but not so fast. You might actually be as surprised as we were.

Casio sure gives other piano makers a run for their money with the Privia PX160BK.

We love the fact that, despite being a relatively inexpensive piano, attention was still paid to the details.

Let’s start with the keys…

The keys are 88 in total, and they are weighted, giving the appeal of a more expensive model when played. The hammer action is also good.

Besides that, Casio also uses its proprietary AiR sound generation technology on this model. So, there’s another assurance of quality sound. Kudos for that.

Of course, we won’t fail to mention the speakers. Casio installed quality speakers in this unit, and the piano also comes with a handy line-out slot, so you can easily connect it to external speakers.

In case you’re asking, it also comes with two outputs for headphones, for those times you need a quieter playing environment.

So, are we pleased with the sound? Yes, we are.

That said, there’s something else we want to share with you about the Privia PX160BK before we move on…

It comes with what Casio calls ā€œclass compliantā€ USB connectivity. Bottom line, you can use your keyboard with either your Windows computer or your Mac. And you don’t even need to download a driver.


Casio Privia PX160BK 88-Key Full Size Digital Piano

Our rating:4.2 out of 5 stars (4.2 / 5)

Pros
  • 88 weighted keys.
  • Great hammer action.
  • 128-note polyphony.
  • Easy to connect to external speakers.
  • Compatible with Mac and Windows without drivers.
  • Portable.
Cons
  • Sustain pedal could be better.

7 Yamaha P45 88-Key Digital Piano

Yamaha hardly disappoints when it comes to piano making, and here’s proof of that. The Yamaha P45, although an inexpensive model, is still very impressive.

Let’s have a look, shall we?

They say first impressions matter. For a keyboard, that would lie heavily on the keys. All 88 keys are given Yamaha’s proprietary Graded Hammer Standard action, giving them an authentic feel when played.

In characteristic Yamaha fashion, the keys are matte-finished, making them less slippery. This allows for longer playing time.

With the Advance Memory sampling feature, the piano sounds good, kinda like an acoustic piano. Of course, the CF sound technology is a lot better. But for the price, we can’t complain.

Plus, the hammer action more than makes up for this by being heavier on the low registers and lighter on the higher registers.

However, we still don’t understand why a Yamaha keyboard comes with only 64-note polyphony. But it does, so we may as well move on…

The fact that the makers have made this instrument easy to operate is quite splendid. Unlike many keyboards where you need to learn algorithms to operate them, this is a lot simpler. With a single button, you can change most of your settings quite easily.

Finally, this piano comes supplied with a sustain pedal and a power supply.


Yamaha P45 88-Key Digital Piano

Our rating:4.5 out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5)

Pros
  • 88 weighted keys.
  • Yamaha’s excellent proprietary Graded Hammer Standard action.
  • Touch-sensitive keys.
  • Very easy-to-operate.
  • Comes with quality sustain pedal and power supply.
Cons
  • 64-note polyphony.
  • No record or playback features.

Best Cheap Keyboard Piano Under $300

8 Yamaha PSREW300SA 76-Key Portable Keyboard Bundle

Okay, first of all, we love the weight of this piano, weighing about 14 pounds which makes it a fantastic piano to carry around. If you need to go to your tutor’s for lessons or to a practice room for rehearsals, you’ll really appreciate this lightweight piano.

It’s very easy to set up, basically plug ā€˜n’ play. All you need do is plug in into a wall socket, press the power button and voila, your making music!

In fact, if you don’t even have to even do that, there is the option of using it with 6 AA batteries.

Now to the keys…

You probably do not have your hopes up regarding the quality of the keys at this price, which is a good thing. But things actually aren’t so bad.

Well, it comes with 76 keys instead of the standard 88. And although they are pretty touch-sensitive, they aren’t weighted. But hey, that is to be expected for the price.

Again, you shouldn’t expect this piano to sound like an acoustic piano. But it does sound very good for the price.

The keyboard comes with USB connectivity. So, if you have some MIDI files you wish to download or upload, no problem.

Also, the piano allows for headphones, including connection to an external speaker, and that’s a good thing.

It doesn’t come with a sustain pedal though. But, altogether, Yamaha sure did a decent job making a great piano at this price.


Yamaha PSREW300SA 76-Key Portable Keyboard Bundle

Our rating:3.8 out of 5 stars (3.8 / 5)

Pros
  • Portable.
  • Comes with power adapter.
  • Works with batteries.
  • Touch-sensitive keys.
  • USB connectivity.
Cons
  • No sustain pedal.

9 Alesis Recital 88-Key Beginner Digital Piano

The Alesis Recital Beginner Digital Piano comes with 88 keys. That alone is enough to impress us in this price range. Big up to Alesis!

But there’s more, hang on…

Of course, you won’t find weighted keys at this price range, but Alesis sure is the master of compromise. They made the keys semi-weighted. So, while it won’t feel like a million-dollar piano, it won’t feel like a cheap toy either.

And to make things even more interesting, it comes with 128-note polyphony. The promise of wonderful sound from this piano is already enticing.

But let’s dig in deeper…

Just like most portable pianos, this can operate with two power sources. It comes with a power adapter for connection to a wall socket. Or you have the option of using it with batteries. You’ll need to get 6 D cell batteries though, as they aren’t included.

Furthermore, the speakers are also high quality.

But here’s the thing…

The keys are said to come with adjustable touch response.

What is that supposed to mean?

Well, it means that you decide the level of sensitivity you want from your keys at all times. But in use, it means is that these keys aren’t very sensitive. And depending on the player, they could even be said, to not be sensitive at all. Not good.

Anyway, moving on…

It features 5 built-in voices, a stereo output for headphones, another for an external sound system, and a sustain pedal.

And finally, the piano comes with USB connectivity to upload your MIDI or use any virtual instrument plugin with.


Alesis Recital 88-Key Beginner Digital Piano

Our rating:4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

Pros
  • 88 semi-weighted keys.
  • 128-note polyphony.
  • The option of using it with batteries.
  • Comes with a free 3-month premium subscription for piano lessons.
  • Comes with USB connectivity and sustain pedal.
Cons
  • Keys aren’t very sensitive.

Conclusion

So that’s our rundown of the best high quality and yet, affordable pianos out there. But which one wins first prize in our Best Cheap Piano shoot-out?

It’s the Kawai ES100 88-Key Digital Piano. For a good and cheap piano keyboard, this model is almost perfect.

One feature that really did it for us with this piano is the action of its keys. It’s very hard to find a piano that’s quiet at this price. But somehow, this piano is.

Add that to the 192-note polyphony and fantastic hammer action, and you got yourself a super piano!

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