Benjie P Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 Hi all, does anyone have any recommendations for best sounding/looking electric grand pianos? Restaurant in DC asked me to pick one out for them to purchase to have some live solo "piano" in their joint. It needs to have internal speakers, aesthetics are important to them of course so it should look nice, I used to do some restaurant gigs a few years ago where they had a Roland that was pretty decent but don't remember the model. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated thanks! Quote Music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coker Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 I thought the Clavinova grand in my local restaurant felt and sounded great, and looked pretty good, too. Quote CA93, MODX8, YC88, K8.2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 Yes a Clavinova or a slab DP in a shell (which might wind up being a little more affordable â not sure how the internal speakers fit into that scenario though). Looks like the Clavinovas start in the mid-four figures. After the last year & a half, is there really a restaurant ready to drop this kind of coin on a piano? Color me surprised, pleasantly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cphollis Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 Not sure about budget, etc. -- but I really like the Yamaha AvantGrand line for that sort of gig. I do enjoy playing them, and -- once you step back from the instrument -- the acoustics are mostly convincing. Quote Want to make your band better? Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 Hi all, does anyone have any recommendations for best sounding/looking electric grand pianos? Restaurant in DC asked me to pick one out for them to purchase to have some live solo "piano" in their joint. It needs to have internal speakers, aesthetics are important to them of course so it should look nice, I used to do some restaurant gigs a few years ago where they had a Roland that was pretty decent but don't remember the model. I'm guessing the Roland was probably this one (discontinued): https://www.roland.com/us/products/v-piano_grand/ Best today is probably Yamaha AvantGrand N3X. Quote Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 Once again this forum shows its skills at spending other people's money! I would be shocked to know about a restaurant that cares about having the "BEST" piano. They probably want it to look good and sound "good enough." Of course I'd be happy to see an N3X on a gig. Show me the restaurant that would drop ~$22K for an N3X, I'll wait. This might be more their idea! (OK that was a joke - please don't recommend this one)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 Yamaha Avant Grand or Kawai Novus. https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/pianos/avantgrand/index.html https://kawaius.com/product/novus-nv10/ Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaware Dave Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 One of these would look cool.... Quote 57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn Delaware Dave Exit93band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drawback Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 Timely topic for me, as I"m in the process of selling my never-played Kawai KG-2 and replace it with a digital home instrument. I"ve pretty much decided on a Kawai Novus NV10 over the Yamaha Avant Grand for a variety of reasons, none of which would apply to a restaurant that might only require one or two piano sounds in a nice case. Quote ____________________________________ Rod Here for the gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerrythek Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 I'm with Reeze on this one... what we think and judge an instrument by, and what a restaurant wants and is willing to spend are likely different. Any name brand digital grand (Yamaha and Roland most likely) is likely to satisfy their needs, without it having to be the top-of-the-line, real wooden key action instrument. At an average starting price of $5k I think they're already gonna be surprised, so hiking the cost up to around 9k is probably more than they would want to spend. But what do I know... I'm just assuming here. Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnotherScott Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 If they literally want it to look like a grand piano, their options are limited and expensive, unless maybe you go with the empty shell idea. But I don't think those shells are designed for internal amplification, another complication. I would not assume an upscale restaurant would not have the budget to do this right. It wasn't long ago when lots of venues were buying actual grand pianos, which cost more than the things that are making people in this thread wince. Quote Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 Maybe a restauranteur that is interested in a piano bar knows what an acoustic grand would cost, a little something about live music, and what the look of a beautiful instrument does for the aesthetic of the room. And they must already have an idea of what piano players get for the night. So maybe he/she would be pleasantly surprised at the cost of a hybrid piano? One can dream. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cphollis Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 It depends on the restaurant, right? There's a retiree-focused piano bar not far from where I live that has a nice AG N3. Not my kind of place, but ... they do have a nice instrument. Quote Want to make your band better? Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
16251 Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 A used N3 should be doable. Quote AvantGrand N2 | ES520 | Gallien-Krueger MK & MP | https://soundcloud.com/pete36251 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjie P Posted June 25, 2021 Author Share Posted June 25, 2021 Thank you! Quote Music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjie P Posted June 25, 2021 Author Share Posted June 25, 2021 That is EXACTLY the situation, the manager is a music lover and wants to find the best, most practical instrument. She initially wanted a real acoustic but decided she didn't want to have to deal with tuning/maintenance, my hat off to her for wanting to put something decent in there. Quote Music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT156 Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 How about this from Yamaha? Yamaha Clavinova CLP-725 Digital Piano - Matte Black Kraft Music has it for $1999. Considering the sound and the features, its a bargain. This piano comes with a 50 watt amp and two good sized speakers too. Yamaha piano actions are excellent. It has an excellent Piano sound, plus it can record and play back recordings of songs worth saving. I've owned both Yamaha and Roland digital pianos. Yamaha LASTS, best quality. https://www.kraftmusic.com/yamaha-clavinova-clp-725-digital-piano-matte-black.html?utm_source=adcenter&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=bing+shopping&utm_content=yam-clp725b&msclkid=c5a52f57f8cc16917a054f824e609442 Quote Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Losendoskeys Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 I love my Roland V-Grand and it is still available: https://www.roland.com/us/categories/pianos/grand_pianos/ Quote Yamaha CP70B;Roland XP30/AXSynth/Fantom/FA76/XR;Hammond XK3C SK2; Korg Kronos 73;ProSoloist Rack+; ARP ProSoloist; Mellotron M4000D; GEM Promega2; Hohner Pianet N, Roland V-Grand,Voyager XL, RMI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radagast Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 Depending on the budget, a Dexibell Vivo S7 Pro M, which has built in speakers, is on the cheaper end price wise for Dexibell. On the high end the Dexibell Mini Grand is a better choice. They both will sound great and very authentic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 I love my Roland V-Grand and it is still available: https://www.roland.com/us/categories/pianos/grand_pianos/ That link goes to their supernatural grands. Is this the one you meant? https://www.roland.com/us/products/v-piano_grand/ It shows as discontinued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Losendoskeys Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 Same thing - repackaged marketing Quote Yamaha CP70B;Roland XP30/AXSynth/Fantom/FA76/XR;Hammond XK3C SK2; Korg Kronos 73;ProSoloist Rack+; ARP ProSoloist; Mellotron M4000D; GEM Promega2; Hohner Pianet N, Roland V-Grand,Voyager XL, RMI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cphollis Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 That is EXACTLY the situation, the manager is a music lover and wants to find the best, most practical instrument. She initially wanted a real acoustic but decided she didn't want to have to deal with tuning/maintenance, my hat off to her for wanting to put something decent in there. The list just got quite short as a result. It should look, play and sound like a real acoustic piano, but without maintenance. Slabs won't work well: appearance, amplification, etc. Say what you will, but Yamaha nailed it with the AvantGrand. I can't vouch for others as I haven't played them. The Avant Grand is very good at what it does, invokes a baby grand ambience, can fill a room with smooth sound as a real piano does, has a high-end Yamaha acoustic action and feel, very fun to play, etc. Mine has lasted a very long time with zero problems. As always, check out similar alternatives, and never pay retail!!! Quote Want to make your band better? Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reezekeys Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 Same thing - repackaged marketing My mistake. I thought the "supernatural" pianos were sample-based, and the V-Grands modeled. Did I have this wrong all along? Are all the Roland DPs that say "supernatural" modeled now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjie P Posted June 26, 2021 Author Share Posted June 26, 2021 Hi MikeT156 thanks for the suggestion but it's important to them that it's in the body of a grand/baby grand for aesthetics... Quote Music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drawback Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 it's important to them that it's in the body of a grand/baby grand for aesthetics... The Roland GP690 is the only one in a traditional grand case, from what I"ve been able to find. The Yamaha N3X is shaped like a grand, but has a sleeker, more modern look. Between the two, the Roland is more fully featured and less money, but doesn"t have the true grand action. Sound-wise from what I"ve been able to tell from demos, the Roland still has that digital fleshy tone on the low end but the advantage of modelling is it has a lot more parameters to play with. The Yamaha may be more robust and in the long run may be the better investment, plus in a setting where many pianists may be sharing the duties, it has fewer bells and whistles to mess with and the action should keep the more discerning players happy. So if I"m the restaurateur and had the budget, I"d go with the Yamaha. At home for the fun aspects, I might like the Roland. Quote ____________________________________ Rod Here for the gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjie P Posted June 26, 2021 Author Share Posted June 26, 2021 it's important to them that it's in the body of a grand/baby grand for aesthetics... The Roland GP690 is the only one in a traditional grand case, from what I"ve been able to find. The Yamaha N3X is shaped like a grand, but has a sleeker, more modern look. Between the two, the Roland is more fully featured and less money, but doesn"t have the true grand action. Sound-wise from what I"ve been able to tell from demos, the Roland still has that digital fleshy tone on the low end but the advantage of modelling is it has a lot more parameters to play with. The Yamaha may be more robust and in the long run may be the better investment, plus in a setting where many pianists may be sharing the duties, it has fewer bells and whistles to mess with and the action should keep the more discerning players happy. So if I"m the restaurateur and had the budget, I"d go with the Yamaha. At home for the fun aspects, I might like the Roland. Awesome thanks for the info! Quote Music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cphollis Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 A bit more on the Yahama AG. Yes, the action feels like other Yamaha pianos. The N3 and N3X are essentially the same for your purposes. Yamaha sells them through their network of piano dealers (yes, they still exist), so they are intended to be compared side-by-side with real acoustic pianos. You turn it on, you play it and you can't help but smile. Mine has two acoustic pianos, two eps and a harpsichord. That's about it. Midi out if you want something else. Add an iPad to the loop if you really want layered pads, etc. but that's not its purpose in life. There's also a nice loop of pre-recorded classical music that's quite pleasant to listen to, and of course you can load up a memory stick with hours of free midi performances from the web. So it plays itself for free. People who visit assume it's a baby grand, until they get quite close to it and see the speakers where strings should be, and then the questions start. How could this be? Well, they recorded from four positions, and you can hear the effect as you walk around the room. Again, people with eagle ears can tell the difference, not in a bad way, just that it sounds a bit different than a real acoustic instrument. But you do have to listen closely to discern, and it's hard to put your finger on it. Close your eyes, you're convinced it's the real deal. Finding them used is not easy as people tend to hang on to them. It's not something you upgrade from to get the better one, it is the better one. Not cheap, better thought of as an instrument for the long haul. Quote Want to make your band better? Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 I"ve been playing the original N3 for years now at both a church and school gig. If I have to play a digital piano there is no other that matches it for feel, un-supplemented sound, and looks. They even have a rumble feature in the low end that shakes under your fingers. It"s all very immersive and you easily forget you are playing a digital. The only other model I imagine would come close is the Kawai Novus 10 but I have not had the good fortune to sit at one. Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real MC Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 Keep in mind that internal speakers on digital pianos are designed for near field monitoring for the piano player and will not project very well in a club/restaurant setting. Crank it too high and POOF. Even with "50w amplifier". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drawback Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 Keep in mind that internal speakers on digital pianos are designed for near field monitoring for the piano player and will not project very well in a club/restaurant setting. Crank it too high and POOF. Even with "50w amplifier". This would be a plus, and they can be amplified through a house system for dispersion at discretion of management. I can"t count how many restaurant grands I"ve played that are too big for the room, positioned over marble or concrete floors, in front of windows, too close to the tables, people with hearing aids seated too near, where I"ve been asked to 'turn down the piano.' Quote ____________________________________ Rod Here for the gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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