Overview of Piano Brands

There are so many piano brands in the market all of which are trying to lure customers with all sorts of features and marketing strategies. While this is a good thing because it provides consumers with a wide spectrum of choices, it still leaves a lot to be desired as not all of them provide high-quality instruments. If you are going to spend over $500 or even $1000 of your cash, then you deserve to be getting the right keyboard made by the right brand. Even beginners who are out looking for a cheap entry level keyboard need to make sure that they are seeking the right brand that will lay the perfect foundation for their future career.

Getting the right brand is more than just a bragging right of having a keyboard from the best manufacturer. With the right brand, it means that the keyboard you are using is made by experts who actually know what they are doing. As we are going to see, some of the best brands have been available in the market for over a century. Therefore, they have been around long enough to see all the changes and advancement in music instruments, technology and the needs of pianists. Such brands are hence in a better position to offer a better keyboard that suits your needs compared to newcomers.

Additionally, history shows us that the best brands usually make the most reliable keyboards out there. In as much as we would all love to be making upgrades of our pianos whenever possible, financial constraints usually deter us from doing so. This means that we have to seek for a great keyboard with excellent features and also one with a reliable designing and construction to last for as long a period as possible. As you will see, the best brands are usually unbeatable when it comes to making long-lasting keyboards.

Piano Brands

Yamaha

At the top of the list is the popular Yamaha that everyone knows. These guys have been around since 1897 and a century later, they are still one of the main innovators in the industry. With over a century of experience, Yamaha has all the knowledge and expertise to meet all sorts of demands within the industry. The brand has been producing some of the most successful keyboards ever which also means that they have vast resources to commit towards delivering the best instruments possible. Of course, to continue making better instruments to the big proportion of customers on tight budgets means that they need to invest in technology and research. This is exactly what Yamaha has been doing over the years and it is paying off.

One of the main reasons behind Yamaha popularity and continued dominance in the industry is their commitment to making excellent digital keyboards while incorporating the best sounds from acoustic instruments. This has been a huge selling point because a big majority of the consumers cannot afford acoustic pianos and hence they have to rely on digital ones to get an idea of what a grand piano feels like. Yamaha has gone to the extent of fitting their digital keyboards with sounds from some of the best acoustic pianos like the CFIIIS acoustic grand piano. The best part is that they don’t just fit the sounds for the sake of it, but dedicate themselves towards making sure that the sounds are recorded accurately and enhanced with technology before they are programmed into the digital keyboards to deliver rich and realistic sounds.

Yamaha then goes further to ensure their digital keyboards also feel like acoustic ones. This is where all the graded hammer action technology comes in. Their keyboards are designed to ensure that both the touch and responsiveness of the keys mimic that of a grand piano while also facilitating the user’s full expression.

Above all, Yamaha has been so popular for making the most solid and reliable keyboards in the market. These allow even the young students to comfortably use and grow with the keyboard until such a time when they need a bigger or more advanced piano. Cases of breakdowns or failures are really not common with Yamaha instruments.

Casio

Unlike most other brands, Casio had a tough start when they first ventured into the keyboard making industry. In fact, the company was at some point accused of making low-quality keyboards.

It’s very interesting to see how Casio have pulled themselves up over the years to become one of the leading brands in the market producing excellent keyboards as is evident in the Celviano and Privia product line. They have a bunch of highly dedicated and experienced engineers who are constantly seeking the latest technology to improve their keyboards. They also have their own unique graded hammer action technology which is designed slightly differently but it is still aimed at giving you the feel of playing an acoustic piano. Casio has an advanced sound technology and wave generations all of which are aimed at making their instruments sound great and for a generally impressive performance.

The best thing about Casio products is how affordable they are. Now, don’t get me wrong by thinking that their “cheap” products are inferior to the other brands. No. Casio has over the last couple of years been making remarkable equipment at almost half the price of what other brands offer. These instruments come with everything a seasoned or beginner pianist needs. The keyboards themselves also look amazing and in most cases, you won’t even believe it when you see the price tag. This is why Casio has been one of the few go-to guys for all the musicians that want great instruments at affordable prices.

Roland

Roland is an all-round company that makes all types of keyboard for different purposes. If you need the best learning keyboard you will find some here. If you are looking for a studio or live performance keyboard that will move your audience, then they are also more than capable of hooking you with one. The company has been making remarkable digital pianos for years using their incredible Steinway acoustic concert grand piano.

Roland has invested hugely in getting experts and the right technology to meet user expectations in all aspects of the keyboard. This is why their keyboards perform very well in terms of productivity, efficiency and overall reliability. Sounds, touch, sampling, and all other features are also fine-tuned to satisfy even the most demanding pianists.

Players of all needs and playing skills will, therefore, find an instrument from Roland that they can work with comfortably.

Korg

Korg has been in the industry for slightly over 50 years. They may not have been around for long (compared to the other brands) but they have made groundbreaking achievements earning them a spot as one of the leaders in the industry. The first synth introduced in Japan was from Korg. Additionally, the US had never known of an M1 workstation until the Korg M1 came along.

Something amazing about Korg is that they don’t just rely on their engineers in making their keyboards. They also have a team of musicians that contribute in one way or the other during the manufacturing process. This gives Korg a unique perspective that most other brands don’t have. That’s why most of their keyboards don’t just perform well from a technical point of view but also in the overall experience they give users. Their keyboards take care of even the smallest of details ensuring that your potential is utilized fully.

Korg also has a good reputation for making reliable and versatile keyboards that meet different demands. Even traveling pianists will have an easy time carrying these keyboards to different gigs due to the sturdy construction that allows them to survive the harsh on-road experience. They also have a decent line of affordable keyboards that are highly recommended to beginners.

Kawai

Kawai has been around since 1927 and they pride themselves as one of the leading keyboard manufacturers that deliver highly-equipped digital keyboards at a fraction of the price of other similar keyboards from competing brands. Kawai is, therefore, one of the companies that we really need to thank because their production of excellent keyboards at low prices has triggered other brands including Yamaha to follow a similar path. This leaves the consumers spoilt of choices.

Kawai also has quite a huge selection of keyboard designs to choose from. They make keyboards of almost all colors and styles. Kawai also obtains their sounds and tones from the best-selling grand and upright pianos. They extract, enhance and program these sounds onto their digital keyboards with utmost care thus making the keyboards sound and feel like expensive grand pianos.

Final Words

Even though we have highlighted a few brands that make incredible machines at affordable prices you need to know that getting the best usually means making a compromise on the price side. A brand like Yamaha, for instance, has, perhaps, the best keyboards but they are not quite affordable. You will need to dig deep into your pockets and pay a few extra bucks but looking at the keyboard’s performance you realize that they are absolutely worth spending on.

However, if you are just starting out your career and you don’t much to spend then we’d still recommend the other brands like say Casio and Kawai. They make an incredible instrument at very affordable prices.

Everything said you need to get a balance between the features you need and your budget. Once you’ve done so, we are confident that the above brands will have just the right keyboard for you.