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My brother would like a piano, but doesn't have the space or desire to move the thing in a couple years. Instead, he would like to buy an electric piano. Can any of you suggest a few good models for him to consider? He's most interested in the feel and sound of the electric piano matching as closely as possible to a real piano. He does not care at all about different sound effects, instruments, etc.

Both my brother and I are pretty ignorant on this. Any advice would be appreciated. I'm sure he'll try before buying, but he'd like go in with a bit of knowledge.

Thanks in advance!

Yamaha's Clavinova line offers many different levels and price points depending upon the amount of bell and whistle-age you desire. I have a CLP-240 from 2005 and have found it sufficient for my needs. A friend of mine says Yamaha uses sound samples from Kurzweil and they are known for their accurate representation of acoustic pianos. YMMV

I have a Kurzweil stage piano which is pretty good but it's designed for carting around to gigs - it comes without a stand or speakers. I think there is a built in speaker version but I've never played one.

This decision usually comes down to either Roland or Yamaha. The yamahas usually have a heavier touch and is often a deciding factor for classical pianists. When I looked at instruments recently (stage pianos without speakers), the Roland was the big loser in the sound department and the Kerzweil a narrow winner over the Yamaha. (I was looking at a cheaper line of instruments than the Clavinova).

I've played a couple of Yamaha Clavinovas of different vintages and been pretty blown away by them. We have one in our small Church (like a large living room) and it would have to be the closest you could get to a grand piano in electric form.
I would probably prefer it to a small cheap upright piano.
The only thing I don't like about it is that it is a bit hard to play fast double octave passages on - my middle fingers tend to hit the buttons above the keyboard. I haven't played the Clavinova back to back with the Kerzweil and Roland equivalents so I can't give you chapter and verse there but the Yamaha is good enough.

Regards

Gerard

Yes, like the above have said. I've played many, owned none. One of either the Kurtweil or the Yamaha models should do just fine for him.

The Yamaha P series have outstanding action and piano sounds, and speakers powerful enough to not require an amp in smaller venues. Not a lot of bells and whistles, and some of the other sounds (B3 especially) are not as good, but the basic pianos are top notch. You should be able to find a P200 or P250 used. The newest is the CP300.

Good comments! I'll have to point him at this page now

thanks