Best Beginner Digital Pianos Under $500
Buying the cheapest possible keyboard with light-weighted keys is not be the best idea even if youre a complete beginner.
If your main goal is to learn the piano, then youll definitely want an instrument with fully weighted keys.
You might be wondering what the heck is fully weighted keys. Dont worry, well get there in just a second!
This article will guide you through all the necessary information to make sure you know all the ins and outs of choosing your first digital piano.
Well also take a close look at the market and select the best digital pianos for beginners that cost less than $500 or so, which will make your research that much easier.
Enough small talk, lets dive right in!
Note: This article includes only portable digital pianos. If youre looking for a console digital piano, follow this article.
If youre not a complete beginner, you might want to take a look at our Top List for Intermediate Players , which also covers portable digital pianos.
These keyboards usually have more sounds, features, and realism, which makes them a better long-term investment. This means, theres more time before you outgrow your instrument.
With the advent of digital pianos, it has become easier than ever to start learning the piano.
You dont have to spend thousands of dollars on an acoustic upright and all the maintenance costs that come with it.
Theres a huge variety of instruments to fit any space, budget, and skill level.
Keyboards/Digital Pianos Under $500
Korg B2 Stylish Piano With A Powerful Sound And Minimal Features
Finally, the last piano were going to talk about is the Korg B2 the successor to the popular B1 model.
In June 2019, Korg announced three new B2 models with a stylish design, excellent piano sound and some new features that were missing in the previous generation.
The B2, B2SP , and B2N have now become the most popular entry-level digital pianos in Korgs arsenal.
Of these three models, the B2N is the only instrument that features semi-weighted keys as opposed to fully-weighted, so in this article, well focus on the B2 and B2SP models.
The B2 is a more basic version of the B2SP since it doesnt come with a stand and 3-pedal unit, but it still comes with some nice upgrades over the B1.
| B2 | ||
| AC adapter, music rest, damper pedal | AC adapter, music rest, damper pedal | AC adapter, music rest, dedicated stand, 3-pedal setup with half-pedaling support |
At the heart of the B2 is the Stereo PCM tone generator, which along with 120-note polyphony and dual 15W speakers delivers a deep, powerful sound with a wide dynamic range.
You get two different acoustic pianos dubbed German Grand and Italian Grand as well as their several variations and a bunch of other instrument sounds.
String resonance and damper resonance are also reproduced quite accurately here, which makes the sound even more natural and complex.
Here is a nice sound comparison between the Korg B2 and the Casio CDP-S100. Which one sounds better to your ears?
Williams Allegro 2 Overview
For the last 10 years, electronics brand Williams made a significant move to compete with popular digital piano brands such as Yamaha, Korg, and Casio. With the original release of the William Allegro a couple of years ago, the company failed to meet the expectations. Numerous clients complained about its poor sound quality and dynamic responsiveness, so the piano maker chose to overhaul the venture without any preparation, including some energizing highlights, and a superior sound motor to the blend. Enter the Williams Allegro 2.
Taking the feedback from hundreds of piano players, Williams went back to production and launched the brand new William Allegro 2 in 2015, which finally lived up to the expectations. In this review, we go over the features, benefits, and drawbacks of this electric piano. With a price range under $300, we rate this piano just outside our top 3 list in best digital piano for beginners.
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End Of Williams Legato Iii
The Allegro 3 is outstanding amongst other ease digital pianos I have explored up to this point. At a retail cost of about $380, you can buy a learner bundle that incorporates the piano, a piano stand, a cushioned piano seat, sound system earphones, and a piano strategy book for novices. I trust it likewise incorporates the pedal system, too.
This pedal component is a solitary pedal and not the three-pedal connection that is offered with other digital pianos. The Allegro III is likewise fit for running on batteries or on the included AC power supply.
For full-size keys and a weighted keyboard with the nature of sound that the Allegro III has, this cost is brilliant! The probability of finding some other keyboard bundled with the equivalent or better highlights, keys that are full size and weight, and including the stand, seat, and earphones is amazingly thin.
At the point when I played the Allegro 3, I found that I favored the pinch of this piano significantly over the vibe of the Yamaha P-45, one of Yamahas compact keyboards.
I likewise played a few different Williams keyboards in the store, including the Williams Symphony Grand that retails for somewhere in the range of $1,700 and $1,800. Shockingly, I favored the bit of the Allegro III over the chief Williams digital piano!
A pedal that is just an on-off switch is additionally misleading in that it feels very not the same as a completely working pedal as found on an acoustic piano or on a better quality digital piano.
Is Williams Allegro 2 88
The Williams Allegro 2 88-key Digital Piano is a fine example of a high-quality musical instrument that is suitable to be played on a concert stage and it is still considered a budget-priced digital piano. It has some of the same features that you will find on digital keyboards for companies like Roland and Yamaha, two of the industry powerhouses.
The nicely weighted keys help to make it perfect for newcomers to the piano, while it has plenty to offer those players who have a little previous playing experience. It has a really quality sound engine that nearly perfectly replicates the sound created by some of the better concert hall grand pianos. Then they throw in some interesting sounds to go along with traditional acoustical grand piano electric organ, strings, and synthesizer.
The Allegro 2 Digital Piano was also designed to be a good teaching platform for a piano instructor or school music class. Using the USB jack on the back of the unit you can easily connect it to almost any tablet or smartphone. By doing this you will have full access to the many online training courses. It also includes access to 5 free lessons using the McCarthy Educational app.
Williams Allegro 2 88-key Digital Piano
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Williams Piano App For Ios Devices
Through its Bluetooth MIDI capability, the Allegro III allows the user to wirelessly connect to any iOS device. This connection gives the user access to the Williams Piano App for iOS devices, allowing the musician to control the functions of the piano.
This app also allows the user to access layering and editing options for the sounds on the piano. You can practice with a metronome or a number of other options on this piano. You can split the keyboard so that the upper section is pitched the same as the lower section. You can even re-tune the keyboard through its Tuning Fork icon, to allow you to play along with other instruments that may not be pitched at the standard 440 Hz.
With its Play Along function, the Williams Piano App lets you slow down the songs on your iTunes library without changing the pitch, so you can play along with your favorite songs! You can also loop the song, so you dont have to restart it after each play-through.
There are many resources available on the Williams Allegro III web page to help you learn more about different styles of music and how to play them. I accessed the Downloads button on the site and accessed the Song Tutor materials available for the Allegro III.
Easy To Use Interface
Last but certainly not least, the Williams Allegro 2 features an easy to use interface that should be suitable for people of every skill level.
Electric keyboards are sometimes known for getting a little bit overly complicated so this good to see. The controls are limited to a few buttons and nobs so most people should have no trouble at all sticking to the settings that they are comfortable with.
Granted, the ease of this interface stems partially from the fact that this is a fairly basic piano. However, even with that said, it is still nice to have a control panel that can be easily understood.
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Williams Allegro 2 88
The Williams Allegro 2 88-key Digital Piano is one of the many models of digital pianos that are designed to directly replicate the beautiful sounds of an acoustical piano. This includes ones that you might find in a concert hall being played by a famous pianist or accompanying an orchestra. It might also be found on a small stage as part of a two or three-piece band.
At the heart of the Allegro 2 is a powerful sound engine that is built around the sound sampling of a grand piano. By simulating the unique sounds of an acoustic piano it makes it easier for beginners and intermediate level players to be able to make a smooth transition over to the realistic feel of any type of acoustic piano. The sound engine also features built-in sounds that allow the player to be able to alter the sound that comes out of the speakers by simply touching a button.
There are several external jacks on the back of the unit that is designed to help enhance your musical enjoyment from the Allegro 2 88-key Digital Piano. You use either the USB or Auxiliary jack for connecting it to external MIDI equipment such as a soundboard or amplifier. The USB port can also be used to connect it directly to a mobile device such as a tablet or smartphone. By using one of the many musical apps downloaded from the Internet, you use it to connect to most smartphones or tablets. From them, you are able to access many of the built-in features.
Additional information about the Williams Allegro 2 88-key Digital Piano
Williams Pianosallegro Iii 88 Weighted
Features*iOS app not currently compatible with iOS 13Specs
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Good budget beginner piano3 of 3 customers found this review helpful
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Protect your investment with the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty
A warranty can be a very important factor when making a buying decision. Because repairs can be very expensive in terms of parts and labour costs, manufacturers usually only provide one year limited warranties that generally only cover items that malfunction due to a manufacturers defect. With an important purchase such as a musicalinstrument or piece of studio gear, however, many people want to have the peace of mind in knowing that their investment will be protected should the product no longer be performing at 100%.
Because of this, Long & McQuade provides our customers with a FREE one-year Performance Warranty on most of our products. The Long & McQuade Performance Warranty supplements the manufacturers warranty to ensure that our customers receive complete no hassle warranty coverage within their first year.
Purchasing additional years of coverage
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Features Of The Williams Allegro
One of the better things about the Williams Allegro 88-key digital piano and many other Williams Piano products is that it looks very nice. This is a quality that simply cant be denied, as the nice black finish running around the entire of the body gives it clean look and feel. The distinguishable logo gives it professional look and its design overall is substantial.
As for the size, Williams continues to make its portable pianos, well, highly transportable. Other pianos in the Allegros class of price and function, such as the Williams Legato and Yamaha P 105, weigh between 20 and 35 pounds. Any consumer would expect about the same result from the Allegro, and thats exactly what you get here, as the Allegro weighs in at 29.8 pounds.
Granted, youll feel the weight of 30 pounds if youre lugging it around all throughout the day, from one building to the next. But if you just need to throw it on your back quickly or place it inside a vehicle to move it from point A to point B, the size here is not only a non-issue, its absolutely perfect given ones specific need or lifestyle.
The polyphony of the Williams Allegro is pretty good, standing at 64 notes. 64 notes of polyphony should be more than enough for most entry level and beginner piano players, and there should be no dropped notes. Most beginner pianos dont bother to add more than 36 or 48 notes of polyphony, so 64 notes is a refreshing feature.
Williams Allegro 2 Pros
- Limited sound determination
Comparison
If we compare the Williams Allegro 2 to other popular piano models we can conclude that this piano is a great choice for its price range. If you are looking for a digital piano that will blow you away than we recommend checking out the Yamaha YPD-163. The Williams Allegro 2 is a fantastic piano but comes with a price tag.
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Allegro 3 Piano App For Ios Devices
Through its Bluetooth MIDI ability, the Allegro 3 permits the client to remotely associate with any iOS gadget. This association gives the client access to the Allegro 3 Piano App for iOS gadgets, permitting the performer to control the elements of the piano.
This application additionally permits the client to get to layering and altering choices for the sounds on the piano.
You can rehearse with a metronome or various different alternatives on this piano. You can part the keyboard so the upper area is pitched equivalent to the lower segment.
You can even re-tune the keyboard through its Tuning Fork symbol, to permit you to cooperate with different instruments that may not be pitched at the standard 440 Hz.
With its Play-Along work, the Williams Piano App lets you hinder the tunes on your iTunes library without changing the pitch, so you can cooperate with your main tunes! You can likewise circle the melody, so you dont need to restart it after each play-through.
There are numerous assets accessible on the Allegro 3 site page to assist you with getting familiar with various styles of music and how to play them. I got to the button on the website and got to the Song Tutor materials accessible for the Allegro 3.
Perusing through these books is definitely justified even despite your time in the event that you are a middle-of-the-road to the cutting-edge piano player.
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Williams Allegro Iii Keyboard Essentials Package
- Model # AllegroIII Essential
This package includes the Williams Allegro III digital piano, keyboard bench, book/audio and video instructional pack, E-Z play key stickers, headphones and keyboard stand. The Williams Allegro III isLearn More
$519.99
Reserve Now!This item is backordered but it is available to reserve now. You will not be charged until the item ships.
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Williams Allegro Iii Digital Piano Black 88 Key
- 88-key weighted piano-action keyboard with hammer action
- Bluetooth MIDI connectivity
- The Williams Allegro has a free downloadable iOS app
- This instrument can run on batteries as well
- Includes free 90-day Skoove Premium subscription with over 400 interactive piano lessons to help build playing and music reading skills
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Contact Sensitive Keys Vs Weighted Keys
The Allegro 3 digital piano is an instrument that, as indicated by its site page, is in reality progressively appropriate for a propelling understudy or expert.
This recommendation, in any case, appears to likewise be a digital instrument profoundly appropriate for a fledgling as I would see it.
A significant part of figuring out how to play the digital piano is the pinch of the instrument. The Williams Allegro offers 88 weighted keysan element that is significant for a novice.
Regardless of whether they arent the best in class weighted keys like those on a portion of the better quality digital instruments, weighted keys offer the most sensible piano feel, a crucial part of figuring out how to play any piano.
Every acoustic piano use sleds to strike strings and produce sound. On the off chance that a learner figures out how to play on anything short of weighted keys,
They may experience issues changing in accordance with the dash of an acoustic piano should they ever have a need or a chance to play such an instrument.
The keys on the Williams Allegro 2piano are longer than common on a lower-end digital piano. This length permits the weighting to be considerably more like the weighted keys of an acoustic piano or a better quality digital piano.
Longer weighted keys give a faster reaction time and more noteworthy control for the artist.
