Sadly, we don't all have enough room for a real piano.
But don't worry if you haven't. There's a great range of Digital Stage Pianos that are marketed specifically at people who are short on space but high on expectations. They're ideal for gigging, for storing out of sight after use or with the optional stands can work as attractive pieces of furniture.
Even if you've got bags of room for a concert grand, you probably don't want to invest huge amounts of money in an acoustic piano if you're just learning or want to upgrade from your smaller keyboard. To that end, we've put 4 of the most popular stage pianos under £500 under the spotlight, and added our own thoughts too. If you have any questions after reading this, please Contact Us.
The Axus Stage piano has been one of our bestsellers since we introduced it to our catalogue. Offering outstanding value for money when you weigh up what features it carries, it's also an ideal step up for a young keyboard player as it has the biggest array of voices of the 4.
The connectivity is also the most impressive with MIDI, USB and even an SD card slot which means you can connect it to nearly anything! One thing I did like was the manual 'Brilliance' control slider. This means you can literally tailor every voice on the keyboard to be as mellow or as bright as you want it - particularly useful on the piano voices.
The keyboard is a little plastic feeling but the weighting is good and consistent and the sound is fantastic - especially the default grand piano voice.
There's a lot of scope for other uses here as well as it being a great instrument for a beginner or curious pianist. Well worth considering - especially with the addition of the attractive AXS2L stand, which really enhances the look of it.
One of the more expensive models. What it lacks in voices and other features it makes up for in a stunning piano sound. Ideal for the beginner who wants a no-nonsense, piano-centric stage piano without the bells and whistles or for the established pianist who needs a credible alternative instrument for practicing quietly or away from home.
You can also upgrade and extend the P105 with the L-85 stand and the LP-5 pedalboard, turning it from a portable stage piano into an item of furniture in your home.
The keyboard is well balanced and responds well. The bass particularly comes through on the speakers very well, although sometimes at the expense of the treble at high volumes - but this can be managed fairly easily.
Casio's entry level Privia model, and a big improvement on the CDP range. Boasting the new privia sound engine and some new ebony/ivory feel keys, it certainly looks the part.
The keyboard has a very nice feel and the sound is nicely balanced, although a little more lean towards the bass frequencies would improve things. It has 18 voices so there's a few more bells and whistles than the P105 but not as many as the Axus.
Not a bad entry level model, but it's in direct competition with the P105. Buyers should weigh up whether they need the extra voices or not and also think about the keyboard feel between the two.
A good all rounder, the Korg balances sound quality with the feel of the keyboard. The action is a little heavier than the other keyboards but that's not a huge problem.
This has the bare minimum of other features - it really is just a Digital piano with a few extras on the side. Like the Yamaha, this makes it ideal for practice away from home or for someone who's not interested in other voices other than the piano.