Help please

General discussion about digital pianos

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winchman
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Help please

Post by winchman »

Hello Our kids are learning piano
I have been offered a Yamaha CLT 122 for £150
I can only find a CLP 122 on the web site, it looks the same but is more like a piece of furniture.
The picture of the one I have been offered is the same but has a Keyboard type tubular stand and I cant see any foot pedels?
Have they missread the model number?, could you buy these with tubular stands? if so what about the peadals?
Is it worth £150?
Thanks for your help, I know nothing about pianos so its much appreciated
markymark
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Post by markymark »

I would say that the seller has made a mistake. I have never really heard of Yamaha using a ‘T’towards the end of the model prefix in its digital piano range. The CLP-122 was on the go around the same time as the CVP range around 1990 (if not slightly before). Basically, the CLP was the classical piano range and the CVP was the classical range with the extra sounds, rhythms, etc. and was consequently more expensive than the CLP range.

I had a CVP-8 which belonged to the same era of digital instruments. This was around the time that the digital piano was a fairly new arrival to the musical instrument family. I gave away my CVP-8 last year because I felt that the piano was too old and inferior to many others out there at the moment. Bear in mind that the life-span of a digital instrument is not that long and a lot of things start to go wrong after about 10-15 years. Two years prior to getting rid of the keyboard, I had to get a full service carried out on the instrument as two of the velocity sensors had gone which meant that no matter how softly or hard I hit the key, the volumn was always the same, depending on the volumn adjuster of course! Just before I gave it away, some of the keys were starting to go again. Remember you are looking at an instrument that is, potentially, at least 15 years old!

The CLP-122 was the model above the entry model which was the CLP-121. The range carried on up to CLP-124 I think. This model should have two pedals but will come with a retort stand (a wooden, laminated stand, often black in this range, as the pedal board is attached to the stand) so an X-stand is not going to be much use to you here. I had compatibility problems using other pedals with my CVP-8 so you may well be restricted with this model too.

I’m fascinated that the model you have only has a metal stand. I know my pedal board was starting to split and needed a support underneath it to stop further damage. The wood was only a low level woodchip board. If the model is really a CLP-122, this may have been damaged beyond use, in which case, the pedals will also be lost. Obviously, if you kids are taking piano lessons, this will not be much use to them. This may explain why the photograph you have been given has not included a shot of the pedals - they made not be there anymore! The fact that it is sitting on a metal stand makes me suspicious too - mainly because the pedalboard would come as part of the stand unit, that is if the keyboard is in fact a CLP-122 as I am supposing.

To be honest, unless you are stuck on a tight budget, this doesn’t really sound like a sensible buy to me. The cheapest digital piano in the Yamaha range would be the YDP131 which is priced somewhere in between 450-500 GBP (I don’t think you should be spending more than that, though!). It has the Fully Weighted ‘Graded Hammer’ Keyboard Action which replicates the feel and weight of each note of an acoustic piano. This is an entry level digital piano so depending on how seriously you think the children will take piano lessons, will probably dictate how much you want to spend. Again, there are much better models than Yamaha’s YDP-131, like the new CLP-2XX range which will cost from 900 GBP upwards but it may be more than you need. If your children move up through the music grades, you should really consider an acoustic instrument but I’m looking way down the line probably...

See if you can try these at one of your local music dealers. But whatever you do, don’t buy an instrument without going to see it first and without trying it out. This applies to buying new instruments and particularly when buying privately from second-hand owners! An instrument is an investment, whether digital or acoustic. The problem with digital instruments is that they do devalue much faster and more severely than acoustic instruments. When you buy a digital instrument, you would need to want to hold onto it for a while in order to get your money’s worth out of it so you can’t afford to get stuck with a lemon!

Long distance sales often aren't much more successful than long distance relationships, particularly where secondhand stock is concerned.
winchman
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Post by winchman »

Thanks for that reply its much appreciated.
I went to look at i and it was a CLP122s
The proper stand and pedals are missing and one plastic trip on the end is missing, but it plays as it should.( my wifes ( she can play) has given it a good try out last night and is pleased with it)
So I bought it for £120
Why
Well I am on a tight budget and cant really afford much more, the kids have a good Yamaha Keyboard for lessons at school and this is so they get a feel for proper piano style keys, and my wife is missing her own piano.( she keeps chucking the kids of it LOL)
Having two kids its handy having a piano and a keyboard
Now kids being kids this may be a short fad, but it gives me time to save a bit more cash and when and if they get to the stage of needing some thing better I will buy a newer one.
Thanks for all your help its much appreciated
markymark
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Post by markymark »

Well I'm glad that you tried the instrument before you bought it!

Understandably, you have had to work within your budget - that's the way it is sometimes. At least your wife is happy with it - I guess that's the main thing! :wink:

Enjoy!
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