Clavinova Piano

[Laura]

Hi! Well I'm taking time away from my electronica to learn the "Maple Leaf Rag" on our Clavinova CLP 840 digital piano. The Clavinova is kind of a clunker. My hands are hurting!

My son, (who just gave a concert on a Steinway Concert Grand, ! and practiced for it on a Casio Privia,) tells me "it is time to replace that Clavinova, because it is about 15 years old and the action has really deteriorated on it, and the newer digital pianos have really advanced in the technology and have a much more natural feel."

So I've been thinking about this, cause I"m really liking learning Ragtime, but those octave stretches might feel nicer on my small hands if I had a piano with great action.

Doing a google search tells me that the old clavinova might sell for $700 or $800, but heck, you can get the new casio privia for that!!

I also wondered if some of the 88 key synths (Alesis QS8) with weighted keys would feel like a real piano. Then again, the QS8 is also of the 90s vintage so it might feel like a clunker too.

Are old Clavinovas worth anything to sell, and what are some good replacements?

 

[jmemcse]

Hi!
I love my QS8. To me it's better than a real piano because it's always in perfect tune. The action is close enough for me - way better than a lot of old pianos I've played.

I think I've had my QS8 for about 14 years now. I've taken it on most of the gigs during that time; it has it's own skb case. It's never had any issues, just works every time.

I guess I'm a little one sided on the 88 key synth thing though, because I don't have any real side by side comparisons to offer. But I really love mine.

I'll bet your Clavinova was sweet when new. Is the action just plain worn out?

I looked at ebay clavinovas and saw a wide variance in prices - I don't know anything about the different models. Seems like it'd be a pain to ship.

You have a lot of options though, including trying something semi-weighted that's easier on the hands.