Summary Box
Best Budget Digital Piano – DP-12 Compact Digital Piano by Gear4music
Best Digital Upright Piano – Kawai CA59 Digital
Best Digital Grand Piano – Yamaha CLP 765 Digital Grand Piano
This guide is designed to help you learn which piano brands are the best brands in the world. Whether you seek digital, acoustic, upright, or concert grand piano, you will find the best piano maker in the list below.
Our list focuses on digital instruments, as we feel purchasing an acoustic piano is best done in a store (but never fear, we do say a little on acoustic pianos below).
So what’s first?
Considerations When Buying a Piano
Acoustic vs Digital Piano
The first thing that makes these two instruments different is the key action. The acoustic piano has a mechanism that involves hammers hitting metal strings to produce a note. While digital, as the name points out, has a digital mechanism that uses sensors to electronically create the sound.
Acoustic key actions requires maintenance and tuning, but they do produce the highest-quality sound that is incomparable to digital pianos. Also, the lifespan of these pianos ranges from 50 to 100 years, while digital ones get outdated because of technological progress.
On the other hand, digital pianos are a much more affordable and easy-to-maintain option. You don’t have to tune a digital piano, and they are portable, much lighter and have different features and thousands of sounds.
Acoustic – Upright or Grand pianos
Firstly, as every acoustic is different, we won’t go into details here about models and manufacturers. But it’s important you know the difference between and upright and a grand.
Upright pianos are compact and take up less space. The strings and hammers in upright pianos are placed ‘upright’ instead of horizontally. So they take up less of a footprint on the floor. Upright pianos are cheaper than grands, and they are mostly used in homes.
We would always recommend Yamaha uprights over every other brand. They sit in the middle of seriously high quality instruments, without the massive price tag. And they are one of the most famous brands in the world.
Grand pianos have a large footprint in comparison to uprights. You can open the lid to help with projection, which is the main reason why you see grand pianos in concert halls. The tone of grand pianos is deeper and warmer, featured with a more powerful bass.
If you’re looking to buy a grand piano, the two main brands on the piano market, both of which are a german piano manufacturer, are a steinway piano and a bechstein piano. If you’re looking at concert grands, Fazioli make exquisite instruments, but the standard concert grand in halls across the worlds are a Steinway and Sons piano. Some people also love Blüthner pianos, but we think their new instruments are just not as good as as Steinway grand piano.
But be warned, these instruments don’t come cheap!
Grands are made of premium-quality materials, and most piano manufacturers need a whole year to build a quality grand piano. Because of this, the price of a grand piano is at least a five-digit number, and sometimes even a six!
Digital Piano
Digital pianos are the most commonly purchased piano type. If you are a beginner or intermediate user, or parent who is searching for a piano for their children, digital pianos are the best choice.
Digital pianos have different sounds that you can play around with, and crucially, you can plug in headphones and play the ‘silently’ to the outside world. This means practicing in the middle of the night is now possible without getting angry neighbors!
They are also a good option for students since they don’t require maintenance or tuning, and are much more affordable.
Budget
Everything in life starts with money, and pianos are no exception!
Grand pianos, as mentioned above, are very expensive.
Upridge pianos are the next price down, and can start anywhere from £/$1,500 up to £/$30,000.
Digital pianos are the cheapest of the three instrument types, and start around £/$400 and go up to around £/$8,000.
As with purchase, you can get cheaper instruments than the range suggested above, but usually they’re very bad, poorly designed, terrible sounding instruments – and we caution buying something like this.
Your Goals
What do you want your piano for? If you’re a beginner and are just learning at home, then a digital piano will be perfect.
If you’re an intermediate player, you’ll need a really good digital piano or an average upright to practice on.
If you’re an advanced player, you’ll probably already know what you want; and that’ll be a great upright or a fairly decent grand piano.
Set your goal, and your budget, and you’ll have a set of parameters to work with.
Best Piano Brand No. 1: Kawai
Kawai is a Japanese musical instrument manufacturer known for its outstanding grand pianos, upright pianos, digital pianos, and electronic keyboards and synthesizers. The company was founded in 1927 and is named after its founder, Koichi Kawai.
The Kawai brand was later expanded and managed by Koichi Kawai’s son Shigeru Kawai. The grand pianos, Shigeru pianos, are named in his honor and are known as some of the best pianos in the world.
Shigeru pianos are present in numerous concert halls alongside its competitors, like Bösendorfer pianos, Steinway pianos, Fazioli pianos, and Yamaha pianos.
The best Kawai piano you can purchase online is the Kawai CN201 Digital Piano.
Best of Kawai brand: Kawai CN201 Digital Piano
An Upgraded Design That Provides More Stability and Less Action Noise
TedScore: 10/10
Best For: Concert venues and pianists who need an exceptional quality digital piano
Features: Responsive Hammer III keyboard action; Low Volume Balance feature; Spatial Headphone Sound setting
Pros
- Improved sound
- Excellent control over pianissimo volumes
- 88 ivory touch surface keys
Cons
- Weighs over 40 kilograms
Best Piano Brand No. 2: Korg
Korg is a well-known Japanese corporation with a wide offer of musical instruments and accessories. The company was founded in 1962 under the name “Keio Electronic Laboratories”.
The company started manufacturing keyboard instruments and kept improving their quality through the years. Korg is the company that manufactured Japan’s first synthesizer and needle-type tuner.
Today, the Korg piano factory keeps creating innovative instruments that maintain quality and inspire professionals to play.
The best Korg piano you can find online is the Korg SV2S Stage Piano.
Best of Korg brand: Korg SV2S Stage Piano
All Your Dream Pianos in One Convenient Body With Timeless Performance
TedScore: 9/10
Best For: Intermediate and professional stage performers
Features: Delivers authentic rendition like many classic keyboards; 72 in-built sounds; provides a rich sound
Pros
- Portable, weighs only 21.5 kilograms
- Has numerous input-output options
- Durable and a high-quality stage piano
Cons
- Expensive
Best Piano Brand No. 3: Yamaha
Yamaha is one of the most versatile piano brands offering everything from accessories and equipment to whole, high-quality musical instruments for all levels. The company was founded in 1887, which is more than a century ago.
In the 80s, Yamaha partnered with Korg, supplying its partner with quality pieces and accessories for manufacturing pianos and other instruments. The partnership ended in a few years, but the companies kept working as two independent ones.
The name of this corporation is given by Torakusu Yamaha, the man who manufactured the first Yamaha piano in 1900.
The best Yamaha piano you can find online is Yamaha N1X AvantGrand Hybrid.
Best of Yamaha brand: Yamaha N1X AvantGrand Hybrid
Bring Class and Grandeur to Your Home With a Unique Piano
TedScore: 10/10
Best For: Everyone, including students, intermediate pianists, and professionals
Features: 4-channel speaker system; a combination of two grand pianos in one (Bösendorfer piano and Yamaha CFX); smart pianist app
Pros
- Best for learning grand playing techniques
- One of the best luxury pianos by Yamaha
- Made of high-quality materials
Cons
- Expensive for beginners
Best Piano Brand No. 4: Roland
Roland Corporation is the world’s largest piano manufacturer and maker of world-class music instruments, equipment, and software. Roland has an excellent, lasting impact on music thanks to its outstanding Juno-106 synthesizer and TB-303 bass synthesizer.
Today, you can find numerous beautiful pianos by Roland, such as upright, digital, and stage pianos. Grand pianos joined the keyboard instrument list, too. You can also find baby grand and modern grand pianos by Roland.
The prices are also managed to meet everyone’s budget, starting from £/$300 to £/$5,000.
Our Roland choice is the Roland GP607 Digital Grand Piano.
Best of Roland brand: Roland GP607 Digital Grand Piano
A Class-Leading Technology That Provides an Excellent Playing Experience
TedScore: 10/10
Best For: Serious pianists and stage performances
Features: Compact and modern grand piano that fits home’s environment; equipped with a three-pedal system and MIDI/Bluetooth connections
Pros
- Sleek, compact design
- 10-year warranty coverage
- You can edit the piano’s parameters by your preferences
Cons
- A heavy instrument; weighs 86 kilograms
Best Piano Brand No. 5: Gear4music
Gear4music may not be a household name like Yamaha, but it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be on this list. Where they excel as piano makers are in providing amazing budget instruments, which are really well built, and outstanding value for money.
Will they be as good as a Roland or Yamaha? In all honesty, no. But then again, you’re not paying the price of one of the premium brands.
They are, however, better products than most of the other budget mass-produced rubbish on the market! And that’s the reason we have put them on this list.
Best of Gear4music brand: DP-12 Compact Digital Piano by Gear4music
The Best Budget Slimline Modern Piano Available
TedScore: 9/10
Best For: Beginner pianists who want brilliant value for money
Features: Synthetic Ebony and Ivory keys provide that premium grand feel
Pros
- A built-in three-pedal unit
- 128-note polyphony
- 32 voices and two-track playback recording
Cons
- At some point you’ll want to upgrade
Best Digital Upright Piano Brand: Kawai
Kawai is one of the best piano brands when it comes to upright digital pianos. They look great, they sound great, and they feel great to play.
If you are interested in buying a Kawai upright piano, our top recommended model is Kawai CA59 Digital.
Kawai CA59 Digital
The Best Digital Upright Piano
TedScore: 9/10
Best For: Music students and intermediate users seeking a piano that provides crystal clear sound
Features: Each key has a balanced pin and smooth motion; 44 included tones; dual playing mode
Pros
- Premium keyboard action
- Provides beautiful tone
- Compact piano design
Cons
- Heavy
Best Digital Grand Piano Brand: Yamaha
Yamaha is one of the best piano makers in the world. They make amazing acoustic upright and grand pianos, but more than that, they really pioneered the digital piano. If you are interested in an excellent digital grand piano, we recommend choosing only trusted, world-class piano brands, like Yamaha.
Yamaha CLP 765 Digital Grand Piano is a brilliant, and fairly inexpensive choice for both beginners and advanced piano players. Are there cheaper instruments? Absolutely. But you really do get what you pay for…
Yamaha CLP 765 Digital Grand Piano
The Best Digital Grand Piano For Your Home
TedScore: 10/10
Best For: Music schools and advanced piano performers
Features: Manufactured by one of the best piano brands so far; Grand-Touch-S keyboard; rich audio songs library
Pros
- Comes in glossy white and black option
- A 5-year brand warranty
- 21 voice demo songs, 50 classics, and over 300 lesson songs
Cons
- No fourth pedal option
Summary – Piano Brand Ranking
We hope this piano buying guide and discussion on the best piano brands has helped you decide which piano is right for you. The piano industry is a competitive place, and each manufacturer has its pros and cons.
All of the brands mentioned above are excellent, and they all excell in their own ways. You just need to figure out what exactly you want from the instrument, and then find the make and model that fits your needs the best.
Whatever you end up buying, do let us know in the comment box below, and keep us informed on what impresses you (or not!) about the instrument you’ve purchased.
Good luck on your quest, and if you need any more help, if may be useful for you to look at our Digital vs Acoustic Pianos article, our Digital Piano Buyer’s Guide, our recommended list of 24 Best Weighted 88 Key Digital Pianos, and recommended Best Digital Pianos For Classical Pianists, and lastly, our list of the 15 Best Keyboard Pianos And Digital Pianos. It’s a lot of reading, but it’ll prepare you fully for whatever instrument you need to buy.
FAQ
Which brand of piano is best?
As we mentioned above, we deliver our trust to Japanese digital piano brands since their pianos leave lasting impressions on the stage.
Kawai, Korg, Yamaha, and Roland are brands that have a lot to offer. You can easily choose a piano since these brands have good ones at affordable prices.
However, to choose the best brand, you must initially decide the purpose, budget, and type of piano you want to buy.
What is the best brand of upright piano?
It depends if you are looking for the best brand of upright acoustic piano or upright digital piano. For an acoustic, we think the best piano brand is Yamaha – without a doubt.
The best brand for upright pianos is Kawai. This company makes amazing instruments with outstanding interior quality and elegant design. Kawai is a Japanese brand and one of the world’s best and most popular piano brands.
Kawai aims to deliver a quality product to everyone. You can find a vast selection of professional and student pianos by this brand at affordable prices that meet everyone’s budget.
Is Yamaha better than Kawai?
This answer depends on individual preferences. Kawai and Yamaha have numerous similarities and are often set on comparison, because both are excellent piano manufacturers.
Yamaha is a brand that most popular pianists prefer when it comes to new pianos. On the other hand, Kawai is a good option for beginners seeking a new piano of high quality.
Both brands are major competitors that have successfully made sophisticated grand and upright pianos. Kawai is a brand that offers innovation, quality, design, and pianos with a warmer and rich tone.
Yamaha pianos are excellent for beginners who take piano lessons and individuals with a limited budget. The Yamaha piano players claim that these pianos produce sound the exact moment you hit the key.
Every piano brand is unique, and generally, the choice is made on personal preferences and taste.
Is Bechstein better than Steinway?
No, is the short answer.
If you are interested in buying a piano from a German piano brand, you can opt for Steinway and Bechstein pianos. Both brands follow European pianos standards and are two of the most reliable European piano brands.
But if you’re looking for the best piano brands in the world, and especially if you’re a concert pianist, then the piano maker you’ll be most wanting to play one of the Steinway grand pianos. As far as concert grand pianos go, there is no better option. The most famous pianists in the piano world use them; their sound quality is pretty much unmatched, and they are one of the most respected piano makers in the world.
Excerpt: If you love to play piano and are thinking about buying a new, extraordinary piano, here is a list of top brands that offer exactly what you are searching for!