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| Artesia AP120e |
UPDATED REVIEW – September 1, 2016 – Artesia AP120e Digital Piano at Costco – This Artesia upright style digital piano is one of three newer Artesia pianos offered by Costco this year. The other two models are digital micro & mini grand pianos. All three models including this AP120e ($999US Costco price) are identical in every way except for the cabinet design and shape and internal speaker system. The AP120e is the lowest priced model and is actually very attractive in its polished ebony finish, especially for the low price. The Artesia digital pianos are manufactured in China and the Artesia name is not actually the manufacturer but the name is owned by the Virgin Musical Instrument Company who is the distributor of the Artesia digital pianos in the US. This brand is not the only one produced and sold in this way because it is also true of the Suzuki and Adagio brands as well. Costco used to carry those brands.
I have played 1000’s of digital pianos throughout my career and am knowledgeable on nearly all the latest digital pianos out today, especially the ones available in the US. So when I say this AP120e does not have adequate piano playing realism, it means when compared with a regular acoustic piano. This is not to say the piano will break down or physically fall apart because I have not personally experienced that, but based on everything I see in this piano as far as getting a quality piano playing experience out of it, the Artesia AP120e doesn’t come close to an acoustic piano or name brand digital pianos in a similar price range. In fact, other than cabinet design and finish, you could do much better buying any less expensive Yamaha or Casio digital piano in terms of how they play and what they sound like in my opinion.
The AP120e selling feature is its nice looking cabinet and bench, attractive polished ebony finish, and more powerful internal speaker system at 80 watts power going into 4 speakers. It also has lots of buttons, a nice LCD display screen, and a handy sliding key cover. All of these “superficial” exterior and interior features are great if you want a loud instrument that looks great. But you should never judge a book by its cover. I am not trying to be critical of this model for no reason. It’s just that it plays poorly and sounds unacceptable compared to most name brand digital pianos I have played with the exception of perhaps the Suzuki, Adagio, & Williams digital pianos which are equally disappointing and are of a similar nature. You generally get what you pay for and in digital pianos just because they look good does not mean they are good. These pianos are not an inexpensive price for no reason.
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| Roland RP401R |
If you want to read a full detailed review of these new Artesia pianos, then go to my link below to read my review on the small baby grand versions. Everything I describe on those pianos as far as playability, piano & instrument sounds, key action, functions, digital features, pedaling response, etc, are the same as this AP120e. If you want to be sure you are investing your money into an instrument that will allow you to play it and actually behave and be much more like a real piano, then look at Casio, Yamaha, Kawai, or Roland as a much better alternative. When a brand name like Artesia gives you a good looking cabinet in polished ebony with lots of buttons in this price range, they have to sacrifice something and that ‘something” would be a realistic piano playing experience, it’s not even close in my opinion. If that does not concern you then the Artesia AP120e may be a good choice for you.
If you want more info on new digital pianos and LOWER PRICES than internet discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.
