Is the Williams Allegro 88-key Digital Piano Worth It?

Williams Allegro

Digital pianos come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and classifications, and there is no doubt that any consumer with the right amount of searching can find the piano that is right for them. Some digital pianos appeal to consumers looking for a more advanced experience, with a wider range of selection and a higher level of engineering. Others may be looking for a simple machine with just the basics to accommodate them. Yet others may be searching for something that falls in between.

The Williams Allegro 88-key digital piano falls somewhere in the category for consumers searching for something basic that contains the primary necessities. It is unapologetically a low budget, economy type digital piano that honestly shouldn’t be considered for piano players on the intermediate and advanced level. That being said, it shouldn’t altogether be discarded as a viable option for all consumers, as its low price and decent function still allow it to serve as a entry level practice option for beginner piano players.

Piano Buying Guide

Comparison Chart 3

Below, please enjoy the interactive guide that was created to make your piano purchase easier.  Compare the Williams Allegro to the best pianos:

PhotoModel
Casio PX-S1100
Alesis Prestige Artist
Casio CDP-S360
Yamaha P-515
Casio PX-870
Korg LP-180
Casio PX-770

William Allegro Review: About the Company

The Williams Piano Company, makers of the Allegro along with other products such as the Williams Overture and Williams Rhapsody, are actually part of Guitar Center’s “private label brand.” While it’s a bit unclear just what exactly this means, it is safe to say Guitar Center and its subsidiaries and affiliates have an invested interest in the success of all products related to the Williams Piano Company. This is why most adverts that you see concerning Williams Piano products lead or link directly to Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend (a subsidiary of Guitar Center) , and Woodwind & Brass (another Guitar Center subsidiary). Each piano is made by an unknown manufacturer in China.

Because of this many of the Williams Piano Company products are lower priced compared to their counterparts, due to the fact they cost considerably less to produce. This speaks volumes to the quality of their machines, and why there seem to be considerable complaints against many of them. Nevertheless, most of their products are still fully functional, it should only be stated that each consumer should be aware and is taking their own risk.

Below, take a look at some of the best selling digital pianos online, and see how they stack up against the Williams Allegro:

BEST SELLERS
1) Yamaha P-515
2) Casio PX-S3100
3) Casio PX-870
4) Roland FP-E50
5) Roland FP-30X

Features of the Williams Allegro

One of the better things about the Williams Allegro 88-key digital piano and many other Williams Piano products is that it looks very nice. This is a quality that simply can’t be denied, as the nice black finish running around the entire of the body gives it clean look and feel. The distinguishable logo gives it professional look and its design overall is substantial.

As for the size, Williams continues to make its portable pianos, well, highly transportable. Other pianos in the Allegro’s class of price and function, such as the Williams Legato and Yamaha P 105, weigh between 20 and 35 pounds. Any consumer would expect about the same result from the Allegro, and that’s exactly what you get here, as the Allegro weighs in at 29.8 pounds.

Granted, you’ll feel the weight of 30 pounds if you’re lugging it around all throughout the day, from one building to the next.  But if you just need to throw it on your back quickly or place it inside a vehicle to move it from point A to point B, the size here is not only a non-issue, it’s absolutely perfect given one’s specific need or lifestyle.

Aside the weight of the machine, the construction of the piano is fairly decent. The keybed has a weighted feel to it, and the manufacturers of Williams Pianos have inserted their own hammer action technology. However, the response of the keys is quite underwhelming. The keys seem to produce differing velocities for the same touch, while some keys fail to respond at all. Unfortunately, many of the Williams Piano products are known for having issues like these. The support for the pianos is just as bad, and trying to reach representatives for answers can be a dead end.

The polyphony of the Williams Allegro is pretty good, standing at 64 notes. 64 notes of polyphony should be more than enough for most entry level and beginner piano players, and there should be no dropped notes. Most beginner pianos don’t bother to add more than 36 or 48 notes of polyphony, so 64 notes is a refreshing feature.

Many of the sounds on the Williams Allegro are decent, with the grand piano sound giving just enough to satisfy the average user. It is not expected for this private brand of Guitar Center to compete with established industry giants like Yamaha and Casio, so some of the drop off in quality is expected. Many of the best name brands have all kinds of sampling technology and wave generation, but the tones found in the Allegro should do just fine.

Cost of the Williams Allegro

The Williams Allegro stands out to most consumers most notably because of its low price. Digital piano prices can get pretty hefty at times, so this piano seems like a great change of pace to many consumers. The Allegro has a list price of $299, which is the price you will get directly from Guitar Center, with about $20 added on for tax and shipping if bought online. Woodwind & Brasswind and Musicians Friend offer roughly the same price, with Musicians Friend listing at $269 but tacking on $17 for tax and shipping. However, as stated before, Williams Piano Company is privately owned by Guitar Center, so buying from any of these outlets is essentially paying into the same pocket.

They say if something is too good to be true, then maybe it is. This price certainly is ‘too good to be true,’ considering the market for digital pianos, which should raise some real concerns about the quality and manufacturing of the product. Always remember that for just a hundred dollars more you can get a proven quality product such as the Casio CDP-120 or the Korg SP-170s.

Other Options

If a consumer were to decide against the Williams Allegro, here is a list of comparable digital pianos that provide a wonderful beginner digital piano alternative:

  1. Williams Allegro 2 review
  2. Casio CDP-120
  3. Korg SP-170
  4. Yamaha Piaggero NP-11
  5. Yamaha Piaggero NP-31
  6. Yamaha P-35

And for additional, in-depth digital piano reviews, be sure to revisit Digital Piano Review Guide.  Thanks for coming!

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