What your keyboard's model number means

Keyboard model names are not random: every maker runs a ladder of series, and the letters tell you the rung before you read a single spec. PSR is not a P, an FP is not an HP, and CT-X is not a CT-S. This guide decodes the naming families of the five big makers plus the Chinese newcomers - and then gives you the other half of the answer: the release year of every model in our database.

Yamaha

P-series - portable pianos (P-45 → P-125 → P-145, P-225/525 stage versions): the number tracks the generation. DGX puts the same idea under arranger features. YDP is the entry home piano, CLP the Clavinova line (the number scales with tier: CLP-725 < 775 < 885), CVP adds full arranger accompaniment. PSR-E / EW / S / SX is the portable arranger ladder from entry (E) through 76-key (EW) to pro (S, SX) - and Genos sits above them all. CP / YC are the stage lines for pianists and organists, MODX / MONTAGE / MOTIF the synth-workstations. Reface models are the compact reissues. Current generation: Yamaha P-145, Yamaha P-225, Yamaha PSR-SX900.

Casio

Privia is the portable piano family - PX (PX-160, PX-770) grew into PX-S, the slim generation (Casio PX-S1100). CDP is the budget hammer line. AP (Celviano) covers home cabinets (Casio AP-750), CT-S the slim portables (Casio CT-S1) and CT-X the arranger keyboards with the AiX engine.

Roland

FP is the portable piano line (Roland FP-30X = the current mainstay), RP the entry home models, HP the mid home series and LX the flagship home pianos with the modelled engines. RD is the stage-piano line (Roland RD-2000), FANTOM the flagship workstation, JUNO the mid-range synth family. GO is the budget line, E-A the arranger keyboards, V-Piano the first fully modelled piano. An "X" suffix is usually a mid-cycle refresh with a new engine or keybed (FP-30 → FP-30X).

Korg

B (B2) and LP are home pianos, C the concert-style cabinets; SP is the portable piano line (Korg SP-280). SV recreates vintage stage instruments (Korg SV-2 88), KROSS and KROME the budget synth-workstations, KRONOS and NAUTILUS the flagships. Pa is the arranger line (Pa300 → Pa5X), prologue / minilogue / monologue the analog synths, and wavestate / opsix / modwave the modern digital trio. microKORG is the evergreen compact synth.

Kawai

ES is the portable line (Kawai ES520), KDP the entry home pianos, CN the mid home series and CA the wooden-key flagship home line (Kawai CA901). MP is the stage series (Kawai MP7SE), VPC a pure MIDI controller with Kawai's best action, NV the hybrid pianos with real acoustic actions.

Medeli, Donner & the Chinese makers

Medeli names by function: DP digital pianos, UP upright cabinets, SP stage, AK/A arrangers, MK controllers, GRAND the top cabinets. Direct-to-consumer brands (Donner, Artesia, Souidmy) use model codes without a system behind them - the buying advice for those lives in our Chinese brands guide.

Suffixes, at a glance

Numbers after a dash are key counts (73, 88). X is a refresh. a often marks an Asia-market revision (Yamaha P-125a). BT marks a Bluetooth-equipped variant. Colour codes (WH/BK/BN) and finish names ride along without changing the instrument - and on Yamaha stage models, 88/73/61 at the end of a name is a different keybed, not just a trim.

Release years: the full index

Interpreting a listing, checking whether "current" means this decade, or dating the instrument you already own - the table below is every model in the database with its documented release year (month where the manufacturer announced one). 111 models have no documented introduction year and are not listed.