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> I really would like to see a 100lb digital piano replacing a 500lb upright piano while keeping its action, feel and sound, if not a grand piano.

I get the impression that you’ve not played a digital piano lately.

While purists will definitely not touch an electric, most casual players — and especially beginners — will be fine with, and are buying — and preferring! — a good electric piano over a grand or even uprights these days.

I wanted a grand myself for years, but couldn’t justify the cost or space consumption of a grand.

We’re now the happy owners of a Roland FP10, and it’s great! The sound, IMO is amazing, and about as close as an electric can get to the real thing.

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We recently sold the digital piano after 3 years of playing on it and replaced it with a traditional piano (an upright). It's true that a digital piano works for beginners. But for someone with dedication, they outgrow digital pianos extremely quickly.

EDIT: it actually depends on what you play. We usually play traditional pieces, especially those by Chopin so a digital piano definitely doesn't cut it.

The r/piano subreddit is full of amateur pianists who own a high-quality digital piano who share their experiences playing a grand piano for the first time. 99% of the time, they express astonishment, amazement, and their wish to someday own a grand piano. 1% of the time, they complain that the grand piano they played on was way out of shape and was difficult to tame.

For a lot of people, and it seems yourself included, a digital piano is an excellent compromise. It gets the job done, but if all else were equal and circumstances permitted, such people would still prefer to own a grand piano, for significant and non-negligible reasons.

Without a doubt. I’ve played on a grand and upright, but I’d still call myself just barely above beginner. But I do have a good ear for appreciating music and acoustics, and agree that they’re definitely much better.

But it’s crazy the progress they’ve made in the past decade or so in reproducing the sound — and particularly the feel of the hammer action — of acoustic pianos.

And whether it’s budget, space, and/or experience level, a digital piano serves as a great replacement.