Williams Allegro 88 Review

This is now my second review for a Williams digital piano. Once again, I was not impressed. I would steer clear of this. If you really want a digital piano for cheap (under $300), then the Yamaha models are much better.

If you absolutely have to buy a Williams digital piano (not recommended), then I would actually get the Williams Allegro over the much more expensive Williams Williams Overture. In a lot of ways, the Overture is not that much better, despite the huge price difference. I will cover this soon.

Click here to read more information on Guitar Center (creators of the Williams brand)

Williams Allegro: Feel and Sound

Remember how I did not recommend the Williams Overture? Well, the Allegro has the same action as the Overture. How is that possible when it costs $300 less? The Overture is twice as expensive, but it has the same keyboard action. This is possible because the Overture is just completely not worth it while the Allegro is somewhat not worth it (if that makes sense).

To explain, the Williams Allegro boasts its “velocity-sensitive” keys. In other words, the keys sound different depending on how hard or weak you hit it. It measures the “velocity” with which you hit the keys. However, despite being velocity-sensitive, it’s nowhere near as impressive as other models around its price (like the Yamaha NP30 or Casio PX-130). The changes in the notes should be gradual, but that’s not the case in the Allegro. The volume of these keys have clear “levels”. In other words, a minor difference of pressure can cause a huge jump in volume. Sometimes even a major difference of pressure can cause no jump in volume. That’s just bad. I would not recommend anybody to use a low quality digital piano like this.

In addition, the keys wobble. Nobody likes wobbly keys. They also feel plastic. I’m not talking about the cool, high-end plastic (yea, they exist). I mean, they feel like cheap plastic.

Overall, the sound and keys are just not great. Hey, it’s only $300 so you shouldn’t expect much, but at the same time, you can find better digital pianos for a comparable price. Seriously.

Williams Allegro: Portability

I just want to talk about portability for a second. Generally, higher-end models are heavier. They have more features, which require more power. They have better speakers, which require more power. Above all else, they have better and heavier keys, which naturally require more weight.

Despite all this, the Williams Allegro weighs 38.1 pounds. This is by no means heavy. It’s just unusual since the Yamaha or Casio models generally weigh 20 to 25 pounds. The Yamaha NP30 is an unusual 12 pounds, but most weigh around 20 to 25. It’s not until you get to the Yamaha P155 or CP33 that they start weighing 40 pounds.

In any case, this cheap digital piano isn’t light.

Williams Allegro: Features

The Williams Allegro only has 8 sounds, which isn’t a lot. Generally, digital pianos that do not have much to offer in terms of their grand pianos make it up with more features. Unfortunately, this digital piano also lacks a varied library of sounds. This includes two piano sounds, two electric piano sounds, one church organ, one jazz organ, strings, and a bass. They aren’t anything too impressive.

The Allegro also comes with 8 preset songs, which once again is below average. Digital pianos on average have about 40. The ones the lack a big library make it up with a beautiful grand piano. This does neither. The 8 preset songs are simple an example of the 8 different sounds. In other words, you get one song per sound.

The 64-note polyphony is once again on par with the Williams Williams Overture (I still have no idea why the Overture costs so much). This makes either the Allegro great or the Overture sad. I’m thinking more along the lines that the Overture is just not worth the money.

Finally, the Williams Allegro does support the sustain pedal. However, you must purchase the pedal and stand separately. It does not support the half-damper effect though, which isn’t surprising since it’s so cheap. In any case, the pedal just works as as an on/off pedal. In other pianos, the sustain pedal works gradually, depending on how you press it and release it. However, the Allegro does not work like an actual piano in this respect.

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Williams Allegro: Conclusion

In conclusion, the Williams Allegro is just not worth the price. Sure, it’s cheap, but there comes a point where you can’t sacrifice too much quality. In order to play a piano, you need at least a certain amount of quality, which this does not offer. Even at its cheap price, there are better options. Just look at the Yamaha YPG-235 or the Yamaha NP30. These two offer a much more realistic grand piano simulation, although they lack realistic keys.

The Williams Allegro is also a stage piano. In other words, it was made to be used on stage. I have no idea who would actually perform on stage with the Williams Allegro though because it lacks quality sound. It has terrible keys. Volumes jump around. I would think that any performer would be willing to pay for a semi-quality digital piano. It’s also about the same weight as other higher end models, but relative to other digital pianos around its price, 38.1 pounds is actually incredibly heavy.

Overall, I would not get this digital piano. There are better options at the same price. If you’re willing to spend a bit more, you can also get the MUCH better Casio PX-130 for $400.

Where can I buy it?