Yamaha Keyboards Review

yamaha-keyboards I’ve invested a lot of time and research into the Yamaha electric piano reviews on this site and you can read them by clicking the links in the chart below or in the right-side menu. I go over all the details on each model, and you’ll get a better idea of which is best for you after reading.

As there’s quite a variety of Yamaha keyboards available, you might be hard-pressed to figure out just which one is the best for you. Below I’ve detailed the main features to look for to help you narrow the playing field.

To also aid you, please check out the feature comparison chart below, which will allow you to see how they stack up against one another. If you come to a decision, I’ve helped make sure you can get the best deal possible on a Yamaha keyboard by putting together price comparisons from top internet vendors on each review page.

Here’s a Comparison of Yamaha Keyboards Currently On the Market:

(refresh this page to see other models)

General
	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5	#6
	Yamaha CP5	Yamaha CP33	Yamaha P155	Yamaha S90XS	Yamaha P95	Yamaha YDP 181
Read Review
Compare Prices
Weight	55 lbs, 9oz	39 lbs, 11 oz	37 lbs, 1 oz	49 lbs, 6 oz	26 lbs, 7 oz	110 lbs, 4 oz
Height	6.9 in.	5-15/16 in.	5-1/2 in.	6.8 in.	5-15/16 in	33-9/16 in.
Depth	15.9 in.	13 in.	13-13/16 in.	15.2 in.	11-5/8 in	20.25 in.
Width	54.3 in.	51-2/3 in.	52-1/2 in.	58 in.	52-3/16 in	53-11/16 in.
Main Features
# of Keys	88	88	88	88	88	88
Weighted Keys Weighted Keys: Weighted keys mimic the keys of an acoustic piano. They will be lighter on the lower notes, heavier on the higher ones
Touch Sensitivity Touch Sensitivity: Touch sensitivity means the harder or softer a key is pressed, the louder or softer the sound will be. Conversely, a piano with no sensitivity will have the same degree of loudness no matter how hard the keys are pressed.
Built-In Speakers Built-In Speakers: For pianos without speakers, either a pair of headphones must be used, or amplified speakers must be connected via the line-out jack	No	No	12W x 2	No	6W x 2	20W x 2
Polyphony Polyphony: The number of notes or sounds the piano can play simultaneously	128-notes	64-notes	128-notes	128-notes	64-notes	128-notes
# of Voices # of Voices: Voices are the different types of pianos or other musical instruments (such as harp, organ, etc) that the piano can play	17 piano, 305 additional sounds and effects	28	17	128	10	14
Reverb Effects Reverb Effects: Echo effects that can simulate playing the piano in different venues, such as a hall or an auditorium
Built-in Songs
Built-in Recorder Built-in Recorder: Does the device have built-in storage to save songs? If not, the piano can still save songs to a computer using either a MIDI or USB port
Metronome
Available Colors	Black	Black	Mahogany, Ebony, or Cherry	Black	Black or Silver	Rosewood
Connections
USB Port
MIDI Connector
Headphone Jack
Line-Out Jack
Accessories
Footswitch Included
Power Supply Included
.
	Yamaha CP5	Yamaha CP33	Yamaha P155	Yamaha S90XS	Yamaha P95	Yamaha YDP 181

What Makes a Yamaha Keyboard Better Than An Acoustic?

There are some major benefits that a Yamaha electric piano has over its acoustic counterpart:

The main thing is COST – grand pianos can easily be tens of thousands of dollars, which effectively prices them out of most people’s range. A very good Yamaha keyboard on the other hand, will cost you less than a grand (yes, pun intended )

Don’t worry about tuning Yamaha keyboards – they don’t need it. Try telling that to an acoustic

Put your digital piano anywhere – it’s small enough to even be put away when no one’s using it. With a grand piano, sometimes it can feel like you need an aircraft hangar to accommodate it

Most Yamahas are lightweight and can be taken to clubs or gigs. A traditional piano though can weigh over 500 pounds – that puppy ain’t going anywhere anytime soon, plus you need to hire professionals to move it

Here’s a video of a Yamaha keyboard, the CP33, being shown off:

Put Some Weight Into It…

It’s uncommon for electric pianos these days to not have keys that are lighter on higher-end notes and heavier on the lower-end. These are referred to as ’weighted’ keys. They represent how a true acoustic piano’s keys would feel so that you get the same experience. You won’t feel like a novice if you ever get to perform on a traditional instrument.

Another nice feature that some of the keyboards can have is being able to set the amount of volume response you’ll get from keys depending on how much strength you use to press them. This also emulates a traditional piano.

Let the Piano Teach YOU to Play

A really good Yamaha piano will take you by the hand (well not literally) and guide you through learning to play songs. These types of pianos have songs built into them, along with lights above all the keys. As you have the piano play a song, the key lights will illuminate, showing you which key needs to be pressed in order to match what’s being played. You can play along to the song as slow or as fast as you want. You’ll eventually get a feel for the compositions as you learn to play.

Add In Some Other Instruments

Most Yamaha keyboards have the ability to emulate other musical instruments, such as drums, a trombone, or a flute for instance. You don’t have to be relegated to just playing the piano. Play whatever you feel like to match your mood. It’s even possible to play more than one instrument at once or use them for backing while you are performing.

Play As If You Were On a Grand Stage

You’re able to enhance the sound of the piano itself and other instruments on almost any Yamaha keyboard. The piano will add echo, depth, and reverb sound effects to make it sound as if you’re playing in a large auditorium if you like or a small room, no matter where your ‘physical’ location actually is. You can even vary the ‘brilliance’ of the piano sound itself from either Brilliant to a more subtle Soft.

Arrange and Record Your Own Music

An awesome feature that almost any Yamaha electric piano is going to have is being able to record as you play. Most pianos have their own internal memory for this purpose, and will even let you record and layer multiple tracks together – this is where the other instruments come in handy. You can add so much depth and sophistication to your music in this way.

Better yet, when you’ve gotten everything the way you want it, you can then transfer the completed work to your computer via a MIDI or USB interface. From there you can edit it further, add in other effects, and perfect it so that you can share it with the world.

Make Sure There Are ’Jacks’ In-The-Box

I don’t think that you can even find a digital piano these days that won’t have at least one headphone jack. It may not seem like it, but lots of people use a headset while they play, a major reason being so that they don’t disturb anyone. Ever try playing at 3am while others are trying to sleep? Probably not gonna fly.

Most of the keyboards will also have some sort of Out jack so that you can run an amplifier to the piano or use external speakers. If you’re playing for a large audience, an amp will be necessary to make sure your music is heard by all.

Owner Quotes

While putting together all of the digital piano reviews on this site, I was constantly reading feedback from owners of these types of keyboards:

“It sounds exactly like an acoustic piano.”

“It’s very light and easily portable…”

“Overall, this thing is a steal.”

“I have not seen anything on the market that comes close to the sound quality and piano feel…”

What Am I Missing?

Well, as in life, nothing is perfect. If you’re a true piano aficionado and music student, you are probably above a digital piano, which can never TRULY be on par with the sound and feel of an acoustic.

But Yamaha keyboards come EXTREMELY close to fulfilling that promise. If someone covered your eyes and forced you to choose which sound was an acoustic and which was a Yamaha keyboard, most would not be able to tell – yes, it’s that realistic. And when you factor in all the advantages of recording, other instruments, cost, size, and so on that you get with an electric piano, there really is no comparison overall.

Obviously if you have the means, you’ll get the grand piano, but for the vast majority, a digital piano is neck and neck with it. I’d like to thank you again for dropping by and reading the Yamaha electric piano reviews I’ve put together. I trust you found them helpful and have come away more informed. Please check back often as I’m constantly adding new information to the site.

(some links here are sponsored affiliate links. The owner makes commission if you buy after clicking these links. The owner is not a bona fide user of this product, but has thoroughly researched it and provided his personal opinion only)

Digital Piano Critic