Yamaha p - 255

[Peter Doubt]

Does anyone have any opinions? I'm a guitar player/songwriter who wants to get back into keys a bit and I liked the feel and sound of this. Any other options?

[JeffLearman]

That's a good piano. If you want to spend quite a bit more and get a piano most players think is better, that's the Yamaha CP4. It's also heavier and doesn't have built-in speakers.

 

Less expensive and nearly as good as the P255, try the Casio Privia pianos. The Casio PX-5S is the top of the line and many prefer it to the Yamaha; it's in a similar class and it's a matter of personal preference. I particularly like the feel of the PX-5S's keys. In addition, it has a pretty full-featured polysynth built into it; a very versatile instrument (but no built-in speakers).

 

If you'll be using your own sound system rather than built-in speakers, demo them using headphones you're familiar with, which levels the playing field.

 

If you can find a place to try them, Kawai MP series pianos are highly regarded. Many folks think the MP10 has the best action of any digital (except for ones that have full real grand piano actions).

 

Except for the PX-5S, the above are good pianos but not that great at other things. They'll have decent simple string sounds, and some have electric piano sounds that are OK, but they're primarily pianos. If you want a wider palette of sounds, let us know.

[Mmmmqac]

Hi Peter,

you say you want to get back into keys. What did you develop your chops on? If it was an acoustic piano (like me) then you may be sensitive to a few characteristics that would not be noticed by others. For example: piano keys are heavier at the bass end than at the treble end of the keyboard.

 

Many electronic keyboards pivot their keys closer to your fingers than a real piano, so if your thumb is on a black key and your longest finger is on a white key, your finger may be so close to the pivot that you may not succeed in pressing the key during normal playing (if you are used to the way a real piano feels). If your history is electronic keyboards, you may already have adapted to this quirk. All of the Yamaha keyboards I have ever played have been good in this respect, but I absolutely hate the way my M-audio keyboard feels.

 

The other characteristic I am a bit fussy about is the way a piano key gets a bit harder to press when it is down 80% of the way, and then suddenly lets go during the final 20%. It does not bother me if an electronic keyboard does not mimic this detail, but I do appreciate it when it does.

 

If you suspect you may later become annoyed by such feel aspects, visit the shops and compare the feel of many models to get an idea of what the differences are. If you doubt you will later become annoyed by such trivial issues, then go by sound, MIDI implementation, after-touch capability and whether you need pitch-bend and modulation controls.

 

Mmmmqac

[Peter Doubt]

Thank you both for your replies - I had given up on getting any feedback. I already bought the Yamaha and for now am quite happy with it. Got a good price. I'll post more as I get more acquainted with it.

Again, thanks.