Yamaha CP-70 Electric Grand Piano

After transporting this unit into my house, it took roughly 5 minutes to clamp it all back together and put the legs on... Very easy to understand.
A downside to real pianos is that they require *regular* tuning. Anyone who leaves their piano un-tuned for more than 12 months is either not playing it, or they are playing an out of tune piano. DIY tuning is not recommended. Be kind and give the work to your friendly-neighborhood Piano Tuner...
Don't be cheap

(Rating explanation: Pianos are themselves versatile instruments, but not in the most modern sense of the word.)

FULL polyphony. Real piano action (mine is somewhat stiff). Also, a sustain pedal which screws into the belly of the Piano.

Each string (or pair of strings in the middle register) is resting upon a small PZM style pickup. A preamplifier exists within the unit. The preamp has the following I/O options:

-2 mono outputs; Both outputs feature 1/4 Unbalanced AND XLR Balanced

-Effect send/receive section on the front panel. (I usually add some reverb or room dynamics) Effect is mixed into the main output ports mentioned above.

-Three band EQ (Bass, Mid, High)

-Main output volume control (One pot for both channels)

-Tremolo effect with Depth and Speed settings. Tremolo effect is merged into the main output section, but NOT into the effect send/receive circuit.

The CP-70 is not a Concert Grand. Great effort has gone into the construction to allow an *acceptable* Piano sound (via amplification) along side the fact that it can be moved easily by two people. I would classify it as a Rock piano.
For what it is worth; I'm told that Billy Joel, Tony Banks and Herbie Hancock were often seen on stage using a CP-70.

Here is my critical assessment:
Because the piano lacks a soundboard, it isn't able to project the full range of natural tones. By opening the top lid, the sound improves greatly, but there is still very little oomph! Many sample-based electronic organs and keyboards will no doubt have a better overall piano sound.(And a $3000 roland electric piano will have better action than this CP-70)
I have found that some signal processing is mandatory. The pickups simply do not resonate much. The pickups do a wonderful job getting the pianos' natural attack, but the rest of the waveform needs some assistance. I often run an analog reverb pedal into the effect chain on the front panel of the piano. There is even a little 'spot' for the pedal to go which is within easy reach on the left side.

With the correct effect usage, and a dash of post-production this piano can sound as good as it gets. So far I have found the effort to be worthwhile.

There is some rather persistent noise in the audio channel of the pre-amp, but it sounds like a bad solder point, or an old Capacitor. I'm sure it is something that can be easily fixed with a scope and the schematic.

Very Important: A piano is a living thing. The feedback which takes place while playing a real piano cannot be achieved otherwise, and possibly never will. It has nothing to do with action, sound, effects or anything else. Playing a piano is it's own reward.
Even an out-of-tune piano is heavenly to the one playing it! On this front there is no comparison of the CP-70 to say a DX7.

I suspect my CP-70 has been to hell and back. Obviously, there are many moving parts made of wood, and strings will break eventually, etc. It has already suffered through 20 years of use, and I expect at least another 20 out of it.
Assuming no one drops it, and you can have a tuner come and touch it up every once in a while, I'm sure you could use it night after night and never need a backup.

I haven't had to contact Yamaha about it. I have talked with other piano retailers and tuners, all of which had good things to say about CP-70 reliability.
I do wish to find the schematics/setup specs for it, in case I want to make adjustment to the electronics and/or tunings.

I have always wanted a real piano. I had looked at new/used upright pianos, which are a pain to move and often not very well built. The fact that the CP-70 was designed to be moved I think resulted in it being heavy duty in its construction. No-name pianos of yesteryear can often cost more than the $1000CAN which I paid for this.

I would break down and cry if anyone stole it, and I would not rest until I found an identical replacement.

I primarily record what I do, so the outputs are a blessing, even if they have to be effected to sound good. There is a large amount of key mechanism noise which doesn't appear in the audio stream, but it would if I where trying to Mic it.

I've never been happier with a decision to buy a musical instrument than with this piano.

Just like a real piano. Mechanically, it is a real piano.

Same as previously stated. XLR and 1/4 inch outputs... volume and some tone controls... extra cheesy tremolo. Mine also included a custom Anvil case for each half of the piano. I don't need them anymore, so if anyone is interested in the Anvil cases (in Sacramento area), let me know. They are foam lined, with casters and handles.

Everything that a real piano can do, minus a few keys at the upper and lower end. Mechanical damper works great, too.

It's a piano that's built to travel. Don't throw it out a 2nd story window and it will last forever.

I bought it used from a an ex-roadie, who in turn purchased it from the band when they broke up. The Whiskey Hill Gang or some such. As for customer service, he helped me load it in the truck. Doesn't get much better than that.

Great if it's what you want. I wanted easier portability and my wife wanted dead on piano action. That's what we got in spades.

Can you play a piano? That's what it is. Unfortunately,
it's heavy and comes in two parts. But that's because it
has a real grand piano action and horizontal harp.
Using it is easy, moving it is not like moving a synth.
(Nor is it anything like moving a real piano, thank goodness.)

The main feature is a real grand piano action.
Other than that, it has separate outputs: 1/4" that are affected
by the volume control, and XLR that are not, ideal for local
monitor and send-to-board scenario. It also has a stereo
vibrato which is more of a gimmick than a useful feature.
It has useful bass, middle, and treble controls.

While it doesn't sound just like a real piano, it has a
great sound all it's own. It certainly sounds more like
a piano than anything that was available back in the
early 80's, and still sounds better than many electronic
pianos today, especially considering dynamic range. You
can really bang on those keys!
The touch is relatively light and fast, compared to pianos.
It is relatively heavy, compared to electronic pianos and
weighted-keyboard synths.

This piano was used by many pros, including Billy Joel, for
gigs where a real grand piano was not practical.

Because of its high and long sustain, I like it better for
rock, blues, and ragtime than for intricate jazz or classical
music, where the sustain tends to interfere with note separation.

I bought one that was severly abused by some hard rock group,
never fixed it (I still move it by tying the covers on), and
have used it continuously for 20 years now. (I don't gig with
it very often). The legs are very sturdily mounted and did not
suffer at all from the horrendous treatment that the piano apparently
got. The casing is battered and dented, the casing screws are
missing, and the buckles and a hinge or two were torn off, obviously
from a very heavy-handed crew. But it still plays great.

Never needed any, other than to order the service manual,
which arrived promptly (20 years ago). I don't know whether
parts are still available, but I bet they are.

When I bought it, there was a waiting line of months, even at
the list price of over $4000 (which I didn't have). At $2500,
this is the best money I ever spent on a musical instrument,
with the possible exception of the first guitar I ever bought
at $60. Playing a real grand piano action had a major influence
on my style and ability.

Today, however, electronic pianos and synths have pretty damn
good piano sounds and even reasonable actions, in addition to
having alternate sounds. But a good piano sound and a good
weighted keyboard are still pretty expensive, and CP70's can
be found at under $1000. If you don't have to move it often
(or if you have a good road crew) and if you don't need other
sounds, it's a great option.

It sounds really great for rock classics like Paul McCartney
style playing, or the end to Layla, or Allman brothers tunes
(my age is showing!) It's also a killer piano for many styles
of blues.

Very easy to use, after the ordeal of getting it on stage! Perfect eq. for live use, nice tremelo effect and effect in/out. All very simple. Straightforward manual

I know that this is not a synth, but a real grand-piano. As it is a electric instrument which is in my opinion really vintage I believe that it should be mentioned here. The keyboard action is superior to any synth I ever played. Real contact between hammers and strings

Very distinctive sound, you can recognize it at once on a record. Love it!

Survived many gigs and 'accidents', stays in tune very well. Built to last.

Broke a hammer once, the dealer replaced it without costs. Never dealt with them again.

I bought this beauty in 1982 and we grew up together, probably going to be buried in/with it. At that time there was no alternative for a real piano sound. Play it every day, as it is +/- irreplacable I woud be very,very sad if I ever lose it. I don't use it on stage anymore so I hope my house will never burn down!