Yamaha NP-30

Simple, as a stone.

Has metronome with multiple time signatures, I liked it. Pressure sensitive keys with no weight. You can adjust reverb. There is also some nonsense with raising the pitch...
You can use it with 6 AA batteries...
No extensibility.
Has MIDI interface.
Does what you expect.

Well the selection is ok for a piano. A cheap instrument, so the sounds are generated according to that. 2 pianos, 2 electric pianos, 2 organs, 2 harpsichords, a strings, and a vibraphone. I really miss an electric organ or two.
I use only the fist piano sound, for mainly classical music, but the others are ok as well.
But the polyphony with 32 notes, I had to realize, is often not enough, the sound becomes... artificial. And if you sustain a sound you can hear it to be artificial. Well, not too bad, you won't use this in a studio.

You can forget the on-board speakers, even your mobile makes better quality noise. I use it with a good headphone.

I had no problem with it in the past 2 years. But sometimes if you happen to step on the sustain pedal when you turn on the thing, it thinks the sustain pedal works backwards: you push it and does not sustain, you lift your foot and sustains.

The keys seem to be weak. They were moving from side to side when I bought this thing, the gaps between the keys are different form key to key. The gaps are a bit bigger, the keys are a bit smaller than on a real instrument.
I don't gig, but I will, and I'll do it without backup. Yep, amateur.

Never needed.

You can use it with 6 AA batteries and that says all: far from a real instrument, this is a toy piano.
This instrument is only good for practicing.
I'm a hobby pianist playing classical pieces, and I couldn't move my fine R??sler piano with me to my present apartment, and I missed playing, so I needed an electric piano.
I tried lots of electric pianos but instruments with weighted keys seemed to have slow keyboard action compared to my R??sler. I've found one that was fine, but it cost 1799 pounds...
This one has the right keyboard action, but at the same time the bad quality of assembly is annoying. And also, I miss the weight a lot.

If you look for a piano to learn to play, I'm not sure this is for you, because later you'll have a hard time if you sit to an instrument with weighted keys. It's not for learning, it's for practicing.
If you are searching for a cheap substitution of a real piano, than I think you can get used to it. You'll have a hard time though.

If it was stolen... well, I'd seek another instrument, probably a more expensive one.

But this one definitely worths the price.

Very easy to use, its a no-nonsense keyboard.
Basic functionalities which suits my needs fine. For someone looking for a basic keyboard which makes great piano and harpsichord sound, this is great.
Touch sensitivity is good too.

I havent really bothered to explore too much with it.
All I wanted, and got was:

- Decent tone
- Touch sensitivity
- Decent speakers
- Harpsichord and Piano voice
- Portability (you can use batteries and it only weights 7kg!)
- Can connect headphones
- Can connect a pedal

I'm not really a keyboard player, I'm a classical pianist with an acoustic piano at home.
I use this keyboard to take to places where there are no pianos (chamber music with other musicians), or to practise at night.

Its not a piano, so the touch is quite different.
But I find it reasonably responsive, and I can practise fast runs quite satisfactorily. I thnk the touch/dynamic control is fine, and the 76 keys is more than enough for most music.

I've had it for 1 month now, and I use it most evenings.
There were many times when I pushed the keys with fair amount of force and it felt quite sturdy, not flimsy.

The music stand feels a tad weak (i put quite a thick beethoven sonata volume on it and the stand leant back a fair bit) but it didnt break, and for most sheet music it should be fine.

Never had to deal with them so no idea.

I'm happy with this keyboard. I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again. I like that its very light, but the keys feel much more firmer, weighted under my fingers than other keyboards in this price range, and weight.

I love that its light, and good value. I also love that there arent millions of features which I'd never use anyway, and just takes space and clutters the keyboard.

It definitely doesnt feel like a piano, but I dont really have any complaints.

I read somewhere that the keys are narrower than the acoustic pianos but I couldnt tell. I can play all my pieces with the same accuracy as I do on the acoustic. I can play the beethoven sonatas and chopin etudes with no real issues.

Simple to use
I don't midi
short, basic manual
Presets sound good, but why are there no Hammond presets????

I don't think its completely, unlimited polophonic, because it cuts off some tones when you do smashes with reverb. I like the keyboard action. I know its no piano, but all I owned prior to this are synths and hammonds. I did have a Wurlitzer. I have read the reviews criticizing the action, but I am not a "professional" player so I really like it, its light. I also read that the keys are shorter than a piano. this didn't seem to bother me, but then again, I have owned toy Casios like the sk1, cz100 and Yamaha yss 3. It has reverb. It is very limited.

Sounds are decent.
Built for practice, but I gigged it with a old country/truck driving/boogie band. Anything with piano or electric piano. Again, why is there no Hammond? Three more presets would have made this this special.Would be nice to have a chorus and/or vibrato.

Keyboard is somewhat touch sensitive.

Its very new, so I don't know. One key sets slightly lower than the rest already, but it plays. It is extremely light, and moves around a lot unless it is set up right. Very long and thin, I would be careful leaving it set on a stand supported on its ends, I would be afraid it might flex in the middle. Don't drop it. More reliable than the 20+ year old Ensoniq I have been using. So far so good.

Its Yamaha. I've read bad things about the m-audio.

I got this because of the price, its worth the $300 I paid. I got the value pack, with the adapter, pedal and headphones. If I had more money I would get one with Hammond sounds like the Casios or M-audio. Been playing for over 25 years. Now have a Roland vk-09, Leslie 700 with a custom made preamp, Yamaha DJX-1, Seiko DS 250?

The extra octave or so is a great benefit, plus the realistic grand sound, lets me tinker around with piano stuff you can't get with a synth.

As long as you "get" the press two keys at the same time, it's very easy. I've seen even more user friendly pianos (Yamaha P180 is much better), but it's more than easy enough for me.

It does what it does, and does it pretty well. This is a piano, nothing more.

I like some of the sounds, what few there are. The piano is pretty good, the church organ also, if you like that. There are better ones around, but the piano sound is way better than a keyboard from the 90s.

Velocity, but no aftertouch that I could find.

I would say this is good for a small church gathering group, where they don't have the budget for a better piano, or the better piano is somewhere else. A small group gigging on the streets. It's popular here as a beginners piano. I would say if you don't know if you'll stick with it and don't have much space, why not. If you plan on becoming a virtuoso, look elsewhere right away.

Can't comment on reliability, except for one issue:
I have a VFP (Fatar?) switchable sustain pedal. I just plugged it in and it didn't work. It took me a LONG time of testing to figure out exactly what I believe had happened: This keyboard is configured to work with sustain pedals that use the half pedal setting. Finally, I theorized that there was a difference between pressed and not pressed sustain pedal, but it was nothing like the pedal I used in the store. So I'm theorizing that the piano thinks the pedal is half pressed when it's fully pressed. Bummer, since this is a very good pedal, and is probably the most sold pedal in my country. So unless there's actually something wrong with my piano, that particular pedal is not compatible with this piano.

Can't comment

It's definitely worth what I paid - not much. I've had it for a day.

Here's why I bought it:

I have a pretty good keyboard from the 90s, but I'm female, and I hate lugging heavy stuff. The old one is 10 kg, and doesn't have great piano sounds. I was thinking maybe I could use a midi keyboard and a sound module? But then I thought, hmm, it would be great if it had ONE good piano sound and some speakers, so it wouldn't be dead in the water without a sound module or a computer!

The Yamaha PN-30 answers EXACTLY that question. It's a midi keyboard, with more octaves, a slightly better feel than many el cheapo keyboards (though not that much better than my old one). It works with older gear. And it's got a few sounds of its own, and rather bad internal speakers. You CAN use a sound system on it (just figure out the right gain, so it doesn't distort). It runs on batteries, and is about the weight of my (rather heavy) electric guitar.

What finally won me over, was this question: Will you bring this piano to places where you would decide to leave the old keyboard behind because of the weight? The answer was yes, and the price was right.

It turns out that the Yamaha NP30 is also.... a radio! After playing a couple of times, it started playing AM radio. I don't know how exactly the keyboard resonates with AM frequencies but it does and it sounds pitiful! Worse yet, the keys now sound as if they get transmitted from the station I'm "listening" to, with a lot of white noise. Very bizarre and resetting the power did not fix it, so it's now a permanent problem....

Changing sounds metrome settings etcetera is done by holding a cutton and pressing one of the keys This does mean i need to keep the sheet with the relevant info on the music rest. A little irritating but a lot of digital pianos use this method.there are ten sounds on board they are good more later and reverb only dual mode you can balance the sounds layer reverb and so on but using the button key press method again

Lets get this into perspective I bought this for ??150 less than an entry level PSR compare it to that not a clavinova the action although graded is not a weighted action but is better than keyboards at the same price and 76 keys as well midi I/O USB keeping it simple has meant you get a much better keyboard than other ones at this price provided you doun't want arranger features you can make fair few adjustments but using the button key press method again so i dock a couple of points for that

The two acoustic pranos IMO sound better than the ones on my PSR S500 which cost ??400 the amps at 6+6 watts hold it back a bit but better than than the 2.5+2.5 on most keyboards the same price. The others sounds are on a par with the PSR S500 like I say for the price the sounds punch above their weight it can half pedal too would have got ten with beter amplification

Fingers crossed

Jope I don't need it

I bought this to practise in a property I'm caretaking because it's light and cheap but has decent sounds. You probably would'nt use this as your main piano indoors although if stuck for cash you couldn't do bettr for the price in fact for a piano beginner who didn't want to shell out five to six hundred pounds on something they not sure how they'll get on with it gives a more piano like experience than buying a cheap portable keyboard at the same price unless you want he arranger features of course as a light keyboard with good piano sounds you can lug around you could go busking with it as it takes batteries it ain't gonna feel like a real piano no hammer action but compare it to boards at the same price it compares well

Folks, please pay attention to what I'm writing here. DO NOT expect the NP-30 to "feel" like a real piano. I'm so tired of people going on this assumption. The keys ARE NOT weighted! They're not even advertised as weighted keys. People are seeing the words "graded action" and automatically assume it's "weighted graded action", and it's not. If you leave feeling the action sucks because you expected it to feel like a piano, than that's your own damn fault. Learn to read specs and research better before you play the thing.

The feel of the NP-30's keys lie between synth action and semi-weighted. They have a very nice feel to them. If you're used to the cheaper action of the PSR's or cheaper non-weighted Casio's the NP-30 will shine compared to those models. However, DO NOT expect it to feel like a piano. It wasn't designed that way, nor is the action advertised as weighted. If you find the term semi-weighted on any advertisement, that's the fault of the company selling the unit.

The NP-30 (for what it is) can't be beat. $299 for 76 graded (light action) keys is a great deal.... So what if the internal speakers aren't that powerful. Last time I looked at mine there was an output jack. So bottom line..., if you're expecting piano action keys then look elsewhere. If you want a great (non-weighted) keybed with a light action graded set of keys, then the NP-30 will work for you. I've got it midi'd up to my Roland synth (that has terrible action), and the NP-30's action is like night and day compared to it.

Update on the customer support. My unit had a problem with high frequency noise on a few keys when pressed in combinations. Reported it to Yamaha, they found the problem, shipped in parts from Japan, I dropped it off to my local certified Yamaha service tech, and it was repaired free of charge! Great service Yamaha!

I'll say first off that my review of this is based on playing it in the store. I was considerig one of these. Ultimately, I wound up with a great deal on a used Yamaha Clavinova, but my curiosity made me look anyway.

It looks very easy to use. Idiot-proof, really. Sound selection is simple, and there is nothoing complicated about this unit.

This was a real eye-opener. I had read good reviews about this and heard a lot of hype about the graded touch action and the price/value of this instrument. That is what drew me to it as I wanted a keyboard with at least a somewhat piano-like action. In that respect I was shocked by the feel and action of this unit. It, in plain English, sucked. The keys are not really full-size; flimsy and springy, and nothing at all piano-like. I just could not believe how utterly bad it was after all the positive things I had read. And I am no snob- I am a novice pianist at best and looking for something to learn on and have fun with.

The onboard speakers are tinny and small. The piano sound is good but no better than a $99 Casio. Some Casios are better.

This unit seems solidly built except for the keys. Again, shocked.

No experience.

Man o man. I had actually ordered one of these a few weeks ago but chickened out and canceled it, then went looking at used stuff. I did luck into a Clavinova for free (Yes- Free!) that is very very nice but somehwat old and has FM synthesis sounds. I remedied that with a Kurzweil Micropiano and a MIDI cable.

Had I bought this, I would have been crushingly disappointed when I opened the box and pulled it out. I am amazed by the large number of positive reviews I have seen on it, after playing it.

This is the very first time I have ever written a gear review, anywhere, and I did it to keep others from wasting their shipping $$$ buying one of these and then having to return it. If you want something with denet piano tone and flimsy, cheap keyboard action, there are Casios and Yamaha PSRs al over EBay and craigslist. Spend another $100 here and get a Williams Etude or a Casio Privia PX-100 on closeout. They are 10 times the piano that this piece of garbage is.

One other thing: Money aside, the "real" Yamaha digital pianos I played were far and away better than anything this side of Roland. Go with a Yamaha or a Roland if you want great piano sound. If you want a portable unit that sounds great for cheap, the two I mentioned above are also good. And if you find a used Yamaha P-150 for a bargain, get it. It is the single best-sounding and feeling digital piano I have ever touched.

There are only a few preset sounds, mostly this is for piano players, and if you're looking for a synthesizer you will not want this product.

The keyboard action, while better than a normal keyboard, is quite different than a graded-hammer action. It's, as best as I can describe, springy. If you're used to playing on a keyboard, and not a piano, then this is a step up. Otherwise the action feels unnatural and forced.

The np30 does have a MIDI in/out, and the keys are graded as well as pressure sensitive. The grade is a nice featured, but again the touch is lacking.

I personally feel that the aftertouch is awkward. I've played on a piano my whole life, and it was difficult to get the type of expression out of the np30 that you can get out of it's more expensive (and better) bigger brother the p70.

That being sad, if you can get used to the springy touch, you can get some nice sounds out of this piano.

Out of the box I had some issues with a few keys giving off a slight buzzing sound. I've since had the keyboard replaced and have not experienced the same problems.

This would undoubtedly be an excellent gig piano. It is by far the lightest digital piano I have come across and the 76 keys make it a bit more compact as well. The piano, despite it's lightweight feels sturdy.

I bought through an online retailer (zzounds.com), not yamaha, but the retailer was very helpful in exchanging the piano.

The np30, overall is a decent gig piano. I wouldn't recommend to those who are used to the touch of a real piano though. As painful as it may be to shell out an extra $300, the p70 is a much better deal, and the sounds the p70 gives out are truer.

I love the light weight, but am uncomfortable with the touch.
I highly recommend you go to a retailer and play this piano before buying it. It may be what you want, but I don't really think I'd buy it again.

Very easy to use. Unit has 10 sound that can be played solo or layered with another voice. The presets sound great. Grand Piano 1 is a very nice warm piano, that has a nice crispness to the sound when you trigger the velocity curve. Grand Piano 2 is better for "Pop" or "Rock". The Organs are just OK really. Only two of them and nothing really to jump over. The EP's are classic Yamaha EP's. One sounds like a Rhodes while the other resembles the Yamaha Galaxy EP. The Harpsichords (both) are also nice. The strings ARE NOT a solo voice on this unit. They're there simply to layer with the piano.

Selecting sounds is a bit different though. There are very few buttons and selecting a sound is done by holding the voice button while pressing a "key" on the keybed. Many other functions are done this way too--it's actually quite easy to get used to.

**There is NO patch editing--there are however several reverb settings you can adjust to color the sound a bit**

The manual is SHORT, SWEET, and to the point. Very thin manual!

Poly is 32, but with 10 sounds, no sequencer, or other fluff the 32 note poly is more than enough. The key action is FREAKIN AWESOME! The keys are graded! Yes, I said graded :) This digital has a 76 (semi-weighted) graded keybed. It feels great under your fingers! It has a few reverbs such as Room, Hall, ect. and you can adjust the reverb level. There are no expansion options. Yes it does have midi, and it's even advertised (secondary) as a midi controller--which it also works great for a midi controller. There is no onboard sequencer.

Several things it lacks are..., no audio in jack and the output is the typical Yamaha headphone/output jack. There are no L/R outputs.

The piano sounds are great. They're velocity switched too--as are the EP's. For a digital that cost less than $300 the piano sounds are more than acceptable. The organs are so so, the Harpsichords are good, the EP's are smooth, and the strings--they're simply put "poor for solo work". They're nothing more than a secondary sound to layer with piano.

Reliability is hard to say... I don't gig anymore. It sits in my home studio on a 2 tier keyboard rack. It's also midi'd up to a Roland Synth. It's made of plastic--as most budget boards are today. It would favor well for road use I guess, but with the plastic body you'd obviously would have to take care not to damage it.

Don't mess with them. In the past you played cat and mouse on the phone with them.

Overall..., well worth every penny spent. I'm shocked Yamaha is selling this thing in the USA for $299 (including the adapter). When you compare the price, features and sound.., it's simply a "no-brainer". Yamaha has a winner with this model.