Yamaha P120

OK, it's Yamaha's digital piano.
Very simple interface - everything
what I need, very easy to control during the playing.

Polyphony is 64 voices and you'll never need
more with such kind of keyboard.

Built-in effects are chorus, phaser, reverb and delay -
default set of Yamaha's digital piano or Clavinova or whatever.

No extension capabilities, and for this kind there is no need.

Midi capabilities - it has MIDI, unlike p-140.
Keys are touch-sensitive, no aftertouch.
(it will be used as a piano, otherwise go and buy s-90).

It has two kinds of aux-outs - PL and RCA.

On-board sequencer - 2 tracks, 3 songs.
It's OK for home-playing or recording your ideas.

Piano is very realistic, but in my opinion too much natural,
with a lot of "hammer".
Everything else is nearly perfect.

It is good for jazz, but for classical music also.
May be for "classical" aroma of piano in mix
you will need some eq.

It is pleasure to play on it!
It makes 100% sense of a real piano!
Velocity reaction is perfect.
The sound of pedals overtones is so realistic and rich!

Very reliable.

I have just little problems 2 times:
it was needed some kind of reset,
after the midi-connection to computer
and some kind of computer failure.

Some days ago somebody has dropped the stand
on it, and one key was broken.
So, we opened it and some Super-Glue has solved a problem.
Inside it looks made very good.

I've dealt with yamaha -
their support is ok!

I would go for it again.
It is so much "what i need"...

It is better than p-140, but some heavier!!!
Search for it - it has midi and some other
good stuff!

Very easy to use. A thorough reading of the manual is a must, however, as changing any of the presets requires knowing what you're doing: what buttons to push in what order, etc. After reading the manual it's easy as pie. I've only played with the settings to see what other sounds I can get out of it, but the presets sound good and the slider for brilliance adjustment is effective. The built in speakers are a must for me needs. I live off-grid (produce my own electricity from the sun) and the small power consumption is great. Plus the sound is crisp and full from these little speakers since the juice is already converted to DC within the unit. An amp would have a buzz from the juice produced from my inverter.

I've got a unique P120 on my hands. As you may have read elsewhere, there has been an ongoing issue with keys breaking on the P120 (and several other Yamaha models which use the same keybed assemby... the Motif 8 and P80, I think) and mine was no exception. I purchased it used on ebay and knew ahead of time that at least one key was broken. When I received it I discovered 4 more. 5 in all. I had established a relationship with one of the tech crew at Yamaha prior to the purchase (asking questions about dealing with a broken key) and when I called back to report 5 keys broken they said, "That's too many to simply repair. Bring the unit to a nearby service center and we'll send them a new keybed assembly to replace it." This was done for free. Hard to believe but true. The new keybed assembly is the one used in the P140 and has a lighter feel than the old P120 keybed. I prefer the new lighter feel as the old one was a bit heavy, as others have reported. The 2 track sequencer is plenty for me as I have a 6 track on another unit and this one is primarily of playing. It's loaded with Midi connections and computer interface options, which I haven't used yet but am glad to have.

The expressiveness of the keybed is pretty awesome. I've sat down at Korg's, Roland's, Kawai', etc and have not felt the same sensitivity of response as this P120/P140 hybrid. The aftertouch is great. I switch between boogie and classical and enjoy the sound of both. My only complaint is the sustain sound. As the notes decay (especially in the mid range... an octave or so above middle C) it becomes a little thin, electronic sounding. Ironically, Yamaha's DGX and YPG series, with it's Live! piano voices are head and shoulders better than this P120, or the P140 for that matter. I'm hoping they box the Live! sounds in a tone generator so that I can play those sounds through the P120 someday.

Very reliable so far. Would and will use it at a gig.

Already addressed this in features above. Please read as it's a great story. Love 'em.

I would probably by it again. Can't beat the price/value. Wish it had the piano sound of the DGX or YPG but it's certainly passable as is. Can't beat the action and, for me, the fact that it has those built in speakers.

Straight forward.
Nothing new. Some functions could be more accessible like the volume of the dual and split instruments. Transposing could be easier, because two hands are needed for that. But Yamaha decided to keep it simple...

Keyboard action is a little on the heavy side but excellent. It is one of the most expressive stage pianos out there. The effects are basic, but effective. The only thing missing is a modulation and a pich weel... but hey, this is a stage piano, not a master keyboard.
The speakers are more as a bonus. They do the job and for the size they have (if you open the keyboard, you will see they are very tiny), they have a very good sound!!!

Piano: one of the best I have heard. Damper effect is very... effective. The sustain sample does the trick. I do not agree that Piano 2 is for rock music. It is more expressive than piano 1. Piano 2 seems to have some filtering through the dynamic range. If you play it hard, it opens up (but not like Roland pianos, that seem to have some kind of overprocessing when you struck the keys hard enough), if you play it very soft, you have a sound that is very mellow. The brightness slider makes a nice job. The sound is very clean trough the dynamic range in all the instruments, and the blending of the 3 piano layers are just perfect.
Rhodes is ok, wurlitzer could be better since it has no "filtering". It is just the same sound played louder through the velocity range.

The keys are very fragile. The system that yamaha uses for the keyoard is very sensible and very precise, but fragile. If a key wears too much, it just needs 0.1mm or so of wear not to fell right. It keeps leaning to the left side of the key, touching a rubber inside of it and make it harder to play and slower to come up. The keys aren't expensive, easy to replace, but very hard to get.
It's the price of a great keboard feeling.
Otherwise it is a sturdy construction.

THey are just veeery slow. They don't have the replacement parts in stock and they take weeks or months to get.

For me it is one of the best buys I have made.
It just has a perfect piano sound and you can express yourself through this instrument.

PIECE OF PISS... PLUG IT IN AND GO... HOWEVER, IF YOU WANT TO PLAY AROUND WITH SPLITS, THE BALANCE VOLUMES CAN BE A LITTLE TRICKY TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED SOUND. NONE OF THIS FAFFING AROUND TRITON LARCKY!

ACTION: PERFECT!!! WOULDN'T USE ANYTHING ELSE. NUFF SAID.

PIANO: SUPER. SOUNDS AND MORE IMPORTANTLY FEELS LIKE A PIANO. IT CAN CATER FOR ALL MY GENRES: BLUES, CLASSICAL, ROCK, JAZZ ETC. RHODES SOUND IS ALSO VERY GOOD. YET NOT LIKE MY RHODES OR WURLITZER SOUND. I SUGGEST IF YOU WANT THE REAL MACOY YOU BUY THE REAL MACOY.

MANY PATCHES A WASTE OF TIME.

NB. ORGAN: VERY POOR... DWARFED BY MY KORG BX3 HAMMOND. CAN'T DO SLIDES, CHOPS... HAVE BROKEN MANY KEYS TRYING (AROUND 16)...

TO CONCLUDE: IF YOUR AFTER SPECILIST PIANO THEN THIS IS YOUR BOARD.

BASED ON THE STRENGTH OF THE PIANO PATCH I WILL RATE THIS:

NB. PLEASE READ....

AS STATED ABOVE I HAVE BROKEN A HUGE AMOUNT OF KEYS. I HAVE OWNED 2 P120'S AND THE FIRST WAS A DISASTER. AS I WAS TRYING TO ACHIEVE A GOOD ORGAN SOUND I WAS TYING TO DO SLIDES AND THINGS ON A DIGITAL PIANO!!! PLAYING A DIGI PIANO PRECUSSIVELY HAS ITS RESULTS. REPAIR WAS SLOW AND EXPENDSIVE AND FORCED THE PURCHASE OF A BACK UP IN THE FORM OF A RD170 (WHICH IS ALSO A QUALITY BOARD, VERY SIMILAR). I SOON BECAME GREEDY AND ENDED UP GIGING WITH THE PAIR. GREAT!

HOWEVER: NB. I HAVE SINCE SOLD BOTH KEYBOARDS AND NOW OWN A NEW P120, KORG HAMMOND BX3 (VERY AUTHENTIC; ESPECIALLY IN A GIGING CONTEXT), FENDER RHODES, WURLITZER AND A MICROKORG. THE NEW BOARD (P120) FREE FROM HAMMOND SLIDES IS A DIAMOND, RELIABLE AS $%$#. A LITTLE HEAVY TO HUMP AROUND. I MADE THE MISTAKE OF GETTING THE HANDLE IN THE MIDDLE OF MY FLIGHT CASE. PLEASE NOTE I HAVE PROBABLY BROKEN AROUND 15 KEYS (ON THE FIRST BOARD). REPAIRING THE BROKEN KEYS YOURSELF ARE A %$@# ON... LEAVE IT TO A PRO I SAY.

YAMAHA: EXCELLENT 10/10

WILLIAMS: TOSSERS: 0/10: WOULDN'T GIVE ME REPAIRERS NUMBER SO I COULD GET REPAIRS FIXED. AS A RESULT I WENT A WEEKEND WITHOUT A BOARD AS THE SHOP ONLY SENT OFF REPAIRS ON A WEDNESDAY AND RETURNED THEM THE FOLLOWING WEEK. I EXPLAINED THE SITUATION AND THEY STILL WOULDN'T GIVE ME HIS NUMBER.

WHEN MY NEXT LOT OF REPAIRS WERE DUE I WENT NUTS IN THE SHOP AND DEMANDED HIS NUMBER... FINALLY GOT IT AND PHONED HIM AND WITHIN 2HOURS MY BOARD WAS AS GOOD AS NEW... NONE OF THIS WEDNESDAY TO WEDNEDAY @#$%!!!! !@#$%^# WANKERS.

EXCELLENT BOARD FOR PIANO: IDEAL FOR ME (CLASSICAL, LOUNGE/JAZZ, BLUES etc.)

IF YOU WANT A DO ALL KEYBOARD I SUGGEST YOU JOIN THE LONG LIST OF NERD TOSSERS WHO WOULDN'T KNOW AN INSTRUMENT IF IT SMACKED THEM IN THE FACE: ITS HARD TO WRITE, HARD TO SAY BUT KORG @#%# IS YOUR PURCHASE... ESPECIALLY IF YOU WANT TO PISS ABOUT WITH NOB AND PATHETIC SOUNDS. HOWEVER IF YOUR A PROPER PLAYER CHOOSE A BOARD FROM MY LIST:

YAMAHA P120 : I USE FOR JAZZ, ROCK GIGS. PRIVATE CLASSICAL PRACTICE. HOTEL/ LOUNGE GIGS

KORG HAMMOND BX3: ROCK AND JAZZ GIGS. VERY LIGHT AND CONVENIENT. NOT THE REAL MACOY BUT DO YOU WANNA HUMP A LESLIE ABOUT. DEFINATELY THE MOST AUTHENTIC THING AROUND.

WURLITZER: CLASSIC ANTIQUE: ROCK GIGS. CAN'T JUSTIFY OWNING IT AT THE MINUTE HARDLY USED... USING IT IN A RAY CHARLES GIG I'VE GOT COMING UP IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS!!!!

FENDER RHODES: SAME AS WURLITZER (SEE ABOVE)

Yea, great. Easy to navigate though sometimes one can get a fiddle with the record track ready and split keyboard - but only when you are in a hurry.

Overall a neat all rounded stage piano. Would have been good to have some extra variations on the some of the pads, like the strings having more choices. The main piano sound is excellent. Godo features with functions being able to turn off the speakers with a rather stupid fiddly three way tiny weeny switch. The DC in is poor and will eventually fail with pluggin in and out 6 gigs a week.

An excellent piano sound. No complaints here - one of the best on the market.

Well, mine has just failed me. Turned it on, and nothing happens. PSU has tested fine, so something in the keyboard has died. About 200 gigs and 18 months old and has been looked after carefully. Not impressed at all Yamaha - not at all and is not good enough for pro gear if its fails.

Helpful, but a very fobbing off attitude. Repair is rediculously expensive and very slow.

A great bit of kit as is stated on the box. 18 months and its dies is rubbish, no matter what the reason. This cost me a gig and #250 payment. I managed to get hold of another keyboard, played two hous late and lost #250 from a #500 paying gig. Think I will send Yammy the bill.

PROS: In my opinion, the best piano out there when you combine sound quality with feel of the keyboard. I prefer this piano sound over the MOTIF piano. The p120s is nice to look at with the wood and silver. If you just want a really good piano, get this and consider no other. I also use vibes in my jazz gig and this is the only portable instrument I've seen that has such good vibes.

CONS:

1. The tremolo on the vibes is wrong. In fact, the tremolo effect on the would be more usable if it was a straight tremolo, not am auto-panning tremolo. I don't use it on the wurly sound either. I use vibes alot in my jazz gig and actually bought a guitat tremolo pedal to achieve the right effect on the vibes and the wurly. C'mon Yamaha, you went this far, why get stupid on the tremolo?

2. I would've been able to use this on my rock gig if it only had just a few more patches: quick attack strings, simple brass for hits, and perhaps one or two snyth leads. Seems like it would not have been hard to add that in.

I'm just using this as a piano, so literally turning the thing on and playing. It's very good for that. I did try editing reverb etc which was easy enough, but these settings are not saved and it really didn't make much difference to me anyway as the sound is fine as it is.

Seem to be quite a lot of features, including the sequencer. It's a pity you can't export midi files from the sequencer, but then again you could do this by hooking the piano up to a computer or hardware sequencer.

The action is tremendous. I tried the p60 in the shop and it didn't feel quite as nice. The sound certainly wasn't as good either. The p120 action is fast, nicely cross-weighted from heavier in the bass to lighter in the treble. It works my fingers harder than the semi-weighted keyboard I had before and is heavier than the upright I grew up playing. The weight of touch I think is just right.

The grand piano 1 sound is the only thing I am using at the moment. There seem to be some other good sounds as well. The electric pianos sound good to my ear, the jazz organ is pretty funky, the church organ is a goodun too, you can hear the wind going into the pipes before the note sounds and you could certainly make a good churchy din if needs be. I just play the piano. Piano 1 main sound is the best. The piano 1 variation patch doesn't add anything. Piano 2 is OK. Too bright for my taste. I'm quite happy with piano 1. The half pedalling effect is quite good. The inbuilt speakers are very useful. You can just turn this thing on and play. I hook the audio outputs to my stereo and run through some bass speakers to make the bass a bit fuller - of course you are not going to get strong bass from the inbuilt 4 inch (or whatever they are) cones. They sound very good and are useable but they are what they are.

Can't comment as I've only had it a month. It feels solid.

Can't comment as no experience.

The only criticisms are:

I think there should be a touch sensitivity curve somewhere between the medium and the heavy. You really have to bash a key on the heavy touch to get the third sample to play. But on the medium touch setting, you can't quite get that real big volume by hitting a key very hard. I know midi only has 127 levels of vol though. Medium is the setting I use anyway and I've got used to it.

The only other criticism I have has not caused a problem yet, but could potentially. The button panel is not so far from the back of the keyboard. I'm sure this applies to other models and manufacturers as well. But I have long fingers and there is an outside chance I could accidentally change the sound patch if II were playing fast chords. This is a fairly outside chance though and I haven't actually done it yet.

I really like this piano and I would get the same again if it were stolen. I play jazz and this instrument is already inspiring me to practise.

I finally bought this and I would like to share the things I would have liked to know...

Editing is pretty easy. The manual (available online) is clear about every function that is available. It takes two hands to adjust effects, reverb, transpose, etc.
There is a handy backup ability such that when selecting a sound it remembers your effects settings (and/or other things) even after power off.
The panel buttons feel a little tacky, but I hope they are durable.

I've had this keyboard about two weeks and played it at least an hour or two a day.

Keyboard action: Heavier feeling than any grand or upright I have played or could find at the local piano shop. The "down weight" on the lowest key is 87 grams (pretty high) however the keys still play very similarly to a piano and feel good. At first, my wrists and fingers stung (they were used to playing toy casios), but now I believe they are getting used to the weight.

The built in effects are only average, although the "phaser" actually sounds pretty awesome!

Grand Piano 1 is very nice sounding and mellow, I am practicing classical songs on it. Its variation as well as G.P. 2 are quite percussive-sounding through headphones, but sound less mushy and more clear over loud speakers. The sound-board reverb is great. There is significant attention to detail: the pedal has a continuous effect on sustain, and when you release a key you hear the sound zip out, like on a real string. There is a sublte "note-off tambourine" when playing staccatto notes above middle c; artificial or authentic, it IS there. I have also heard some resonant ringing from higher notes but I think that was caused by the loudspeakers and room and not altogether obtrusive; and over headphones I don't hear any ringing.
The response to velocity seems as close to a piano as these things can get. I think it is excellent!

E.Piano 2 (Variation) sounds pretty nice in the low keys, but not very "authentic".

Harpsichord: very percussive, with a "loud at any volume" sound. I guess that's harpsichord for you. It's a big bowl of Mozart in your face and is not velocity sensitive.

The other sounds- eh, they're there but not very inspiring. (To me)

Dunno.

Yamaha emailed me back in about 24 hours and were nice.

I really like it. I'm pleased with its flexibility with settings and midi. If my fingers get strong enough then I'm sure I'll love it for a long time.

I agree that the samples are the best on the market, they have the most natural piano-like sound, and in addition they sound really three-dimendional. If you close your eyes, a real piano emerges before your eyes. No other digital piano has such three-dimensional samples.

But I wonder why nobody has commented on the crappy sustain phase of the piano.

If you hit a chord with sustain pedal and let it ring, the sound changes into some strange, bright, quiet rattling while dying away. Reminds me of a rotating coin on a table that rotates faster and faster while coming down to the table surface. The sustain phase is programmed much better in other pianos (Kawai).

However, all in all it is still the best digital piano in that price range to date.

They called back to answer my question.

I have 2 P-120's. They're not perfect but are an excellent value. Weighs less than 40 lbs., built in speakers, excellent sounds and effects . Great meat and potatoes keyboard. Acoustic pianos, electric pianos, clav, vibes, are great. Also, Jazz organ is useable and strings layer well as do voice patches. Basses and strings are very generic but that's what makes them very useable. No gimmicks, just solid sound with a heavier than Roland action. To retain effects settings, and/or velocity settings you can go to 9.1 through 9.5 of the edit programs. 9.x allows you to specifically retain certain settings.

Yes, that's right. I paid $750 for the P120 new about one year ago but I get special pricing and that price is also WITHOUT a trade in. You should be able to buy it new for $900 (if you have a great relationship with a retailer and can dicker) to $1100 if you just ask, "What's the best you can do on the price?"

I'm a punch and play kind of guy. If I have to fuss with knobs or buttons much, the keyboard is useless to me. If you can push a button you can get a sound. I use only four voice settings and their variations.

The Pianos are stunning, I usually use Grand Piano 2 because it cuts through the mix and is a little bright like an upright piano and is excellent for The Blues I play. Reverb set to Hall 2 and Effect to Delay.

Electric Piano 2 - Great Wurly and Rhodes sounds. I prefer to use the Variation button with this setting with Reverb to Hall 2 and Effect to Tremolo.

Electric Clavichord - I use the variation with this Clavinet, also. I didn't think I would use it much when I bought it but it does have its place. Very funky and great in a band setting. Reverb at Hall 2 and Effect at Phaser.

Jazz Organ - OK, it isn't a B3 but it does have a place. Using Jazz Organ and the Variation button you will get "The Leslie" to speed up and slow down without changing the tone. This is very important because on most boards like the Roland RD 170 it does change the tone and is useless. From the bass up to about an octave and a half above middle C is a good range for the B3 sound. Get much higher than that and it isn't a very realistic tone. Set Reverb to Hall 2 and Effect to Delay and you will even get the B3 key click.

For the best dynamics in playing set the Touch to Hard.

There is one drawback to Yamaha and that is the settings are not stored when you turn the keyboard off. It would be nice if it did that but I can setup the voicing, reverbs and effects I use on the P120 in less than a minute. It would also be great if the Yamaha had Stretch tuning like Rolands for solo playing in tune from the lowest to the highest notes.

Much of this has been covered. Polyphony is great with no loss of notes and I use a lot of sustain pedal, trills, slides up and down the keyboard (when appropriate) and octave and intricate bass patterns.

I love the keyboard action. Not quite like a grand or upright but similar and the best and most realistic piano action available on a piano with a plug.

The sequencer is very good and I have yet to run out of notes while using it. I only use it to hear how I sound and how a song is coming along. Very easy to use.

I play and sing The Blues and the P120 fits the bill perfectly for me with my settings as listed above. I play solo and with two Blues bands.

I have had friends play Rock and Classical on it and they love my P120, too.

Velocity and Aftertouch? Play it like a piano and the P120 does what it is supposed to do.

Onboard effects are excellent!

Reliability and can I depend on it? I live off of it. I gig sometimes up to seven days a week and sometimes twice a day. I am a simple man and I use the P120 without a backup and without any other keyboards.

I have never dealt with Yamaha. I haven't needed to. I have used Yamahas for over 15 years and NEVER had a problem with them. If I did, I would shoot it to put it out of its misery and buy another one.

Yes, I would buy the P120 again. Last time around I couldn't decide between the P90 and P120. I'm glad I went with the P120 because I forgot how nice it was to have built in speakers for use in hotel rooms and quiet practice playing.

I have been playing over 45 years and I'm 53. I have owned a lot of keyboards over the years. From old Wurlys, Rhodes, Vox Continental, Kurzweil, Ensoniq, Roland, Korg but I have been playing Yamahas for at least the past 15 years.

I make my living from playing and singing The Blues. This piano has everything I need and then some fluff that others might find useful.

When I started playing Yamahas the lineage I have owned has been a Clavinova (chopped without the stand), a P80 and now the P120.

Last time around I compared it to Roland's RD700 and RD170. I also bought the RD170 and kept it for about three months as a backup and practice piano because the P120 stays in the van between most gigs. I sold the Roland because I just didn't like the action or piano sounds.

The two Roland features I liked were Stretch tuning and memory for the settings but I can live without it.

I usually use the house or festival PA but I also own and play it through a Crown amp, Mackie mixer and Yamaha speakers.

Just turn on the power, and switch it on. Some other features can be a little tedious to get to, but if you just want to play - Its Perfect.

With a 64 note polyphony, intricate classical pieces won't be cut off. The keyboard action is the best i have tried. The effects are nice too. It also has an on board sequencer (not that i've ever used it before).

The Grand Piano Patch#1 is simply amazing, and blows away everything in the price range. The other Grand Piano Patches are also beautiful. The Rhodes on this board are the best i have heard in any stage piano - period. The string patch is also desirable.

I have had mine for 6 months, and have run into no trouble what so ever. I would definately use it at a gig without backup.

Never had to use it.

I would buy this board over any other stage piano. It looks beautiful (I have the Black and Mahogany Wood style). I have been playing it for 6 months. I compared this board to the Roland RD-170 and the Kawai ES3, the Yamaha P120 was much better in just about all areas. I chose the P120 because of the Piano sound mainly, and it also looked stylish. Sometimes i wish it had more powerful speakers, but that doesn't matter anyway, just play it through an Amp, Headphones or a PA system and you get the desired result.
You won't regret buying the Yamaha P120!

Pretty easy, as long as you have half a brain and can read. Clearly a big LCD would have jacked the price up by at least #100, plus in the long run they wear out. Can be a bit frustrating having to go through all the menus, but you'll live.

You can change the sound to any specific taste, it basically has everything you'll need.

Most authentic piano sound i've heard from a digital piano. Its simply the best.

Its lasted for 1.5 years now, without anything (and i mean anything) gone wrong. so far its been perfect, and i travel a lot too.

Never needed to use it!

I'd recommend it to anyone. sounds and feels like a proper piano, and with a good speaker system, sounds like a quality grand.

the ease of use is more like this way: u press power and u can play. its as easy as that. since u cant go easier then this i rate it 10

ok polyfony = 64 - good to handle all those difficult classical things. the keyboard action is the best avaliable. its like a real piano: if u can play this, u can play piano its as good as that.

ok the sounds: the pianos sounds astonishing. i dont think there is anything for this price with such good piano samples. it works well for classical pieces, piano 2 for rock music.

o would use it on a gig. it does everything u want a stagepiano to do. and u can trust it.

yes.. I will buy it again. it helps me making music!

Ridiculously easy to use (for the basics). More complex features require more complex button pressing. Its a stage piano, and everything is geared towards that function, as it should be.

This is the best keyboard action I have had available to me.Price is not the issue, it is better than cheaper and more expensive models. I was given an unlimited budget recently and still chose this (for the second time). Nothing equals a good grand yet but this is the closest there is. Incidentally, it is far superior to many inferior acoustics. As has been said, it is an improvement on the P80 which I used to enjoy. It has addressed the crucial touch to response issue that was somewhat dull in the P80.

Excellent sounds. Choose your weapon carefully. Default sound is a great solo instrument but the second piano cuts much better in the mix. The other sounds can be handy, let's not write them off as useless. Outstanding harpsichord, though hellishly difficult to articulate with normal touch.

Its lasted a year so far and counting. Nobody likes "wall warts": someone in Japan thinks these are a great idea. Experience tells me this is the first thing to break down. PS Does anyone own any of these boards long enough to really know its true reliability? And who has the patience or inclination to carry a "backup" to gigs. The wall wart on my P80 gave in on a gig some time ago. I kicked it many times (yes, really!) and eventually it resucitated and lasted the night.

Its probably a call centre with three staff, one of whom is an expert, the others having no clue. I would love a call centre manned by professional P120 users. hmm

I always look for reviews written by pros. So, if you're interested, I am one who is well used (concerts, broadcasts, royal events etc). I have spent much time ensuring my equipment is the best available. Yamaha P120, Roland synth, Oberheim/Viscount Hammond and Roland amp. End of story.

Very easy to use, power on and play!!


The only thing that is less user-friendly is the internal settings (MIDI, pedal settings...), but that's not settings you change frequently.

I use it with MIDI system and is very effective.

The primary reason I bought this piano is that I wanted a light-weight piano, realistic touch, and built-in speaker, nothing more. There extras are only extra values for me (onboard 2-track sequencing, some more or less useful patches, 50-classical-pieces piano demo)...

People would say that there is not enough patch, not enough controllers, etc.... But here what I would say: this is primilary a piano and not a workstation nor a synthesizer.

In this unit, you've got a real-action hammer piano, the very best I know so far.

The piano is very realistic (knowing that you can't have a gigabyte of sampling). There's 2 classical pianos, 1 pop-piano, one honky-tonk (however sounds just like a chorused-piano).
A 80's pop eletric piano sound (would be useful if we were in the 80's). Very good Rhode-like piano.

You don't have any controllers (mod wheel, pitch...) but I never saw an acoustic piano with that neither. 8)

You can gig easily with this piano with its onboard sounds (not so bad rock organ, soft strings, vibes...)

You can split and use a bass for the left hand and piano right hand (or any other combination).

There's no aftertouch. You have 4 velocity curves (fix, hard, medium, soft).

Build solid, made for gigs or home playing.

Never dealt with customer support. Probably because of a very good product!

If it were lost, I'll have another P-120 (hoping insurance would pay me that one!!)

The p120 is so easy to use. The user interface is excellent.

This piano is amazing. It has 64 notes of polyphony. The key action is superb! It feels just like a piano. The action is smooth and connects to the sounds perfectly.

Absolutely Superb. The pianos are superb! They are 3 layer piano sounds, with sustain, key off, string resonance, and soundboard modelling. They sound just like a real piano. All of the other voices are superb too, especially the electric pianos.

The onboard Effects are great. The phaser effect for the EP's are great.

Extremely Reliable

Never had to deal with customer support, but im sure they're excellent.

If this was stolen, I would buy another p120 right away. This is a superb product and I love it! I tried out the p250, p200, and p90 and I didnt like them at all. Then I tried the p120 and I fell in love. Yamaha, thank you for the p120! It is a superb product!!!

This stage piano is very easy to use. The buttons are well lit and marked. The display screen is excellent!

This piano is excellent! The polyphony is 64, which is excellent. The keyboard action is absolutely amazing! The GH weighted action keyboard is superb. I can not tell the difference between a real piano and this! The effects are excellent and it has an onboard sequencer.

The sounds on this piano are AMAZING! The pianos are excellent. I can not tell the difference between a real piano and this. Believe me, I have been playing piano and I am classically trained. The EP's are also superb and all the other voices are absolutely amazing! It works excellent to the touch and aftertouch/initial touch. Great sounds! Best there is out there.

This piano is very dependable. I would use this on a gig without backup. It is built excellent.

I have never had to deal with Customer Support. There site is very good with lots of info, though.

This is a superb stage piano. If this was stolen, I would go get another one of these. The sounds are absolutly the best and the GH feel is outstanding! This beats all the other products out there. If you buy this, you will not regret your purchase. AWESOME JOB, YAMAHA!

Very easy, unless you want, say, a CP70 or Farfisa sound.

It's all good, and the feel of the keys is fantastic.

I have to add my two cents, after reading the review below. Couldn't agree more about the sounds. All gigging musicians need are keyboard sounds! Don't need cutsey choirs, don't need drums, don't need guitars...none of that crap. I DO need a CP70 sound, a Yamaha sound for chrissakes, and it's not here. Yamaha: make us a stage piano that's compact and lightweight like this one (with speakers) or the P90 (without speakers), put your great keys on it, keep your professional looks and styling, BUT FILL IT WITH KEYBOARD SOUNDS! Leave the General MIDI crap in the keyboards you market to home users! PLEASE! I'll buy two of them!

Don't know yet, of course.

So so. They're a big corporation, and they don't really have time for their customers. Not nearly as bad as Roland, though.

Ditto the review below this one. Yamaha makes the best stuff. I like Roland synthesizers OK, but they play up the "groove" hype WAY too much. And I'm not into cute, flashing lights. Korg stuff sounds just OK, and their keyboard actions are unplayable. I'd like this one better without the faux wood crap, but at least it's not silver with pink blinking lights.

But it's all about the sound, isn't it. Or at least it would be, if the decent sounds were here and the stupid drums were gone. I wish manufacturers would take a hint from Clavia: make a keyboard with good keyboard sounds in it, and NOTHING ELSE! Give the other sounds to people who will appreciate them, and don't inflict them on professional keyboard players. (Don't model Clavia's aesthetics, though! Red might be good for Shonen Knife cover bands or Derek Whatshisname, but not for the rest of us.)

I think if it had a pitch and mod wheels and a power cord jack instead of a goofy wall wart and a CP70 piano sound this would be perfect product. When are manufacturers gonna get it right? The P120 was close but not it. All people want for a stage piano is great Piano sound, great CP70 piano sound, great Rhodes sound, great Wurlitzer sound, great Clav sound and maybe a Roland MKS20 piano sound for the 80's stage piano sound and that's about it. I really like the on board effects. Guitar, Bass, Drums, Strings and Choir sounds even Vibraphone are silly on a Stage Piano and are a waste of ROM space that should be used for the above mentioned sounds. Maybe if they did have to add aditional sounds it should be a Tron String, Flute and Choir but not guitar, bass or any other sound like that. The UI is very simple and user friendly which makes it ideal as a stage piano for live performance.

Here's the real LOW DOWN in my opinion on manufacturers:
Korg- Better construction than the Kurzweil but not as good as Yamaha. Korg has a muddy lame sound due to their quality of their samples are low and Korg is nothing with out their effects engine. Try bypassing the effects section on a Triton or a Korg Stage Piano and you will see what I mean. Korg is all about their effects engine and it fools many people in the music stores into thinking it is a great product but when they play live with a band , it sounds muddy and cheap. Cheesy Fatar style keyboard action too.
Kurzweil- WAAY over rated by V.A.S.T. nerds. Why? because they have to justify why they spent so much money for such a big piece of crap. Cheap flimsy construction, cheesy Fatar style keyboard action, too many unnecessary bells and whistles, too dependent on the effects engine. Again bypass the effects on a Kurzweil just like the Korg and you will be in for a big surprise.
Roland- a little better construction than a Korg or Kurz but not as good as a Yamaha. Keyboard action still feels a little worse than the Yamaha. Roland products have always been very slanted towards LA Studio use- which I kind of don't like. Their marketing scheme is similar to Korg's. Although their stuff is not as dependent on the effects engine they still horseshoe EQ the hell out of everything to make it sound synthetic. They boost the treble and bass which again impresses people in the music store but in a live situation sounds like ass. Roland has a plastic Japanese like sound and focuses on drums and other silly shit that I'm not looking for on a stage piano. How bout leaving that stuff to workstations huh Roland? Also Rolands User Interface is totally offensive to professionals. Everything Roland makes now looks like "Johnny's first keyboard" all disco ghetto tronic with all their cheesy pink flashing lights and crap it looks totally slanted towards rookies and the novice "groove" market- whatever the hell that is. Even their most expensive so called top of the line stuff still has a very novice beginner vibe.
E-mu- was cool in the 80's
Kawai- I wouldn't rely on one with all the recalls-
Alesis- totally cheap and unreliable
Yamaha- the best construction, least amount of unneccessary bullshit, the best feeling keyboard, the least hyped up, the TRUE WORKHORSE for PROFESSIONALS.
That's why true pros use the P200 or P250 or the P120. I love Yamaha. I have owned every keyboard on the planet at one time or another and I am a professional touring musician and I now only rely on MOOG and YAMAHA and that's it because those two companies are the only ones making decently built products that are actually made by musicians for musicians designed with functionality and quality in mind at all times not silly marketing gimics. I laugh at all those Korg Triton/Roland Groove box idiots- what a pile of junk for people who don't know any better. All the fools that have been victimize

It's a Yamaha- should be the best.

There's actually real live people at Yamaha unlike weird Japanese droids over at Roland and crazy hot headed fools over at Kurzweil more interested in promoting their V.A.S.T. cult and rituals.

After putting together a DAW with lots of sounds and capabilities, I noticed that I wasn't just sitting down and figuring out tunes. I wanted something simple, that felt and sounded like a real piano and which would record ideas easily for working on later. The P120 hits it out of the park for these uses. Allows me just to focus on music.

Polyphony is 64, sufficient. The action is as good as it gets for a digital keyboard, which is superb, a joy to play. Has basic effects, easily applied and edited. Basic midi i/o, with serial midi as well. Two sets of outs, one on RCA, built in speakers which sound fine for practice or composing. Two-track sequencer, 3 songs, 10,000 notes. Well equipped for what it is.

The Grand Piano 1 sample is just excellent, fine for rock, jazz, and for basic composition. I'm not classically trained so I'm not qualified to comment. Better than any acoustic I've had access to. As others have mentioned, the EP2 Rhodes sample is really great, and I personally like the Wurlitzer variation as well. The EP1 FM sample blends with several of the other voices well. I've noticed that all of the voices on the keyboard blend well together; smartly chosen. Still, this is a stage piano, and for that purpose, the voices and effects are excellent. The effects are fine for playing, and can be run through an external box if you need more.

I've had it a couple of weeks, but it is very well built; I expect to mainly use it at home for composition, but may drag it to jam with others and I expect it will be fine. Yamaha's reputation is a main reason why I purchased this keyboard.

Never dealt with them. Their website is very informative.

I would buy it again, no doubts. This keyboard for me is the equivalent of the guitar that doesn't get put away, ready to grab to work on an idea. I've had an Alesis QS7 for about 3 years, and interviewed a lot of other keyboards in stores. The P120 is not some music production unit; it's an instrument. I sit down and the woodshed beckons.

What can I say...press a button and you are done! I have consulted the manual a few times...pretty easy to understand.

Polyphony is enough for any piano player, keyboard action is THE BEST ON THE MARKET. Before I bought my P120 I played about 25 different stage pianos and the P120 is the best, most expressive one out there.

All of the instruments patches are realistic especially the piano. Again, the best on the market. It has the basic onboard effects: delay, phaser, chorus...they are good no complaints. I play classical, jazz, and progressive metal and the only complaint I have from the metal aspect is that it only has about 15 or so sounds but buy yourself a good tone module and that does the trick.

Very well built...would gig without a backup.

I would buy this again over any board on the market today. The price the quality and the realistic touch make worth the $1100 or so I paid for it.

if you're looking for something that's simple this is it.
however to have a better mix of any 2 sounds you want to use, its rather complicated, and you'd need the manual.

Manual? mostly to the pt, not much of a hassel looking thru it...

Polyphonics? 64 is the basic requirements for a piano.
Whether you're playing contemporary or classical, 64 is the min.
they've got 4 built-in effects, and you can adjust their level... and they're stereo!!!
so, you can say, no worries, but at the same time, very rigid if you would like to use 2 or more effects at the same time.
the on-board seq, is rather basic. just record and play etc... up to 3 songs, but only 2 tracks.

This ain't no ordinary e.piano... its the piano you'd be looking for if you're looking for the quality of the instruments' sampling!!
nearly perfect.

Type of music? any... really. you've got the baroque favourite; harpsichord, all the way to jazzy off-beat stuffs like the e.piano and jazz organ (sounds pretty like a hammond, and you can change the rotor speed).

its touch sensitivity and after effects are excellent. has 3 variable levels, soft, med, heavy.

Definately. don't even have to spare a thot about it breaking down. it won't!!!
I spent 4mths trying it out in church when they got it in Jan'02 then got 1 for myself when I realised that it hasn't given me any problems.

You ought to know yamaha by now, you're professional.
They gave me a free delivery to my place.
Ain't easy running around with a 20kg keyboard

basically, when I was looking for a piano, I was looking for a 88key, with excellent controls and feel. Weight came in 2nd, number of sounds came in last.

if there's anything I don't like about it, would be its cost and weight and size. as much as its worth its cost, S$2k isn't something you'd like to throw around. 20kg at such a size, is real bulky bringing it around from place to place using public transport can prove to be a hassle.
last but not least, the min stand you might want to get for this guy, would be a double X. a single X is too unstable.

if theres' a modification suggestion, it'd be to have a stereo input.

Simple straight forward convenintly positioned buttons make it obvious to what you're doing. The fact that is has the interface on the left hand-side, makes it good to place the piano agains the wall without having those cables on the way.
The manual is pretty substantial and has all you need to know.

Good polyphony, Excelent Keyboard. Yamaha have the best keyboard feel, afterall they've been making grand pianos for years. I don't use effects, so I can't review on that. The onboard sequencer is a great tool. Now bear in mind that this is a Digital Piano, it's not a workstation, or a synthesizer, or even an arrager keyboard, so the 3 songs x 2 track sequencer is a bonus.

(read my comments on the bottom)