Yamaha P200

Having never used any digital equipment before, I found the P200 to have a very low learning curve. If you want to edit the organ sounds, you'll have to break open the manual, but that's why its there.

The P200 comes with 64 note polyphony and 12 sounds. The stereo samples drop it down to 32. It has pretty good reverb, but I usually don't use it that much. As far as connections, I don't use them because I bought this piece of equipment for one thing, and that's explained in the next section.

This to me is by far the most important category. When I went shopping for digital pianos, I was looking for the best piano sound possible. Not electric bass, not Synth Pads, but a great piano sound. Fortunatly, I had the privaledge of playing the Roland RD-600, Kurzweil PC88MX, Roland FP-9, and the Yamaha P200 side by side. This is where I need to vent some opinions of my own. If you have been reading the other reviews for the other instruments listed, they all have a 10 rating in this category. This simply is not the real case. For starters, calling the PC88MX and the RD600 digital pianos is a stretch. The sound and the feel is terrible on those two. Their great if you want a lot of sounds and effects, but if you want a good piano sound, forget it. Then there is the FP-9. Roland did a good job with this digital piano. Its a big step for them, but I have to still give it to the Yamaha P200. The Graded-Hammer action is just marvelous compared to the others. The Grand Piano sounds like...well... a grand piano. Granted, the two 30 watt speakers on board don't fill the room with a full rich sound, but with a decent amp such as Rolands KC500, you won't believe how good things can be. Whether you play classical, jazz, blues, or pop, the Grand Piano is the best out there.I know some people like to use uprights for jazz and blues, but you didn't see Count Basie and Duke Ellington playing uprights at Carnegie Hall. Since I play jazz, I also use the first organ voice which can pass as a decent B3 unless you have the real thing right next to it. When sustaining notes on the piano, they actually sustain and fade out just like the real thing, unlike the Kurzweil. When you use the soft pedal, it not only "softens the sound" but it changes the feel on the piano and the timbre of the note, which is what it is supposed to do. So enought said about that. Because it has the best digital piano sound that I could find out there today, I give the P200 a 10.

Wouldn't know, and I hope I never do. Its sturdy, so I'm not worried.

I've played on Grand Pianos for 15 years. While this might not be your 12 ft Steinway, its as close as you can get digitally, for a lot less. I went shopping to get the best piano sound, and I found it with the Yamaha P200. Email me if you have further questions.

Very simple, each sound basically has its own button, and those buttons double as menu option buttons. I haven't really needed to look deep into the manual, because i haven't done anything really complicated with it you (that's because it doesn't do anything complicated).

64-note polyphony, but it gets cut to 32 with the stereo piano patches. The keyboard action is fabulous! I played them all, the RD-600, the SG-ProX, PC-88, A90EX, PRO2, and even the TrinityProX. No action compares, in my opinion, to that of the P200. It feels the most like a grand piano of any of them. The effects section consists of 3 reverbs, chorus, and a decent tremolo. None of them are spectacular, but I don't really use reverb much, and if I need it, it works ok. Expansion--MIDI ports. It doesn't have very many fancy options, but what it does, it does well. It's a realistic stage piano. It is also definitely a two person job to carry it though. 66 lbs.

There are 12 sounds in all, and then 24 variations. The piano sounds are incredible. Very bright and cutting. Very much better than any other piano I've played. I spent a lot of time playing a Kurzweil Pc-88 and I found its sound to be, well, terrible--just as terrible as its action. When I used my new P-200 in place of it, I was extremely impressed. Playing the P-200 is a truly enjoyable experience, almost as fun as playing a real piano. Now the rest of the sounds are actually not all too impressive, but could be useful in certain playing situations, at least they would get you by. The organ sounds are editable, and if you play around with them you can create an organ sound you like.

I have had this piano for about 3 months, and I know that's not long enough to really test it, but I have played out with it a few times, and I doubt that anything much could go wrong with it. Of course I would have to use it on a gig without a backup.

Never had any contact with them.

I would definitely buy the P-200 again if it were lost or stolen. It was definitely worth what I paid for it. Check it out.

Havent purchased it yet, but spent the better part of the day playing it at local music stores. I was able to sit down and figure out everything in under 60 seconds. A chimp could play this thing...

76 real keys,piano and organ sounds,Feel,Feel,Feel. There isnt much in the way of extras, but that is not a major issue for me. There are midi outputs in case you want to expand on your sound options.

The most important thing to me is that it plays and sounds like a real piano. When I turned up the volume on the on-board speakers and banged out some big chords it sounded absolutely wonderful.

Dont own it (yet) but is seems reliable enough, and I havent heard of anyone having problems with these Yamahas. My only real complaint about this thing is that it doesnt seem too portable. But I'll deal with heavy lifting over sub-par sound any day...

NA

I have played guitar for years and have a Sohmer and Co baby grand in my house. I did not study piano for very long but am looking to pick up jazz/classical once again. You dont have to have played for years (only listened!) to know what a real piano sounds like. I was shocked and apalled after reading MULTIPLE listings on here about how fantastic the KorgSGProX, Roland A90EX, and Roland RD600 sounded and felt, and how realistic they were. After all the rave reviews, I went into my shopping trip almost positive I'd come home with one of those. But they sounded pretty poor in coparison. None could match up to the big wonderful sound of the P200. Fewer options, but if you want more sounds you can buy a nice module. If you want something that sounds/feels rich and beautiful, where you really feel like youre playing a piano, this is the way to go. Feel free to contact me with any comments, as I havent bought it yet and would love to hear of any reasons people think one of the models I mentioned or some model I havent tried would better suit me. Thanks.

Pretty straightforward, alomost every function has its own dedicated knob. It even features an assignable midi-slider. The display could be larger.

There's is not much to edit about a piano sample, however you have some sensible control over the sound, featuring dsp and digital and graphic EQ. It also features a panellock switch, that prevents form inadvertant patchchange during performance.

Much has been written about the sound of digital piano's. In the end you'll have to let your ears decide. A sound that's faithfull to the real thing doesn't neccesarilly make a usefull sound. For example I've recently owned a Roland piano, that feels and plays like an acoustic one. But once blended together with the sounds of my other midiequipment, it sounds dull. The sound doesn't stand up to the power of snares and guitar, wich makes the piano totally useless as a rock instrument. What I try to say is: define your specific application and find a piano that best suits your needs. Unfortunately there still isn't a piano that integrates the best of both worlds. Besides that, whatever dig. piano you buy it's never going to replace the real thing. I think it's a good thing too that some manufacturers compensate for the lack of realness by bringing their sound a bit over the top. Alesis and Yamaha make bright and impressive sounding pianos that are maybe a bit 'better' than a real piano, but it surely enhances the experience when playing on these kind of instruments. So how does the P200 relate to the other brands. Well, it has a bright pianotone with body and accuracy. The feel is enhanced by its superb built in monitoring system. You can feel the vibration through the keys. I think this is the most spectacular piano sound found in a digital piano to date. It cuts through any mix. It's graded hammer technique is better than verything else on the market. Roland has a more dark tone with lot of wood, great for classical music. Gem's real piano is not as good as everyone says. I understood that thay sampled serveral grand piano's to get the best of both worlds, but they seem to have put differend samples under different keys. It sound very odd to me. The feel of the keyboard is crap. It doesn't even come close to a real piano. Alesis QS8 is a wonderfull instrument offering a lot of instrument for the money, but it has a major drawback it features a fatar hammeraction keyboard, which has the feel of an a old saloon piano. Make sure you check out a P200 when you want a digital (stage)piano.

Build like a truck.

Never dealt with them, never heard of a Yamaha product to defect...

I have the luck to play on a Steinway Concert Grand once in a while. The sensation of this kind of instrument is undescribable. I've played, owned and used a lot of digital piano's. The Yamaha comes close to the experience of playing a concert grand. Besides that it useable in almost every kind of music. Check it out!