Yamaha P200

so easy an idiot could use it.

i mainly play the piano sounds and they are perfect

pretty good for christian music

takes a licking and keeps on ticking

i would buy another right now if i had to

I've never used all the editing stuff. For gigs I used mostly Piano 2, Organ 1, Vibes, and a split with Acoustic bass and Piano.

The manual helped me figure out how to control the split and transpose features. I've never really dug into much more than that.

The keyboard action is awesome. I've been out of the country for a year, so I had this stored in my parent's house. They had my Kimball piano tuned for me when I got back, so I played that for a while. When I got my P-200 out, I was so excited. I love the feel of the keys and rich deepness of sound. I really feel like I'm playing a grand piano.

I like the pitch and modulation controllers on the left. They were fun to use, especially for some songs when I used to play gigs.

I've never used the expansion capabilities. The pressure sensitive keys were pretty much the biggest selling point when bought this.

I've always been a bit picky, even critical when it comes to playing a keyboard-- I'm a piano player and controlling sound with pressure and even the peddles is important to me. So this board is awesome. I agree with other comments I read about how it is worthy to be called a piano.

It definitely reacts to my playing, and I feel like it even makes me sound better!
I've played jazz, folk, rock, classical, disco, country, and I've never been disappointed with the sound or the ease of use. It is very simple to change settings quickly while switching styles within a set at a gig.

Like I said, I love the richness of the sound-- especially in the Piano 2 and Vibes voices. I also really appreciate the slight adjustments you can make with the modulation and the reverb controllers.

I have never had another choice as far as a gig backup keyboard, but I'd say I would not worry about that. It never crossed my mind. I have never had any problems with this keyboard, except that I need someone to help me lift it out of my carrying-case onto my stand. It is heavy, but that's never been a major issue for me. I have a nice case, a small dolly, and good friends.

Question: I remember the salesman telling me this board could go out of tune if not played regularly. Is that true? If so, how quick could it happen? And what would it take to re-tune it again?

I have never dealt with the company, other than reading their website. The website was pretty useful for my concerns. From reading people's comments about it though, it seems the company has always come through for them.

I bought this from a local piano store. They were great help.

If it were lost or stolen I certainly hope I could afford to replace it. The only problem is that it's been discontinued, so I'd hope I'd like the newer version.

I've been playing for twenty years. I own a Roland KC-300 piano amp which I bought to use for gigs since my first gigs had no sound system to plug into. I love that amp too. It's very versatile.

I wish it could record and playback so I could play with myself-- perhaps that's possible with add-ins, but I haven't looked into it.

When I was shopping, I had a really hard time finding enough options to really feel like I got to compare. However, I spoke with some local musicians who all loved it.

It certainly helps and enhances my music-making.

Can anyone help me with my dilemma:
Since I don't play gigs much anymore, mostly since I've been living most of the time out of the country, but not yet somewhere I could take my piano, so I've started thinking about whether I should give my P-200 a new, more appreciative home.
I don't want to get rid of it. I'm just worried about whether it would lose it's tune or otherwise depreciate in it's usefulness.
I have a Kimball piano in my parents' house waiting for me to have a permanent home to take it. I don't foresee being able to take it soon and don't want my parents to have to move it again. So we talked about getting rid of the Kimball.
Our thought is that the P-200 really feels and sounds so great that I could handle keeping it instead of the upright acoustic piano (I can't believe I really believe that)!
I'm just worried about what will happen to the P-200 while it sits mostly unused for a year at a time. It has sat most of the past two years and is fine, but what about the future?

Does anyone have any insight-- I would really appreciate it (I've included my email address). I believe in loving instruments and taking care of them!

This piano is extremely easy to use. You just push the buttons and get the sounds. I think it is great having the speakers.... that is one of the things missing in some of Yamaha's recent keyboards. Therse speakers never distort no matter how hard you push them.

The greatest and often most overlooked feature of the P 200 is the drawbar organ function. Hammond organ patches on most other digital pianos ARE NOT programmable. With the P200 you can set and store patches and even add percussion, which sounds very realistic and Hammond like. The leslie simulator is also very musical sounding. This is one of THE FEW keyboards with acoustic and electric pianos that is capable of getting a decent organ sound!

I think the Pianos are great on this and have been recognised as such. I really like the vibes and the acoustic bass splits are also very nice. But as I said before if you program alittle bit this one is also capable of great organ sounds.

I haven't had any problems with reliability in over 10 years. I don't bang on the keys so there are no problems.

I never needed support....

This is one of the classic digital instruments of all time. Because of te combination of pianos, electric pianos , vibes and Hammond organ sounds it would be difficult to replace this.

They don't make them like this anymore. The speakers are there, the sounds are there and it seems bullet proof. You have to spend quite a bit of money to get anything remotely like it today. I would imagine being able to find a good used one would prove to be quite a bargain.

I bought this piano in 2000, because I move a lot and shipping a baby grant every 3 or four years becomes too expensive.

This piano has a great feel and excellent touch sensitive keys, which make it play like a real piano. This was the main reason I bought this instrument. It features are well described in the extensive manual. Also my young daughters start playing the piano on this instrument and they quickly found out how to change the sound and settings.

Wonderfull action

I like to play fast as well as slow loud and soft and this instruments caters for these different playing styles.
I am still impressed by the variability in softness and loudness this instrument can produce.

However, my main problem is that after a few years all keys start producing a very audible clunk when the key is released and returns to its position. The touch sensitivity remained though. I added some felt to the existing felt ribbon and this reduced the noise significantly but it does not last for very long.

I am now thinking replacing the old felt strip, but I am not sure if this will solve the problem. Unfortunatley there is no Yamaha dealer in the country I am presently living.

If anybody can give me any advise please contact me via my email below

First thing you should know, I use this piece for practice and live-gigging, 95% as a naked piano, and 5% as an organ. The P-200 is very easy to use. You have 12 voices w/12 corresponding buttons with the name of the voice above. Push one, it's red LED lights up above it, and that's the sound you get. You have a single button for reverb that cycles through 3 reverb depths (with the 4th being no reverb), and the reverb is applied to whatever voice is selected. Same thing for chorus. The P-200 also remembers the last reverb/chorus settings applied to each voice between power on and off. The default piano voice is just absolutely wonderfully huge and nuancey. It's sound rings familiar and true when playing copy-cat licks from the recorded acoustic piano music you know and love. I use the main piano voice naked with no effects. The organ is nice and wet and reedy and gets those "squeaks" when the keys are worked rapidly. You can adjust the tremolo speed on the organ sound from zero (none) to eight (several cycles per second). The organ sound is acceptable to me when providing atmosphere behind the loudish, country, rockish, psych band I'm playing out with. I regret that I have no idea what "editing patches" is...I'm a piano player, and an old-school lover of the New Orleans cats: Longhair, Booker, Toussaint, Rebennac; I have no use for anything but a grand piano sound. The manual was very helpful in figuring out how to set the tremolo speed for the organ, but I think that's the only time I've referred to it.

I give this category a 10, not because of the versatility or tons of features it boasts, but because it has just exactly what I need and not a bunch of mumbo jumbo that as a simple piano player, I never use. As stated before here many times, the polyphony is 64, but actually 32 when playing the piano sounds because the two default piano sounds are stereo samples. I do use a sustain pedal, which feels and sounds excellent, but have noticed the very rare "clipping" sound when really working the sustain and the keys hard (maybe a handful of times in the three years I've owned the thing, and only with headphones on). It has not been an issue, just something I've noticed a few times. However, it "could" be problematic if it was happening in a complex passage that you were recording in the studio, but hey, this is a stage piano and I assume you'd want an acoustic in the studio. I don't think this piece is expandable. It does have MIDI in and out although I've never dealt with this feature. It has nice 1/4 inch left and right outputs to go mono (Left only) to an amplifier, or to go stereo (Left and Right) to a PA or a pair of amplifiers/speakers. I regret that I don't know about the P-200's sequencing capabilities.

The action is wonderful. To me, all acoustic pianos feel different, and take a little getting used to, and the P-200's keyboard feels like just another piano keyboard to me. It really responds to sensitive, soft playing, and quick, forceful, staccato jabs as well. I have no complaints about the feel of the action. HOWEVER, see below for keyboard issue. I think the piano sound is just as wonderful when playing Chopin as when playing a James Booker boogie. Again, I don't use any of the effects, just the sustain pedal and the naked default piano sound, and it's wonderful to my ear. Of course when playing live, it depends greatly on the sound amplification system you're using...

The P-200 is a work horse. It has never let me down...however, several of the keys (I'm not looking at the thing right now), maybe five of the keys in the most hardest hit zones (I play a lot of hard-boogie left hand lines), have begun to "sag". I've read about the key "sticking" problem, but that's not how I'd describe what's happened to my keys. The affected keys sit just a bit lower than the rest, and instead of snapping firmly back to position after release, they return back into position just a bit more slowly and jiggle for just a moment. It does not affect the sound or sensitivity to my ears, but feels a little lamer, and I bet they'll get worse. It started with just one key about 2.5 years ago, and now it's about 5 keys. I bought this piece used from a single owner and it was mint when I got it. I have played this thing every day for 3 years, and carried it to many gigs, moved it to New York City in the back of a car from Atlanta over crappy roads, hand-carted it over Manhattan streets, and up and down a two-story walk-up practice-space many times. Oh, did I mention this thing is HEAVY? I can move it about fifty feet on level ground from a dead lift out of the case, but that's a real effort. I'm an average sized dude. To go up stairs definitely requires two, and it's still a real effort. I'm pleased with it's stability, and notwithstanding any speculative future keyboard worsenings, it's reliability.

I have not dealt with Yamaha at all, however, when looking into information about getting a second keyboard (I want to leave the P-200 at home for practice and get a lighter, maybe the CP-33, piano for gigging) I found their website and all the hundreds of models to be very confusing. A simple product history/generational chronology would be helpful. I haven't tried calling anyone from their customer service department.

This model is discontinued, but I would definitely buy it, or it's logical generational successor, again and again. This thing is absolutely perfect for what I do (simply play piano, and I need something more portable than an acoustic until I'm a huge star and have my own teamsters). I love it's simplicity, it's piano sound, it's feel, and even it's understated, sturdy look. I hate it's weight. It's heavy. But not as bad as a damned acoustic piano. Bottom line, this piano, and music in general, has saved my life. I've spent many lonely, frustrated, feverish, exhuberant nights at this thing writing music in the wee hours. I've also had many hours of commeraderie and joy playing and watching other wonderful musicians play, perched behind this piece of work.

This is by far the best Stage Piano on the planet. If you don't like this Stage Piano, you have no taste as far as playing the piano goes. All the buttons on board do the job with the mear push of a button. Want to change a voice, just push and play.

This Stage piano again is the best thing i've ever played. It has alot of fetures that do what you want done and then some.

The sounds are to die for. I only use the piano 1 and i will never use another keyboard sound again. Or any other keyboard for that matter.

I would never in a million years need a backup for this piano. Never gliched on me, and the speakers could fill a gym.

Never had to call because this keyboard is THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD!!!

If this was lost or stolen, i would buy another, and one more if that one was taken. I would not know what to do if i ever lost this thing. I live and sleep by it to make sure it stayhs ok.

You'd have to be from another planet if you can't use this w/o the manual.

64 poly. Action heavy but what a normal grand feels like.

can you give 11 for piano? not for synth players. it will eat them alive. good effects. all you need. other sounds on it acceptable to don't even think about parking here.

see other articles. if i used this on a gig without a backup i'd be fine. I would just bend my knees before lifting this thing or your back won't go 'back' into the 'up' position.

For the Piano 1 sound and action. better action than the 01w pro x and mkb-1000 by roland (heavy action but good) the only thing to compare the action to is the rd-1000. that is still the best for all even though it weighs as much as my 82 VW Rabbit. wish it had (here come the tomatoes) a 2 track sequencer for my kids to fool around on.that's right i said kids! some instruments should also be family friendly and some are. but you asked me what i feel it should have.

Pretty easy to use. The manual seems comprehensive although I havnt really checked it out. voices are straight forward. built like a rock...

64 note polyphony...etc all the good stuff

sound is amazing. velocity sensitivity good.

stick keys...thats all I can say. I only have one E key sticking but it's really really bothering me. I've contacted the Yamaha support. Hopefully they can be of help. Meanwhile if anyone has effective tips/advice on solving stick keys it would mean sOOOO much to me if you drop me an email (zaishi@gmail.com)

Hopefully good...

a better alternative would be P250 if you have the $$. other than that, its an amazing keyboard had they not F@#$^#d up with the sticking keys...

Anyone could play this keyboard....anyone with a strong back.

It's a beauty other than *gulp* sticking keys.

Awesome piano sounds for sure

Good but sticking keys started happening to me too.

Haven't used them yet but sounds like I will be when I order new keys for this beast.

I have written a couple reviews on this thing previously. I am still very happy with it and I use it at every gig. I must go on record in front of my fellow musicians: I must openly appologize to earlier comments about sticking keys and having drinks in close proximity. You know, it is funny until it happens to you. I definately don't have any drinks near mine but now keys are starting to stick (Murphy has visited).

I guess I am buying keys now. I heard one post talk about a complete keybed exchange...can anyone add to that? Maybe that is a better option if they fixed the problem. The last time I worked on keys and a keybed (on my Hammond XK-2) I "had to" go buy the XK-3 because I really messed the XK-2 up (anyone want to buy a used XK-2 needing slight keybed love?).

If anyone can comment about the keybed replacement versus just getting a key here and a key there please email me.

This stage piano is very usable in a live setting, even in very dim light, because there are just a few buttons which do very obvious things.

It has AWESOME acoustic piano, an organ that will do in a pinch, a usable electric piano, and one string patch that is useful layered underneath the piano or EP. Very easy to combine 2 sounds ... easy to split 2 sounds though sometimes it's a bit tricky getting the right one on top/bottom.

Keyboard action is very piano-like. You DO need to call Yamaha Service Department, talk to the Shop Manager, and ask for the keys/keybed replacement, which they sent me without any hassle at all. Otherwise, you'll eventually probably have some keys stick, with or without prior warning, so do this sooner rather than later. Those who reported here that they have never had any problems may have bought the keyboard with the retooled keybed unit already in it.

MIDI implementation is enough to use.

Since this meant to be a stage piano, it does the dozen things it does, simply and extremely well.

It weighs a whole lot. You will need either a bag with wheels or an ATA case with wheels, or something similar.

Wonderful piano. Excellent church instrument. Piano will cut through a rock band when you want it to. You can vary the sounds somewhat using the 3 band EQ; since it's meant to be a piano, that's what it does, maybe the best stage piano ever.

I have used just this keyboard every week for 2 years without any mishaps at all other than the sticking keys ... in a pinch, you can super-glue a key back together, and then trade it with a key near the top or bottom of the keyboard. Do call in for the keys replacement program. It's a complete replacement for the keys and the keybed. It's easy to install yourself ... remove some screws, remove a ribbon connector, trade out the keybed (it's one self-contained unit) and then put it back together ... maybe a half hour job with a Phillips screwdriver being the only required tool.

There's a problem that others have reported on already ... it can switch from one patch to another while in use. I keep thinking I must have struck a preset button, but I don't think so really.

Customer support involves finding the right person to talk to, and then it's terrific.

At this point if I were looking for another stage piano I'd find a P200 used, for sure. It's very expressive and you'll find yourself sounding better because of it.

I have had this instrument for close on four years now and it has stood the test of time. Yeah its heavy ! Especially in a full flightcase but this baby needs looking after and I want it to last and for it to work the next time I unpack it. During the last four years the relibilty is 10 out of 10 which is typical Yamaha build quality make no mistake. Sure some people here have issues with keybed problems who knows why, but for me its been rock solid. My Guitar player purchased a P200 at the same time I did and again he has experienced no problems other than coming to realise that us keyboard players are the real kings !

Anyone could sit down and start playing straight away and the manual is there if you fancy a read. Editing is straight forward and you would not require a patch editor.

Polyphony is 64 note and the keyboard action is brillant, I spent several weeks before deciding to buy the P200 looking at everything that was available at that time from Roland, Korg, Kurzweil, Gem, Oberhiem, Kawai, Technics. The sound won me over from the start and the keyboard action left the others in the staple. Writing this in 2005 Yamaha have produced a new breed of digital pianos P120, P140, P80, P90, P250. Out of ineterest I tried these all out and the P250 is the direct sucessor to the P200. In my opinion the P250 is a retrograde step for Yamaha as the triple strike samples sound very different to the P200 and do not sound anywhere near as good as the AWM samples of the P200. I have also tried the S80 and as a piano it was a let down, the new S90ES I will be trying soon.

Midi capabilites are just ok for simple jobs but I need far more control as far as midi is concerned. I have a oberheim M3000 midi control centre running of the P200 and that works real good and turns the P200s midi master capabilites into what Yamaha should have endowed the instrument with from the start.

No Sequencer and I am glad.

Sounds ! wow I play Jazz Piano and use the instrument in a variety of settings from solo gigs, studio sessions, concerts, The acoustic Piano sounds are still the best and I prefer them over the current Roland stuff, I also have a XV5080 fully expanded with the Concert Piano Board 08 installed. Using the Roland Piano sounds on the P200s keyboard is a nice change but they do not have the authority and musicality of the Yamaha sounds, thats no accident , Yamaha build world class acoustic pianos so they know a thing or two about building musical instruments. The electric pianos are very good especially mixed or used with the onboard tremolo or phaser, very Donald Fagan.

Yes I have depended on it.

Backup, whatever for ?

Yamaha UK have always provided me with great support.

Would I upgrade this instrument, as I say I cannot see or hear anything in the current market place that would want to make me change. Yamaha Engineers and their R&D done this right first time round.

If it was lost or stolen I would get another, yes it was worth every penny.

Hello everyone again..

I'm the guy that had problems before with my p-200. 5 times of repaired sticking keys in one year =)

But since the last reparaing I've never had ANY problems with it. And I have not handled it extremely easy or anything. There are simply two reason for my now "no-problem"-time:

1) Yamaha replaced the whole ground for the keys to lie on.

2) I've always used a Warwick gigbag for carrying it in (not ideal for packing it). The Yamaha guy told me that he thought the problems came from me packing it standing up (the side where the YAMAHA-logo is). A better choice is to let it lie down as usual (with the keys up). I've even made a "couch" that I put under the logo to prevent it from hits. The Yamaha-guy thought that the sticking keys did so because of being pushed from the front side.

Now, AGAIN, I love my P-200.
I even got a autograph on it! From Robert Wells (international famous pianist). Check it out on http://boyzen.tk

This is an update of a review I submitted in 1999, right after I got this piano. I still love everything about it, it has never let me down.

Still the best out there as a piano..it does what it does very well!

The best piano sound in the industry, hands down.

The point of this update...I read all the reviews talking about sticking keys. This is unfortunate. I have had no such problems out of my board in over 6 years of playing it extensively at home and gigging with it occasionally. I hit the keys very hard, as a result of learning to play as a kid on an old upright piano with very hard action. The P200 has never even hiccuped on me. No sticking keys, nothing wrong whatsoever, and I've basically abused this thing. So for anyone thinking of picking one up, don't worry about it...even if I had to replace every key on it, it would be worth it for the sound and action.

If it were lost or stolen I would either find another one used, or possibly check out the p250 which wasn't out when I bought this, only for the increased sounds and sequencer.

No problems here. And I'm non-technical where keyboards are concerned.

The action is excellent. I love it. Another keyboard player sat in with the band a while back though, and hey thought it sucked. To each his own I guess.

Pianos -- Great. EP's -- Very Good. Everything else -- OK, I guess. I don't use it for the organ, except when I'm in fumble and bumble mode.

I too have had sticking keys. I now order them (the last two were D's) from Yamaha and replace them myself. They will add a few pages from the repair manual that tell you what to do. It's not that tough after you've done it once or twice. The keys are $15 each though. I'm up to $60 plus shipping with this problem.

I only call them for the keys. It's a shame you can't order them over the web -- you have to call. (I think. At least, that's the best I've come up with.)

I don't regret the decision to buy this keyboard. The P250 wasn't out yet when I bought this. And when everything is eq'd well, the sound and feel is everything I could hope for. I use a different keyboard for organs, and so I'm set for what I do. I also use an Emu Vintage Keys module, and drive that from the P200. This set-up works well too.

This is a VERY simple stage piano. Accessing sounds is easy. Quick EQing, adding effects, splitting, and transposing are all very simple. I'm not sure I've ever looked at the manual.

There is a handy-dandy feature on the P200 that, in my opinion, Yamaha has screwed up for its younger and more advanced brother, the P250 - THEY'VE MOVED THE MIDI BUTTON!

On the P200 you can toggle MIDI transmit (to layer live) on and off with the touch of a single button just above your hands near the center of the board. I've hit that button so many times it's become second nature. It took a few gigis to get used to its placement, but I always know I'll hit the MIDI button and not TRANSPOSE or SPLIT because the MIDI button is at the end of a row with nothing above or below it. This is no longer the case and is the SINGLE reason I won't be buying a P250 as my next road piano (they've also opted to go with a knob for the main volume instead of a slider - not sure why.

On board effects are simple and intuitive, but really quite spare. I find that I leave the reverb set to STAGE and really never mess with it.

The action is absolutely the best in the field. I've been a stout Roland supporter for years and was shocked to find myself buying a Yamaha over a Roland - but the P200 feels perfect for me.

This is a stage piano so there's not much in the way of expansion, cards or MIDI (well, of course, it carries all the basic MIDI controller functions).

I spend most of any gig with PIANO 2. It's a very live sample with lots of clarity and depth. AND THE ACTION IS THE BEST!

STRINGS are pretty sucky, but I don't tend to use them live - if I really need them, I'll layer them from a rack synth with the help of the handy-dandy MIDI button.

There is no harpsichord or Clavichord - this is a definite drawback.

You have a choice of an upright or electric (fingered) bass. There is no FUNTION or othere such button so to switch between bass sounds you actually have to hold fdown the BASS button for a few seconds. I would imagine that this could be annoying in a live setting if you had need of both.

VERY RELIABLE. This thing is a workhorse for me. I bought one of those FAA cases with wheels on one end and it's kept its quality for over three years.

Which brings us to the caveat that evryone seems to have mentioned. The P200 is a heavy son of a gun. I've taken it up and down stairs, across fields and through hotel back hallways so many times that I'm sure I've done some minro injury to my back. I find myself cursing it while I'm en route and the calling it "my baby" when I'm playing it.

No experience.

I'd buy this board again and it's worth it's cost for its feel and sound - oh and the onboard speakers are actually quite good and adequate for dinner/lounge/rehearsal settings.

I bought this over a Roland RD over three years ago. I'm glad I did. However, my next gig piano will actually be a Roland RD so I can have access to some more (albeit simple) synth capabilities on the road from time to time.

Very easy to use.... You don't need the manual for use as a "normal" stage piano, and you'll handle the basic midi functions without it as well. The display could handle a bit more info, but in general you are never let alone....

The keyboard action is very good, in my opinion only second to the Kwai. But this is depending on personal preferences. The effects are very basic (Reverb, Modulation), but do the trick. Easily controllable via pitch weel. Don't expect any wonders here, though. The organ editor is a plus and covers a wide range of styles. But I prefer to use only the piano vocings and Voce Midi module for the organ sounds. The feature i value the most are the built in speakers, which are of excellent sound quality and sufficient power to rehearse (until the horns are really loud). Althogh the instrument is heavy, you save energy and time moving an amp around all the time....

The basic piano sounds are very well sampled, especially the piano 1/2, which are stereo. As they are taken from Yamaha grand pianos, they sound somewhat hard and clear, but are ideal for Funk / Rock sounds. For classical sounds, they work as well, but are in my opinion less suitable than the roland rd800 samples. The electric piano samples are well engineered as well, especially the preset for "Vintage epiano", which has a pretty rhodes-style sound. The other sound (strings, vibes....) are not too good, except for the electric bass. The organ editor has many features, but always generates a synthetic sound, especially when used with tremolo.
The effects are basic, but for digitial ones okay. The tremolo is slightly synthetic and I use an analog device on gigs. The touch responsibility is very good; you get the feeling of playing a real piano (although a Yamaha....). The responisibilty is also fine with other sounds (you can get a real distorted sound with the rhodes when you press the keys hard....).

Never had any problems, neither on gigs nor when practicing. Even when my buddy let it fall down there was no malfunction. Heavy but reliable, id say. I did not encounter any of malfunctioning keys or anything like that. When i got it new, there was an annoying clirring sound when using internal speakers at full volume, but this disappeared soon after.

I never had any problems, so I can't tell.

A very reliable, well sounding piano. Used it for more than three years, and still happy. I used a P150 and a P250 as well, and they are equally well made... For a allround every day piano at a fair price, I'd always buy a Yamaha. It has a better sound than a Kwai and a better action than a Roland. But this is merely a personal opinion. The only thing I am not too happy about are the effects, which are too synthetic. I use the voices clean, without effects, and use analog devices (a Dynacord Cls222 for tremolo, and an Echocord mini for echo). If you get the opportunity to get one used, it will work fine, but the newer types (p250) have the same key action but more sounds. If you use it as midi keyboard with external voices only, it will do the same.

sbc I guess I will have to eat my words I am Shan and I summited my opinion on yamaha key sticking problem it happend today. I am really concerned with problem I want to know how this can be fixed. I have had this p-200 for three years now. I constantly play blues and boogie woogie. This is serious when you play live. The d key is sticking I feel for the guy that had this 5 times. I hope I can find some answers on this. If anyone can e-mail me on this topic I would really be thankful. If It can be fixed without a tech I would do it myself. I read on one comment that its important not to have drinks around it. Well, I figured that was what the other guys problem was. I apologize for that. I never have drinks around mine. I am shocked to find out that everyone with this problem has the same keys sticking I have not yet called a yamaha dealer about this so if anyone out there would like to talk about this problem you can contact me. My e-mail address is sdfsas38@sbcglobal.net THANK YOU!

Just a note to update on the "sticking keys" problem. I contacted yamaha and was informed there is a service bulletin on the keybed used in the P-series keyboards because of this very problem. Starting with the D's, then the E's, a hairline crack developes at the back of the key, inside the keyboard where you cant see it (I looked inside mine...sure enough, cracks were there on the sticking notes). They have retooled the manufacturing process to alleviate this problem. Yamaha is going to cover the repairs for me, in particular because I play for a nationally known artist and use a "P" keyboard on the road. So I don't know how they will deal with others on this issue. Just contact them : ) (find the # at yamaha.com)

see above

Like I've said before, the P-series is my FAAAAVORITE gig piano, far above any other I've ever used (they are all very similar, basically identical sound and keyboard). Play one..they speak for themselves : )

Hello,
I want to get in contact with someone who knows how to repair broken keys by yourself, so that I won't have to send my piano on service for the 5th time this year.
Please email me if you have any knowledge in reparing a Yamaha P-200.

I love this piano for its sounds.
Don't EVER buy this piano, if youre not intrested in it messing with you all the time. My piano has got keys sticking 5 different times (!!!) only this last year. It's so extremely frustrating when youre out gigging.
I don't know the reason for it, cause I handle it like my own little precious baby. Yamaha --> go to hell.

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I just wanted to agree with Troy on this aspect of this entire "line" of yamaha keyboards (the "P" series). I am a "pro" player for a major label country artist, and I use a Yamaha "P" keyboard for all my piano sounds (because I LOVE it!) : ) BUT...i have had the same exact "sticking notes" problem Troy mentioned. In fact, I even noticed the very same "slight-shifting-to-the-left" of the notes that stick. These note were even "D"s, just like he mentioned. HMMmmm i wonder whats going on there?? So, yea, that IS a concern, especially when youre out on the road and keys start sticking on you in a gig! VERY frustrating. Other than that, the P-series is still, far and beyond, my FAVORITE dig piano sound. PLEASE Yamaha, fix this!! WhatEVER causes it.

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I have had my yamaha p-200 for two years now and I have had no problems with the keys sticking at all. When I am playing I really rock-n-roll the piano. I play strickly blues and heavy boogie woogie. What I mean is this piano (P-200) is really great for piano pounding action. If thats what your into. I really am impressed with this product. I hope that anyone who has this problem will remember to keep drinks away from it.

UPDATE - P200 Service Issues

As mentioned in my review a couple of posts down. I had many keys sticking. The keys actually shift to the left slightly and when that happens, there is no quick fix, the key has to be replaced.

After dealing with some service centers here in Texas, I finally contacted Jason Lee of Yamaha. I by then, was 2 months out of warranty. Jason Lee made sure that I found a service center that would accept my board, then went the extra mile and had my entire keybed replaced.

This is absolutley amazing. I cannot express how impressed I am with Yamaha and its people. They had a new keybed to my tech in less than a week. and the entire unit felt brand new.

The p-200 is a great board, sounds incredible, and I dont believe there is a better digital piano anywhere. And Yamaha is the best.

Most of the presets sound great. Im only interested in 'real' keyboard instruments like piano, Rhodes, and Hammond. The affordable competition all seemed to have only pipe organs! This meets all my requirements for playing in a big r&b band, and solo. It impresses everyone. I always use one of the program banks (the 12 preset voice buttons can be reprogrammed to any existing voice or combination of 2 voices in a pair of banks A or B) I make much use of piano with hammond as lower second voice. I must add I'm not impressed with the string sounds though, my old cheap casio job has better. I don't use them so it's no big deal to me.

Can't remember the polyphony but I have only 8 fingers and 2 thumbs. A good trick with the piano hammond combination is to play with the sustain pedal down. The Piano fades quickly (per real piano) but the organ sound sustains indefinately until the pedal is lifted. By lifting and depressing the pedal at the end of each chord change, they sound like they are being played by two different musicians!! The piano runs are supported by the organ chords, and the large polyphony prevents the organ chord expiring (if you see what I mean). This really makes for a big sound. I use the swell pedal to control either the single voice, or in combination, the level of the second voice.

The instrument plays beautifully as a piano, from a caress to a crash. Which suits me as I play from stax soul ballads to JL Lewis rock'n'roll. I cannot fault it.

Not perfect I'm afraid. I've had mine for 3 1/2 years and still love it BUT: 1. I have had a low F key consistantly jumping out of it's pivot after 2 years (they are held in by the return springs)for no obvious reason. I opened the keyboard and fixed it myself by adding a retainer I made. This would be a fairly catastrophic problem for some people. 2. I have also had ongoing problems with the voices jumping to one another. This is down to agression in rock playing, and the voice lock does alleviate it, but not eliminate it! (it happens about once each gig, instantly corrected, and lived with). I first had it fixed by the dealer after 6 months, but it reemerged a year later. As an aside, I had the same problem with a domestic Clavinola CLP650 (15 years old). Could this be PCBs bouncing?

I dealt with the dealer who sold me the keyboard on the voice jumping problem. He did his best to convince me my fingers were hitting the voice buttons while playing boogie. Even to the point of claiming another customer did the same thing! This sounded suspiciously like the problem is inherent in the keyboard and they had, had returns before. I have not found any reference to the problem elsewhere. Anyone?

I've been playing 40 years, I also play taylor acoustics, minor electric guitars, sing, and am learning tenor sax.
I love the basic instrument which could not be better my playing.
The weight is a pain (try carrying it past mics, monitors etc)
I chose it for the sounds and price (best in UK)
Nothing is perfect, I can be a bit heavy handed in my playing when carried away, but pianos are PERCUSSION instruments and should not break with finger pressure. Therfore the instrument is not fully robust. But moans aside, I would happily replace it with a used model the same but check for the highlighted faults.

Yeah, it is easy as long as you have big cahon-ees to lug it around.

I can't even spell polyphony let alone pronounce it. Features are piano, piano and piano if you know what I mean.

Piano, piano, piano...did I mention the great piano sounds? Absolutely tops

I am writing again because I still have mine after years of good service and it is still just fine. Troy sounds like he has some serious problems. I have owned about a dozen different boards but never had the keys stick on one. Troy, stop spilling your margaritas on your keyboards, dude!

You gotta go to the school of whining if you want to get satisfied, Troy. Call them up every day. Make their life miserable until they take care of you. Tell them you are unstable and own lots of high explosives, whatever it takes. Troy, have you tried opening it up and seeing if you can clean the mechanical aspects of your board? Sounds like you should do that and then find out why you own boards with sticky keys. My first guess is you need to get a drink stand and get your suds away from the top of your boards so when you "slosh" you don't douche your keys.

Of course I would get another one....otherwise I will have nothing else to put my back out. I mean, I could push my mini-van around with the engine off and the parking brake on but there is nothin' finer than to hear a disk pop when you lift this beast onto the keyboards stand. Troy, take the garden hose to your boards and rinse off the Kamakazees. Good luck! Buy this board people, it is the best piano action and sound out there.