Yamaha P60

I am using Protools to record my own music, and I'll tell you, out of all the pieces of recording equipment, the Yamaha P60 is the easyest, and honestly, the best sounding instrument. The sound is rich and clean with a well adjusted reverb that sounds better than profetional loops on protools... and that's saying a lot!
I started having fun with mixing the voices, and after almost 70 combinations, my inspiration was more, well, inspiring than it had ever been!

Although the voices are limited, a traditional grand piano doesn't come with a sinth either. It's simple, strait foward, and perfect for piano players. The weighting is amazing! It feels real, and I've learned to like its feel more than a real grand. That was enough to sell me!

Yamaha is known for its genies digital piano sounds, and this lives up to the reputation. This is industry leading sound. The feel is incredible, and will do anything you want it to, and it seems to speak back to you as you talk to it. It's a great feeling.

I trust it with my life! Nothing has ever been more reliable in my experience!

I would never own any other piano. I love the whole effect of the piano, and there's nothing that needs to be changed. Considering this product? Don't hesitate. The Yamaha P60 wont let you down.

Demo and Voice Button on the top, thats pretty much it. Took a second to figure out to hold down the VOICE button and then hit the corresponding key for the available tones on the unit.

Presets decent for a person of my background, but prefered the 1st level of Concert Hall Reverb. Trying to figure out how to change it was more challenging. 10 minutes with the manual can give the user a good summary of all the limited features on this unit.

I wanted to be able to play a diverse repertoire of music genres on this unit. Classical, Jazz, Contemporary, Secular...

I have found that the 32 note polyphony is a bit limiting in some situations (classical in particular) but for the price and the intent of such a unit, it is acceptable.

Reverb is the only real effect, decent with some amount of control of the depth. The Dual Voice layering is neat for some fun playing.

The Graded Hammer effect on the keyboard does feel a bit heavy, but I prefer the heavier nature of this keyboard vs. some of the lighter ones out there. The KEY is to try all the different models out there to see which feels the best.

My Environment consists of a carpeted room, with some odd funky walls which appear to be like multiple layers of recycled paper. I have the unit situated by the window, which is what I like. In this environment, the keyboard seems to sound a bit electronic. Again, my disclaimer is that I have a very sensitive ear, and even the top model Clavinova sounds a bit electronic to me.

For the beginner user, the sound would be perfectly fine. I have tried a lower end keyboard (Adagio KDP8- which sounds like crap, but at 600CDN - ~$495US and a weighted keyboard), a higher model (Korg SP-300) and have to say that the Piano sounds fuller, and more pure than either of these units. That is not to say the Korg SP300 is not a great unit for its target market, its just that these were the only other ones I could compare to at the store!

I would like to make a comment about the sound while using headphones. I found it amazing... i did not get to try this at the store, but with my high end earbuds, it was so clean and full, i was in shock. I almost prefer using it with my headphones rather than the built in speakers... I suppose this should not be too surprising, but it caught me off guard.

Overall, I would have to say that the unit would be best suited for light classical use, and moderate rock, pop and contemporary.

The construction of this unit appears to be quite solid. I like the clean look of the unit, the simplicity of it contributes to the lower likelihood of things to break (other than the GH Keyboard!!!)

Do not like the cheaping FC5 foot pedal... I prefer the piano like FC3/4 but that is a personal preference.

It did survive the bumpy ride home from the store without any issues. That along with the 3 flight walk up the stairs at my apartment....

Have not had to utilize them yet and will hopefully not have to do so in the near term.

Important Points:

-I have 8 years of Formal/classical piano training back in my youth.
-I have never purchased a digital piano.
-I have been only playing on and off for the past 10 years, mostly contemporary, but the odd accompanying for smaller ensembles.
-I have a sharp ear.

With my limited budget, and options, I would consider this one of the best stage pianos at this price point. I have compared it to some Roland, Korg, Casio, and Technics models, but none have the feel of the Yamaha. I have liked to see 64 note polyphony and perhaps an add'l headphone out (to make it a pair)
Perhaps a keyboard stand to be included with it as well.

I would have to say that I would miss it dearly if it managed to walk away. It is a perfect compliment to a condo or apartment and a terrific addition to any home.

There is no software for this device. The preset sounds are incredibly easy without even glancing at the instructions (though it will assist). There is a manual but the features are so limited and the complexity is non-existant.

The polyphony is perfect for what I need. The keyboard action is just like an accoustic piano. There are no effects as I didn't need any. No expansion capabilities.

I only cared about the piano and it sound perfect to me. My music interests are only those needed for an accoustic piano so it was great. The key feel is fantastic just like I would expect.

It was Very dependable just as I would expect from a Yamaha.

I haven't worked with customer support. Haven't needed to.

I purchased this device to replace my accoustic piano so all I wanted was accoustic piano sound and feel. The P60 is perfect for my needs. I like the Yamaha quality. I expressly chose a device that has limited abilities as I was only interested in accoustic piano replacement. This was perfect.

It was a great value for what I needed.

An easy to use, no-frills digital piano. Only 10 patches available. No editing. Built-in speakers. Manual is short and very easy to understand.

Again, this is a no-frills digital piano. Only piano players need apply. Basic MIDI capabilities, no sequencer. There are several effects available such as reverb, hall, etc. I actually prefer the piano sounds with the effects turned off. Sounds can be layered (maximum of two patches played simultaneously).

Two piano patches. One is brighter than the other. They are excellent. Not as dynamic as the P90, though. On the P90, you can actually hear the sound of the hammer as it strikes the strings. The other sounds are just okay. The organs sound like a pan flute, especially in the lower octaves. The harpsicords are pretty good; one sounds better than the other. Vibes are very good, but not something I would ever use; probably good for jazz and possibly even calypso. Strings sound cheesy on their own; they sound much better when layered with the piano. Action is pretty good -- not exactly like an acoustic, but close enough. Example: As you press down on a key, it's initially a bit heavy, than about halfway through the strike, it becomes very light. This is especially apparent when playing with the sound turned off. You should adjust to this after a short time of playing. If you are like me, and don't have the room for an acoustic piano, this will suffice as a substitute.

I have not had this long enough to say. However, I would not recommend this for gigging due to the plastic casing and limited outputs. The P90 is better suited for gigs. This piano is more suited for use as an in-home/studio instrument.

I have not used the support.

This is a very good digital piano, especially for the price. It's an adequate substitute for an acoustic, especially when you don't have room for one. The action feels a little strange at first but you should adjust to it after a short time.

Pretty straightforward, no frills. Keys double as preset selection, reverb settings, etc...

Lesser specs than it's more expensive big brothers in the P series, but look close, and listen closer and think you'll find like I did, the differences are very subtle. I needed a good, realistic feeling piano for my studio...and this more than fit the bill, I almost spent a whole lot more money than I needed to...for no reason. Midi capabilities, effects, etc are all exceptable, especially for the price range.

Again, this piece was purchased for recording and my main concern, beyond the feel and responsiveness, was how it sounded recorded. I had access to the P120 and P90, and my P60...recorded direct into Cool Edit Pro on my PC and there is no difference in sound. I'm glad I didn't buy into all of the crap I've read on the forums about specs, multi samples, sympathetic string resonance...blah blah blah... None of that means squat when you plug in and it sounds good and undistinguishable from the more expensive alternatives. Anybody getting ready to drop down more money, really needs to look at the P60 and figure out how bad they need more. I do acknowledge the P120 has a better Rhodes (which I address on another board) but the pianos just don't sound different enough in a real world situation to drop that much more money. Keep in the mind the primary purpose for me is recording, so the speaker quality was not a priority for me, though the P60s are fine for practicing and doodling.

Seems to substantial, mines in the studio. It's thick, the base below the keybed is deep.

Not had to use it.

I was looking at the Roland RD300SX , the FP-2, and the more expensive Yamahas...P90/120/250.... and acknowledging the attributes and nicer appointments in different areas...none of these boards improved upon what I needed, which was a nice feeling, responsive piano that records well. My only hesitation was the lack of traditional stereo outputs. I just used a stereo "Y" cable and it sounds wonderful, actually a bit more clarity than I noticed on the P90 side by side recording. I love it ! I put the money I saved in the bank !

The P60 is extremely easy to use. It's a digital piano with some other preset sounds. The quality of the sounds ranges from top notch to decent, the acoustic pianos being the best. That should be no big surprise. Great non-piano sounds in a digital piano are a bonus, not a given. The manual does it's job, and a separate one page 'quick operation guide' tells you how to access less-used features of the instrument. Changing sounds, setting reverb levels and layering two sounds is something you'll only have to read once, maybe twice, you won't need the quick-op guide for that.

It ain't a 'bug' it's a 'feature' is an old saying. Well, there's nothing 'buggy' about this keyboard, it's terrific in most every respect. Other reviewers have talked about how great the keyboard action is, and I totally agree.

My livelihood is playing piano mostly, and I get to play anything from a piano you wouldn't want to use for firewood to a really fine grand once in a while. My own acoustic piano is a good one. I can go from my grand to the P60 and feel comfortable with the action. I also tend to disagree with a few other opinions, I realize that this may be entirely subjective, but the P60, P80 and P120 actions are not the same. The P80 and P120 actions are a bit heavier, the P60 action is more similar, if not identical, to that of the Motif 88. I like it, I can play well with less effort.

The built-in speakers are good, although I agree that you don't get a ton of bass from them. External amplification and speakers give full spectrum sound and a clean audio signal. Headphones do the same.

I'm gonna sound like a businessman here, but I think 'price versus performance' is a feature and a big one. As musicians very few of us have money to burn. I think the P60 is the best value in a digital piano I've ever seen. Sound and Cost. No contest with anything else available.

This is a digital piano, and I'm evaluating it on the basis of it's acoustic piano sounds. It's not pretending to be other than a digital piano. The sound output is nice and clean.

I do however like it's electric piano sounds, one of the harpsicords, the vibes, one of the church organs, and the strings layered with piano. One of the harpsicords, one pipe organ and the strings standalone I don't care for much.

I've owned the P60 since mid-December, but I researched it and played it for quite a while before that. I've owned several Yamaha electric pianos over the years going back to the YP40, then the PF85, then the P150. I've also had the Yamaha CS6X with the PLG150-PF piano card. I also had a YPP35 61-note digital piano.

Surprisingly, the best compatibility and useful sound came from the YPP35 keyboard which had a nice, but less wide, stereo image. The P60 seems to have similar characteristics to the YPP35, but has a more realistic sound plus weighted keys. I haven't had the P60 long enough to be 100% sure about my assessment, but I'm about 90% sure right now. You can check back again for an update or you can email me, but my asssessment I believe is correct.

It's a Yamaha, so it's supposed to be dependable. I've never had any problem with a Yamaha product. If I HAD to do a gig without a backup I'd depend on Yamaha to get it right. When I can, I always bring a backup, it would be foolish not to. Hey, did my mother raise foolish children? (don't answer that)...

The only time I've dealt with them they've been great, but these weren't support issues.

This keyboard is a major bargain at $749US, I'd buy it again unless Yamaha came out with something better in the same price/class/weight range. I've owned a bunch of digital pianos and researched many more, I'm a piano fanatic, and I've been playing over thirty years.

The technology has gone a long ways in the last few years. My Yamaha PF85 which I paid $1535 discounted NEW, and my Yamaha P150 which someone pretty much gave away to me for$l000 (when it was going for $1595) weren't half as good as this keyboard, the Yamaha P60. The sound is better, the action is better, the weight is 36 pounds instead of over 70 pounds.

Roland and Korg offerings at any price range are not nearly as good. Personally, I think they both lack realism.

I've had and owned all sorts of Korg and Roland and Yamaha gear. Most of all the gear that I've held onto over the years has been Yamaha stuff. I only realized this within the last year or so.

Since this is the overall rating category, I'll include what I don't like as well, I've been totally positive so far.

This is definitely the best keyboard in it's class by far. That having been said, there's still room for improvement. For instance, a dedicated line out jack, or two (LR) would be nice. It's nice to be able to hear your keyboard when you're sending a signal elsewhere.

The bottom of the keyboard casing is not flush with the bottom panel beneath the keyboard. If you're not aware of this and try to slide the P60, in certain circumstances the casing would be damaged. This is no big deal in most circumstances.

I'd give it a 9.5 in this category but that's not available.

Es realmente facil utilizarlo, no requiere memoria de mago, para combinar sonidos y aplicarle efecto, o para splitearlo o usarlo en modo dual, trae las prestaciones necesarias para un piano digital por ese precio.

La polifonia esta bien, es mas que suficiente para poder tocar cualquier pieza de piano, yo soy estudiante principiante/intermedio y por lo que se tiene que ser una pieza muy rebuscada para que 32 notas de polifonia no alcacen, realmente son 32 notas en las muestras en estereo como por ejemplo los pianos que trae, Casio tambien trae 32 notas de polifonia en su linea Privia, pero si la muestra es en estereo, entonces utiliza el doble de polifonia, quedando una polifonia de 16 voces para los pianos en estereo, el P-60 tiene todo el tiempo polifonia de 32 voces "reales".

El sonido es el mas claro y "groso" que escuche, no suena latoso como los korgs esos, el teclado es el mas pesado que probe, tiene las teclas mas pesadas que el piano Bluthner que tiene mi profesora con el cual tomo las lecciones de piano, por lo cual es excelente, ya que permite adquirir la manera correcta de tocar un "piano", y no como otros pianos digitales que traen las teclas livianas, por lo cual se puede dar mucha expresion al ejecutar una pieza, sonido excelente + un teclado de martillos graduado, como en un piano de verdad.

Un piano electronico solido, es un Yamaha!, nadie sabes mas de pianos electronicos que Yamaha.

Hasta la fecha nunca necesite contactarme con Yamaha para pedir soporte, solo lo hice con la casa que me vendio el instrumento,
y me pasaron todos los datos del servicio tecnico autorizado,
ahi compre partes originales para reparar yo mismo mi viejo teclado PSR-500, excelente.

Soy de Argentina, un pais donde todo lo importado cuesta el triple tras la devaluacion, asi que todo cuesta muy caro ahora, por eso busque mucho a la hora de elegir ya que no contaba con tanto dinero,
y despues de probar muchas marcas como Kawai, Korg , Kawai y hasta Roland (lo mas caro del mundo!), realmente no encontre nada que pueda competirle en relacion precio-calidad, el P-60 es insuperable !

I havn't taken it out of the box yet, however, at the store, I was completely confused as how to change the voices. There are only two buttons on top - one says demo, the other- voices...after repeatedly pressing these and getting nowhere...I had to ask the salesman. Oddly enough, the names of the voices are located directly over the the keys. You press and hold "voices" and hit the key that corresponds to the voice written above it. I was a little annoyed by this riddle at first but once you get used to it, its simple. Another good thing about this is that because of this design, there are no gawdy buttons on top and it makes the keyboard that much more visually pleasing. I give it a TEN because if you read the manual...you wont have to solve the puzzle of the buttons on your own...

The 32 Polophony worried me at first..but I couldn't hear any notes dropping at all. It sounded great. I'm not gonna go and list all it's gadgets as everyone else has already. I bought it for the piano sound and that's it. Oh.. and just a word of caution...They (critics)keep drilling how it's weighing in at only 37lbs or so... MY GOD... It's a tank....I'm sorry, that's still the weight of like a 6 year old boy! I had a hell of a time trying to fit it in my car... getting it up the steps was a whole 'nother story. Granted I'm only 5'4, but I carry heavy stuff all the time, believe me..its not light.

Here's the deal. I was NOT planning on buying a P60...I went in there thinking I was buying a P90...because on my first visit, I didnt even think to TRY the P60. The P90 sounded and felt great to me... I loved it. Then I started reading reviews about the P60 and it got me interested. I had assumed because it was an earlier model...it just can't be as good. Well...after playing it for a while.. and then playing the P90 against it.. and then going back to the P60... I actually liked the P60 better! Why? It has to do with the sound. The feel is the same. The P60, to me, has a more clear, natural acoustic piano sound. The lower keys I think tend to have more power then the 90 and the overall balance seems to be more even. When I played the P90 (both through headphones as some maniac was going crazy on the drums) I can actually say I think Yamaha over did it with that one. Is that possible? It sounds more like a real piano through a recording rather than hearing one as you're standing next to one. It's like there was too much reverb or something or loudness(only Grand P1 was on..non of the other effects) I adjusted the brightness and the volume and the sound still seems to trip over itself. So.. I happily went with the P60...who knew?

I sure hope so.. judging by the other reviews...I'm hardly worrying.

Havn't dealt with them.

I give it a nine..because $700 bucks is still a lot of freakin' money.

I find the P60 easy to use once you've read the manual. It's not totally a performer's setup if you're wanting to use its internal sounds on the fly other than one sound per song. Then again its basically a piano with some organ and strings. It will do a dual voice setting, your choice and you can balance the volume of one against the other. Patches are not editable except for the reverb effect's depth and type, Room Hall 1, Hall 2, Stage. Using external modules thru MIDI is my use of the P60 so extensive internal params not needed. As a modest weight controller with internal sounds and speakers its a deal. I purchased the P60 in Japan so the manual I had to download as a PDF file from the Yamaha manual library. It's simple reading. The presets sound like Yamaha pianos. The organ patches are "churchy", though not Hammond, strings adequate. Harpsichord, vibes don't really need it and not distracting. I didn't buy this unit for all the bells and whistles, in fact its simplicity is what sold me. I was looking for a simple 88 key hammer action piano controller on a budget for live gigs. This is it.

32 note polyphony and haven't heard a dropped note with what I need to play on it. Reverb is the only effect it has and must be accessed through the voice button and keys. No expansion capabilities but I didn't purchase it for such.
MIDI is basic one in/out. It has MIDI editable params accessed by sysex. No sequencer or recorder. I find those unnecessary for my needs. Let's talk about the keyboard action as this is what I purchased it for. It is a Yamaha piano keybed hands down. It's the same bed on the P90, P120 and may even be the same as the Clavinova. 88 graded hammer keys and only 32 pounds for hauling to gigs. The top of the case is flat so I can put my 61 key Hammond clone controller without worrying about setting it on buttons. All the controls on the P60 are on the far left and pretty much recessed. Same for the connections, on the far left rear and slightly recessed for protection. I use the P60 with other piano modules as a controller. The internal sounds add to the piano library.

The pianos sound good to me. Have been playing professionally for many years including a Yamaha Conservatory Grand which I own. Have owned a Yamaha Clavinova some years back. I find the sounds good for most anything a piano can be played on. Use of EQ on a mixer or external amp extends the flexiblity of the internal sounds. I find the the P60 to be responsive to my style of playing and the shape of the keys is the best I've seen to date in a portable digital piano at this price. Velocity is fast enough. Aftertouch is for synths, not pianos. Effect being just reverb is adequate.

Yamaha has always been tops in piano building. I have just purchased the P60 a week ago and will be using it on a gig this weekend. Having been around musical instruments for some time I can tell if an instrument has some merit. It made the plane trip from Japan back home without a problem wrapped in plastic bubble wrap and its original box cut down to the exact dimensions of the unit. Plastic case is a plus for light weight and the fibreboard bottom though not puncture proof adds to the weight reduction. For fun gigging this should be all I would need for piano sounds. With proper care and a good case this should last a while.

Have never dealt with Yamaha for service needs.

If lost or stolen would definitely buy another one simply because this is the only 88 key graded hammer action Yamaha keybed portable piano controller board for $600 with no gobs of buttons poking you in the face. The extra $50 on the price listed was for Japanese sales tax.

It is definitely worth the money paid specially being brand new in a sealed box. It even came with the Yamaha wooden stand, clear plastic sheetmusic rack,Yamaha cover, sustain pedal although the sewing machine type, and cleaning cloth for the price. I've been playing for decades and own and run a professional recording studio. I own a Fatar Studiologic SL880 88-key hammer action controller playing through a Motif rack. I leave this in the studio.

I love that it's simply a YAMAHA piano controller that feels like a Yamaha piano with excellent basic Yamaha sounds, speakers for instant setup to learn songs or jam, sleek styling and can set another controller on top without worrying about mashing buttons. It even has 50 classical demo piano pieces built in to entertain all by itself.

If I "hate" anything about it, it would be the weight but hammer action is hard to make light. It's certainly lighter than the SL880.

I was looking at a used Kawai ES1 before stumbling on the P60 only because I thought I would not find a simple Yamaha board at this price and the Kawai had similar features, compact 88 key piano controller although the Kawai's buttons are in the middle of the board. After A/B ing the P60 and a new Kawai, the key feel was a joke on the Kawai compared to the P60 and cost over $1000. Roland, Korg and Casio either had too much gadgetry, an angled control top, weird shaped keys or rubbery feeling keys to them. Their prices varied to higher and lower than the P60. But the bottom line was primarily the feel of the keyboard and the P60 has the feel.

Any instrument I invest in has to have the ability to help me make music. Thankfully, the P60 achieves this for me because of its great keyboard. For the price the quality is unmatched. Simple features help more than complicated menus and numerous buttons and switches.

Yamaha was wise to create this model for players looking for a basic professional keybed with MIDI in a portable, at a good price even though their brochures depict it as a single woman's toy. I have the P60S in silver color.

As with most electronic keyboards, today's sounds are tomorrow's nightmare. The next generation of sound modules will sound fine thru the P60.

This piano is very easy to use for the basic user, and has quite a number of advanced features too. With a little bit of research into the owners manual, it's pretty easy to use.

Most people don't realize that this piano has as many fatures as it does, since only two features are labeled on the keyboard itself ("Voice" and "demo"). If you take a look in the instructions manual or at the quick operation guide, you can see a number of extra features hidden in the 88s, such as transpose, MIDI Transmit channel,Tune up and Tune Down, etc.

The piano sounds are some of the best piano sounds you can get at this price, bar none. The electric piano sounds are both quite good, as are the Harpsichord and vibes. The church organs are both very very believable, but I wish that they would have included a rock organ, like a hammond or something. The strings are good at best. Nothing too spectacular, but not too cheesy.
This is all based on the on-board speakers. It sounds even better recorded or out of a keyboard amp.

I've owned it for a couple of months so far and have had no problems with it.

I have yet to contact Yamaha for any reason.

Recommended for any type of user, beginner or advanced. Great action and great sounds, can't go wrong.