Review of Yamaha YPG635 88-Key Weighted Portable Grand (reviews, phones, cheaper)
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Though no electric instrument will ever really replace the sound, feel, and resonance of real grand piano this one does a credible job.
If you'd don't have the money or room for a real grand, this can be a suitable replacement. The sound is acceptable, better than many cheaper models but nowhere near the sound you can get from a really good electric. Where this model really excels is the touch of the keys. It really feels like a hammer-weighted key when you press it down. It changed the tone as well as the volume of the note. The high notes are lighter and the low are harder, mimicking the action of hitting wires of different weight. It's incredibly responsive to very small differences in touch, just like a real grand piano. For anyone who needs a serious electric piano but can't spend the thousands of dollars for a top-of-the-line model, this is good.
The digital display is useful and easy to use but very small and requires attention to read, which is difficult to do when I'm playing.
Of course it comes with all the Yamaha extras. There are the fun sounds which do actually sound like, say, an electric guitar or a flute. These are fun but of limited use to a pianist. They do allow you create and mix songs, though, which could be invaluable for a songwriter. The Yamaha Education Suite is interesting but anyone who is just starting out playing should seriously consider spending less on an electric piano or more for a real one. The one feature I find really useful is the built-in metronome.
The piano if fine looking, but nothing special. I don't personally care for the "wood accents". Nobody who looks at it is ever going to think it's anything other than an electric piano. However, I greatly appreciate the way electric pianos can be easily moved by a single person instead of needing the help of a team of professionals. This is good for kids to practice on because it can be turned down or muted entirely with the use of headphones. For practice and home use, it's a good buy.
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