I love this keyboard. I ordered it a week ago, and it arrived today. I was on it from 1 p.m. through 10:00. It's amazing. Sounds wonderful, and very easy to work with.
Deb Harman, Good for you honey, a great choice, my other favourite Stage piano is the Korg Grandstage, another excellent board with now 700 sounds built in!
I’m a Yamaha type of guy, so this is impressive. The piano sounds are great, you can layer the sounds and it has a release knob. Very very up to date and necessary.
Keep a towel handy when playing. You will be cleaning up tears after playing this. Players and listeners alike, will appreciate this beautiful instrument. And you sir are quite the worthy player.
Blake - great video. I own the CP88 and love the keyboard. I never get tired of watching these videos and learning more about the instrument. I'm hoping that you could do a short video (or share a link to one already made) that shows how to back up your files on the thumb drive and load on another keyboard. I've tried this several times using the instructions in the owners manual and it never works for me. I'm sure the issue is on my end and I'm doing something wrong. Thank you!
Got a Clavinova from the early 90's. To this day it STILL sounds better than any sample or emulation from any other manufacturer. Yamaha has the best-sounding digital pianos, without question.
I’m really glad you like your Clavinova, but to claim that the clavinovas from the 90’s is THE gold standard of piano emulation is quite a stretch of the truth (…if not even a good old lie). Piano sampling has come a loooong way since the 90’s…..
@@theclaverman I didn’t mean to suggest that Calvinova’s FROM THE 90’s are the gold standard today. Also, Yamaha uses complex sampling, not emulation. But, Clavinova’s of today are, in my opinion, the gold standard of digital piano’s today.
@JIM JONES hahahaaaaa. I love watching demos. However, I always take them with a grain of salt. The onus is on the musician to visit a music store and try out gear before purchasing them. With that being said, the CP 88 sounds excellent in various demos. I love the sounds on Nord, but the touch response of their keyboards just doesn't do it for me. Korg is playing when it comes to this market. Kawai have some excellent keyboards (which I just tried). So far, i am leaning towards Kawai. :)
It's a CP series, I would really love to hear the CP-80 sound on this and how it would be with chorus. I didn't hear it in this demo video as well as others on YT. :(
Why I bought the CP88 (long-winded review/statement) For my history, I have previously owned a Roland A90 Piano/Midi controller and a Yamaha Clavinova PF-100 (circa 1994) and I got incredible amount of use from both but due to personal changes in my life I thought it was time to upgrade since I haven’t had anything new for almost 25 years. Just so everyone knows, I am not biased with any company whatsoever. Fast forward to Nov/2018 where I purchased a Nord Piano 4. Absolutely LOVED the sound however, there was a huge issue with the keybed as it was making more noise than it should. To the point upon release of the keys the noise would resonate through my mic and through my L1 compact. Not acceptable. After many views RU-vid comparison videos and personal demoing in my local music stores I was undecided between the Korg Grandstage, Korg Kronos, Roland RD 2000, Yamaha CP4, Korg Krome nd the Roland FA-08. All great pianos/workstations so it was a matter of sound, versatility and of course the keybed. So, back in April I my local store had a CP88 so I jumped on. They had it running through a small Fender amp and even with that I got soooo sooo excited ….just as I did my Nord. So, when that excitement hits, instinctively I go with it. Plus, the keybed/action was just so soooo amazing that the decision was made there and then. So, traded in my Nord Piano 4 it in for my new love, the CP88. Unfortunately they only had the floor model so they gave me their floor model as a loaner until the new one came in. So, as far as sound. I will admit I am not as happy with the piano sounds themselves compared to the Nord but with some tweaking with the EQ I have got 3 amazing piano sounds that I am very very happy with. The CFX has this sort of tinny sound to it and I will admit I thought the CFX on the CP4 was a bit better. However, the Imperial, S700 and the upright U1 are truly amazing. A little tweaking and you can basically get a great sound out of it. The CP80/70 sample is definitely comparable to the Nord (which I use quite a bit in my set) so apart from the bug that’s going to b fixed this coming September it sounds absolutely incredible. The Wurlitzer (especially with April’s update) totally blows the Nord away. I am just so so happy with it as it really helps with my Supertramp/10cc tunes that I use in my setlist. The keybed, Well, it truly came down to the CP4, the RD2000 and the CP88. The CP4 was great for sure as was the RD2000 but after a number of jumps between the CP88 and the RD 2000 I found the RD was a little heavier than the CP88 and the CP4 was a little lighter so the CP88 was the perfect balance between the two. As weird as it sounds (no pun) I feel my playing has actually improved on the CP88. Songs that I had a hard time playing before (Tony Banks’ Lamb intro and Firth Of Fifth plus some blues scales for example) are coming much more easier. Weird how that works. Yes, there are only 57 sounds with the CP88 as opposed to the NP4 and yes you can load samples into the NP4 but I had to be practical within myself. I use Logic Pro X for a trillion sounds that I can trigger so for home use/editing/sequencing for backing tracks the limitation of the sounds in the CP88 is not limiting to me at all. Plus, one has to ask themselves……or myself…how many sounds does one actually need? I mean seriously…these are stage pianos. I usually get between 3-5 gigs per month and I do not use more than 4-5 sounds within my 40 song setlist. So it’s basically, Acoustic Piano, CP80, Wurli, Rhodes and a AP with a combined Ample Acoustic Guitar (triggered through my laptop) /Piano sounds. The rest are just icing on the cake. Ok, the other pianos may give you way more sounds but in all honesty, many of them are just different variations of the same sample, Don't let 1000 sounds fool you into thinking you're getting 1000 samples because you're not. Now, that’s just me and I can’t speak for anyone else’s needs as everyone has different needs and requirements. I also love the fact that I do not have to use my M-Audio interface anymore as the CP88 has a USB audio interface built in so with that and my upcoming purchase of a Yamaha MG10XU mixer (USB audio interface) going through my Bose L1 Compact system will be the perfect match for me. So this whole notion that CP88 blows this out of the water…or The RD2000 feels better or the Nord Pianos sound so much better is total nonsense. It is ALL down to personal taste for personal needs. I will say for price, keybed, versatility (again depending on your needs), sound and weight (yes I can actually carry the piano in my gig bag with one hand) the CP88 is hard to beat….but that’s just me. Finally, I will say buying a piano is actually worse than buying a house or a car. Very stressful at times and we always want to make the "right" purchase. Yes, you can watch a trillion RU-vid videos, read all of their comments, jump on the forums, get a a thousand different opinions and yes it helps but many times it can actually confuse you even more and also cause ulcers...LOL. It’s best to think of your own needs and try not to let anyone’s opinions (comments) sway you but your own. Cost/price aside there will ALWAYS be pluses and minuses to any of these pianos and if I had to do it all over again I would have waited until April this year before purchasing the Nord and maybe taken more time to study as it’s been 9-10 months to land to where I am now. I hope my experience/review will resonate with anyone who is undecided in purchasing the CP88 or any other piano for that matter. Now get out there and get a CP88!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You won’t regret it….LOL!!!
I really appreciate this post. I have been torturing myself over a keyboard purchase ... Yes I want it all in quality sounds as well as portability that doesn't compromise on quality or piano key feel. And really spending 2500 is painful but not unattainable vs 4500 (a price I find to be obscene).
I thought I was a total Yamaha guy until I played the ES920. It's absolutely the closest thing to sitting behind a big well tuned concert grand. This thing requires EQing an expensive PA until it truly sounds like a real piano when you play charming tone and when you play bombastic tone. If you're picky like good luck with that. Me my on board out sourced by kawai Onkyo engineered speakers really maxes out the realism of their amazing sound engine! If I need more omph just plug in a pair of powered studio monitors directly in to augment the great on board sound
I think Yamaha should make a CK73 with weighted keys...like this but simpler and more affordable. It doesn't need to match all the features, just function like the CK61 and CK88. I bet it would sell really well.
I have purchased the Yamaha CP88 and am facing the choice of speakers for a studio/small area setting. Its either a pair of Yamaha HS8 monitors or a single QSC 10.2. What would be your recommendation? Thank you.
You can stop your search for the best stage piano. Yamaha CP73/88 is the best hardware stage piano currently (2019) available in my opinion. Only thing better is spectrasonic keyscape, but it's software.
can you use this as a normal piano? like I just hook it up to an audio interface with studio monitors and it works? or is it like a midi keyboard where I need a computer.
Tried the Korg Chronos, Nord Stage 3, SV1 and CP88 today on the same amp at Guitar Center. Never thought about this keyboard, but it definitely had the best feeling key bed by far. Felt like a real piano. SV1 had the best sounding EP’s, but this keyboard was so damn close. Was about to buy a Nord until I tried it. Cool features but just didn’t like the feel. Felt cheap. Kronos had great sounds but not my favorite layout and just didn’t love it. Actually felt like this was a SV1 with a much better feel and better pianos. I will wait to try the Nord Grand and see if that is like this but with a better key bed. Otherwise I’ll probably get this and a Prophet 6. Was very surprised by this board.
Thomas Nunn in terms of sound only (not the keybed feel or interface) how would you compare the keyboards you tried out? How would you rank the pianos and how would you rank the EPs?
John Nulf sorry I didn’t see this or would have responded a long time ago. Better late than never. So I went again today (have brought two of my musician friends and a non-musician). Same exact reactions across the board (pun intended). When it comes to sound quality on the piano, the CP88 wins, hands down by all the people I have played for. Same amp and everything, this thing can’t really be understood via RU-vid videos. The feel allows for my expressive playing, and it just sounds very well balanced and realistic. Nord pianos out of the box sound flat and “cheap” was the word the musicians and non-musician used. I tend to agree (but don’t want to, because I have heard the Nord in bands and it sounds good). But when you are sitting down and playing solo back-to-back keyboards on the same amp, it just smokes them in depth and clarity. Hard to describe, but I’m not the only one to say this. Hell, even the Guitar Center guys call this the “Nord Destroyer”. So in terms of piano, this is 1st place, followed by the Kronos, followed by the SP1 and then Nord. Just not impressed with the Nord Piano sounds, but wish I was. In terms of EP sounds, it would easily be the Korg SV1 by far, then the CP88, then the Nord. Organs and synths would go to Nord, and neither have playable strings in my opinion. For that I would use my stupidly expensive VST files as I hate keyboard strings. But for piano and EP’s, you could get this and an SV1 and still pay less than a Nord and smoke it.
Thomas Nunn Disappointing to hear, as I love the sound of Nord's pianos in demo videos. Part of what I like is the stereo sound I get through headphones though. It sounds very detailed and feels as though I'm actually sitting in front of the piano. Perhaps that is lost though the keyboard amp you used, since it sounds like there was just one (mono). The CP88 does sound good though, and I appreciate your honesty and taking the time to respond to my comment. What I really need to do is just try them all out myself. I'll have to make a drive to sweetwater music though as my local guitar centers don't have much in the way of keyboards, let alone higher end keyboards or anything from Nord. Soon I shall make the drive. Thanks again!
Tell him Blake that’s the difference between a demonstration review and objective Review ,of course Blakes work for Yamaha he’s been working for them for the last 20 some years
@@paulallenMacca I'm not sure. I haven't really kept up with it all. I like watching reviews though, the good ones, with headphones on. I'm getting back into gigging again at 58 & have been using my old Technics P30 forever - which I really love. I'm looking at the Kawai ES110 for my new stage piano. All the best with your choice. Hope 2021 is great for you!
@@stemart1641 Thanks for your replies,I like the look of the Roland Fantom but not sure how the piano is compared to the CP88 where I live nobody has them on display to try out,I like the Jupiter X from what I’ve seen on RU-vid and the Behringer Poly D I just play at home.What kind of music do you listen to,have you heard of Nicky Hopkins I’ve several Professionally transcribed scores that he played including How Do You Sleep and Crippled Inside.
Spud Chuffington jones, Correct mate, which makes it better value even though it has less presets than the competition, But quality is always better than quantity!
Kougeru Yes & no, its primarily a stage piano, but so is the Korg grandstage & the Kurzweil Artis & PC range, But they all come preloaded with hundreds of sounds, including pianos, organs, brass, strings, & of course not forget Synths!
Yamaha says this about it: "the fastest stage piano action on the market" It does have triple sensors. Yamaha p515 action requires a little more pressure than most pianos. So Is this action different or is it the same action with wood?
It is different. The action on the p515 is more similar to the CP33. They are heavier action pianos, even more so than most real pianos. Although, getting into 9ft grands and above, they may be more accurate. At least from my experience, the CP88 feels more comparable to an actual acoustic piano, like a baby grand or an upright.
"In-Depth Overview". This isn't a review. If you weren't so busy shouting into the abyss of the internet, you might have enough brain power left over to think about and understand about the differences between the words review, demonstration, or overview.
You can do so via midi, or usb. You can also go 1/4” into a pre-amp with a hi-z input, or go DI into a mixer, as well as going straight xlr into a mixer or patchbay.
I need to hear the bass sounds ,all the bass sounds. I'm interested in making this my main instrument on stage but I need to hear all of the sounds ,not just the piano sounds or the effects. I need to know if this is this board will do what I need to do live. I currently use the cp 40 but i am looking to have a smaller lighter rig that is easier to use live. I've watched a bunch of videos on the cp 73 and 88 and still haven't heard what I need to hear
Try going to an actual music store that has one in, and try one out till your fingers fall off. That's what i've always done in my 30 year of playing and owning keyboards/instruments, to the point of almost getting kicked out of the store by closing time... :D I'd never buy an instrument (keys or otherwise) that costs thousands of dollars without trying it out, for myself, extensively in both sound and feel. Just my 2 cents...
@@nossateca49 I've done the same for 40 years brother. The problem is because they are demoing these boards on youtube so much, most stores dont carry them in stock. So you can't try them out. I would certainly have already done that . Some of the stores even suggest looking up videos on the boards to learn more about them. Where I am in Baton Rouge, the only store that has the yamaha brand is guitar center. They hadn't even heard of the yamaha cp series boards
$2,500. Well. Ok. I only listen after I know the price point other wise what are we comparing it too, batteries capability and the weight. I do not have help. Sounds like a Yamaha. Great!
Hi mates! A friend sells the cp88 for half the price! I am thinking if I may go wrong buying this instead of buying the modx 8... Please... Help me! I need mostly pianos, EPs, Clavinets, Strings, Pads, Guitars... Thank you! 🙏
Got me sold..awesome... But I have to admit, the only thing holding me back are the cheap looking metal toggle switches..oyyy... really? I am not real hard on keyboards, but, I am kinda clumsy... For some reason I can see having to have those little switches replaced, somewhat regularly..... If you are going to use toggles, use a more robust one... Other than that.. A+
You posted this before ever using it. Generally these companies do thousands of hours worth of durability testing and only abuse would break such a thing during the warranty period. If you're clumsy enough to break the switches then you're probably hitting the wrong keys quite often anyway lol
How many cameras were rolling to shoot this demo, and how come one of them wasn’t pointed at Blake’s foot when he was demonstrating the pedal wah function?
1. Does it have internal speakers? 2. I'm wondering which one is better and worth buying, CP88 or Modx8+? Anyone please give me your opinions, I'm so confused :"
Let me know when I can get a CP73 C1 - C7. I frequently play down to C1 and rarely over C7 on an 88. Doubt if it will ever happen. Don't understand why E1 - E7 seems to be the norm.
Roland0554 Yep I'm totally with you on that! The smaller keyboard would be easier to postilion in my setup but I often use low D and C and hardly ever anything higher than C7. I sometimes want the stage piano on top of the hammond and the 88 note sticks out stupidly at either end ;-)
Get the Yamaha. The RD 2000 has more sounds, but the Yamaha pianos have always sounded more pristine in live situations and in studios. And the keys on the RD2000 are very shallow and hurt the fingers after a while. The Yamaha feels more natural while giving you flexibility for different styles of playing. I wanted to stay on it for a long time at NAMM. It's a beautiful keyboard.
HIFIMIDI How bout the Nord stage 3? That’s the one I really want but it’s so dang expensive. Had to narrow it down to these two. What’s your take on the NS3?
Hi, did anyone notice how the master volume in the CP73/88 is extremely low and how to change it? I've tried it with different headphones and speaker with essentially no difference
Having Eq separate as a master control is OK, but it also needed Eq for tailoring instruments for live sets. This keyboard boasts about tailoring your sound to what you like, but doesn't include eq for each instrument, only a master eq. Eq is a much needed item in tailoring the sound of an instrument. As it stands, you can't save any eq settings to a specific instrument in a live set. You have to fiddle around for each set and alter your Eq separately on the master control which effects everything else. Big mistake there Yamaha. You should have allowed Eq to be saved for each instrument you custom save.
@@jonathanm6724 Well I've been Playing for 40 years your opinion as to me being serious or not is irrelevant I ask you about the keyboard. That's OK I'll go look it up myself and get the answer I want not the answer you think you want to give me
LaVoice Brandon great thank you. I just found out that it has no in built speakers, so I need to look for something just as good but with inbuilt speakers. Sucks
@@zugrath16 Yamaha needs to come up with a good organ, and they need to make a piano sound a little rougher. Nord's pianos sound better in some ways because they have realistic details and are not too clinically perfect.
That upright piano with them gospel licks is the best on this board if you ask me. It sounds just like the real deal when all we had back in day was a real Yamaha upright to bang on. Those pianos could take all the beating from demanding musicians. Those electric keys sound great too. Now we can finally have our Nord stage without that ugly, yucky "School girl bitch" red color!!!! 😂😂😂
*Yamaha CP88 and CP73* Sound: Yamaha 🎶🎵👍. Keybed: Yamaha 🎹 👍. Design: Nord clone in black version 🔴👉⚫ 😲😉. Pitch Bend and Modulation: Studiologic SL clone 😲😂.
Sounds amazing, but..... Those on/off switches for each section looks like an afterthought solved with a drill and an 50p switch from the local bestbuy. Same with the pitchbend and modulation "contacts". Hope it's only the prtotypes that looks like that.
Probably the tone knob adjusts the filter cut off, maybe resonance simultaneously. They definitely simplified the synthesizer aspects and aimed this at performers who don't know or aren't interested in more detailed sound design.
That being said, I prefer the CP4 to this. Even with the mild menu diving it offers more than this in my opinion. Most of the time, you can get by tweaking each sound how you want it beforehand, and will hardly ever find yourself in the menus again after that. For things you do need to adjust live, there is generally either a direct button/slider or a shortcut by holding a button or combination. I don't see them marketing this one as the best stage piano they ever made like they did before lol It feels like this one was made in response to some market research that must have indicated that many people prefer knob-per-function. For me, it depends. I like it on my Moog, but on my CP4 and Montage I actually enjoy the interfaces those have.
Recently purchased and sent my CP88 back. There was very noticeable keybed noise on every note while playing all piano samplings (even though the piano sounds were excellent). And the Ab above the octave plinked in stead of resonating. Musicians Friend took it back right away but, all in all a bad experience. Yamaha's has developed a slap together factory mentality and to save money really low balled the Keybed. Cheap aluminum frame as well. There are many great features on it but the above mentioned issue's were a deal breaker.
They called it a ''review", but it is a presentation. I can't believe CP-88 is more expensive than P515 by whooping 1000 USD (estimated). Where this difference comes from? No audio recorder on board, no midi recorder, no triple pedal connector, no drum and XG sounds for midi song play, no internal speakers. 16:25 wish you could load sounds from Reface, no. XLR outputs are nice addition, but no bluetooth connectivity?
if anyone has an older keyboard synth with 200 sounds or more and midi 5 pin links and a dead keyboard they want to send me, it will appear in a video, being destroyed and the sounds being added to a tone generation box i am building with about 2000 or more tones and digitech 128 or 256 effects all under one roof :) I have not decided whether to use my digitech rp10 or dsp 128+ for the project i am building
Yamaha CFX Concert Grand Piano worth 1,95,000.00 US$ and you complain about the price about a Stage Piano which has the actual sound sample of it. It really worth even for 3500 $
@@judsonchristudas YEP! Try this on for size: NI: NOIRE $149 It has the Yamaha CFX 9 foot grand sampled. and a few extras to boot. Here's the review. Listen and weep buddy. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8DEBkjI3bEs.html So yeah, the Yamaha is a rip at that price.
MusikOne, it’s a STAGE PIANO! On stage, I rarely use more than 4 or 5 sounds from my Yamaha S90es which has over 1000 sounds. Also kicking bass for my band, the quick split capabilities like the Nord are perfect for my needs. I’ve been using Yamaha stage pianos for more than 30 years. They sound and feel great and not one of them has ever needed service. This looks like my next stage board. If you need more sounds, then buy the Roland!
