5 Responses to “Yamaha YPG-635 88-Key Weighted Portable Grand Piano”

1. Ritand Wright Says:
   December 22nd, 2009 at 6:32 pm

   This was a replacement for our Yamaha Clavinova CLP-311 (ten years old). The power button broke and the repair places I talked to said that it can be hard to get parts for any keyboard over about 5 years.

   We decided to get this because:
   
   1. It fit our budget
   
   2. We live in a town home and need the option of headphones
   
   3. I hope the “bells” and “whistles” make it fun for my kids to play.
   
   4. Looks nicer than a keyboard on an X stand, but is still small and easy to move

   My initial response after purchasing it and bring it home is:

   1. Not too hard to set up, though you do need two people to move the 70LB box and for about 5 minutes of the assembly. Two phillips screwdrivers and follow easy directions and it was done in about 20 minutes.
   
   2. Sounds more like a keyboard to me (slightly softer quality of sound when compared to an acoustic piano)than when I tried it in the store, though better than what I had before
   
   3. “Wood” is coated particle board and there is an awful lot of plastic that these screws are going into. I really wonder how it will hold up.
   
   4. My girls like it so far

   For lessons now, I think it will be okay, but if any of us get more serious, then I would really feel like I needed to invest in a better alternative.
   Rating: 3 / 5
   Digital Pianos

2. J. C. Says:
   December 22nd, 2009 at 6:59 pm

   I bought this digital piano/keyboard several months back and I find it to be an excellent digital (recreational) piano.

   I decide to buy this model because it has sequencer built in it (to start composing), has quite realistic piano sounds (other sounds sound a bit cheesy though), and looks great! Its however a bit on the heavy side so if you plan on taking it out for performances, I would look to buy a true portable/stage piano.

   Several things I noticed about this piano
   
   1)for the piano sounds, at first the sounds don’t seem like they sustain for as long as the real piano. But then, after I played around with the reverb and the chorus effect, its now sustaining as long as a real piano would.
   
   2) the keys are slightly heavier, and maybe even a little more sluggish than an acoustic piano (which I have). The piano sounds, although sound very realistic, lacks the depth/variation of an acoustic (shouldn’t be surprising though). So if you are planning on advacing your piano playing skills, this is not the piano to practice/play on for too long.
   
   3) there should be some presets for quickly linking to various instruments/styles/effects. Its nearly impossible to change voices quick enough in the middle of the song due to having to find the voice/style/effect with the wheel/keypad. Not a big problem if you don’t change your settings in the middle of the song (which I don’t) but if you plan on playing complicated compositions, this is not the model you are looking for. I bypass this issue using the sequencer.
   
   4) the onboard speakers are adequate for a moderate sized living room at maximum setting. I haven’t found it necessary to buy supplemental speakers but if you plan to use in a hall, probably need to supplement it with more powerful speakers.
   
   5) the sustain pedal that comes with the piano is alright but I would get the FC4 as the factory pedal has too little depth, which sometimes makes it hard to know whether its really engaged or not. I also think the 3 pedal system is probably not necessary as it gives “soft”- which you can turn down the volume, “sustain”, which you can do with factroy sustain pedal or FC4, or “sustenuto” which you probably shouldn’t have to use if you are playing advanced piano compositions requiring sustenuto not supposedly to be played on a digital piano in the first place – above just my opinion about the 3 pedal system.

   Overall, after comparing it with numerous other models (casio/roland/korg/yamaha), I think this is an overall best beginner/intermediate recreational digital piano with a excellent piano sounds and with loads of features for an excellent price.
   Rating: 5 / 5
   Digital Pianos

3. L Says:
   December 22nd, 2009 at 7:31 pm

   I am not musically inclined. I bought this so that my son could learn to play the piano. This keyboard is working fine for this purpose. It has all the keys of grand piano, and they are weighted which his teacher says is important. My son tells me the keys on the Yamaha are a little harder to press than the piano his music teacher uses for his lessons. I suppose that’s better than being easier to press. He has to build up his finger strength. The teacher’s piano is not a grand. I don’t know how the Yamaha’s keys compare to a grand piano’s.

   My son also enjoys all the different voices on the Yamaha, when he’s just fooling around. Maybe this will help keep his interest. Time will tell.

   My family is very pleased with this keyboard, and recommend it to others.

   Rating: 5 / 5
   Digital Pianos

4. P. Ziolek Says:
   December 22nd, 2009 at 9:48 pm

   I am very pleased with this keyboard after owning it for a month. I like the action of the keys and the “ease of use”. I have played many keyboards the past 20 years and this is one of my favorites.
   
   Although the sound reproduction through the speakers is very good, there is nothing like a good set of headphones attached. Close your eyes and it’s easy to imagine the original instrument playing.
   Rating: 5 / 5
   Digital Pianos

5. Scott M. Thompson Says:
   December 22nd, 2009 at 10:46 pm

   I have been wanting to upgrade my keyboard for a while, and I finally decided that I was ready for the investment. I wanted to do it right. I live in an apartment, so I wanted to play a “real” piano in a more manageable way. I only did a few hours of research, and it seemed to be clear that Yamaha manufactures solid digital pianos and are the industry leader. The YPG-635 seemed to be right in my budget and had everything I wanted. I bought the item with one-day shipping because I couldn’t wait. The keyboard rocks. I love the design/look and the feel of the weighted keys. The assembly was painless. The sound is simply amazing. Although the maximum volume is not as loud as I would imagine, the internal amp and speakers always supply a clean, crisp sound. The voices are great. The Live! Grand Piano effect sounds just the grand piano I played as a kid at the ole ‘rents house. I highly recommend this digital piano for all novice piano players. I am almost certain that this is the best digital you can buy under $1000.
   Rating: 5 / 5
   Digital Pianos