Yamaha P60 and P120 Digital Pianos

Electronic pianos with perfect "acoustics."

By Cal "Shakes" Louwe
If there's anyone out there who isn't convinced of Yamaha's superiority in the digital piano and keyboard realm, they simply haven't played one. I know that after playing the two models Musician's Friend sent me to review, there's no doubt left in my mind.

A black-tie pair
First of all, setup was ridiculously simple. Just pull 'em out of the box and plug in. The next thing that hit me was the sweet low profile and smooth cosmetics. The P60 features a totally contemporary black or silver finish. The P120 has wood-grained panels that add to its appearance with two motifs; a cherry and silver configuration and a mahogany and black scheme. The P120 especially would be great in the living room or den. Even my wife agrees with that!

The heart of the matter
Time after time I've turned away from playing digital pianos that claimed to feel like an acoustic dissatisfied or disgusted with what I'd experienced. You can imagine the skepticism with which I approached the P120 and P60, which both feature keyboards lauded as "the real deal." As it turns out, my doubts were completely unfounded.

The Graded Hammer Effect that Yamaha invented really works! No wonder all the Yamaha fans I've talked to mention it. When I sat down to play, I felt the unevenly distributed key pressure of an acoustic piano. It was uncanny. With headphones on and eyes closed, I didn't feel like I was playing an electronic keyboard. For the first time in my life I was enjoying playing a digital piano instead of fighting it.

Of course, what would you expect from the world's leading manufacturer of acoustic pianos! Speaking of which, the digital piano engineers have clearly spent time hanging out with the boys from the acoustic piano wing, because the grand piano voice included on the P60 and P120 is scads better than most out there. Yamaha achieved a realistic piano voice with their Advanced Wave Memory sampling system. It references 30 sample points for an accurate emulation of a true grand.

Your place in the world
So which to choose? With the Graded Hammer Effect keyboard, the P60 is spot-on for accomplished players who need a portable instrument. A phenomenal piano for students, it allows beginners to learn correct technique on a keyboard with proper feel. With its realistic grand piano sounds, 32-note polyphony, reverb, and 10 voices with dual voice mode available, it offers the basics and then some!

The P120 would make a fantastic addition as a household piano or stage piano. It adds a 2-track sequencer, 28 voices (including variations), split-and-layer voice modes, onboard effects, increased polyphony (64 notes), and dynamic stereo sampling in certain piano voices. After a little investigation, another marvel of these boards was discovered. The sensitivity level can be adjusted to match your playing style!

You really can't go wrong with Yamaha, so pick the one that best suits your needs as a player and get ready for a lifetime of enjoyment.

Features & Specs

P60	P120
Graded Hammer Effect 88-note keyboard Lightweight and portable Advanced Wave Memory for realistic sounds High-fidelity stereo speakers 20W x 2 amplifier MIDI in/out/thru 1/4" pedal connection	Graded Hammer Effect 88-note keyboard Selectable keyboard Touch Sensitivity 64-note polyphony 14 voices Split-and-layer modes for voices 4 reverbs

Musician's Friend has the P60 and P120 Yamaha's at prices lower than anyone else. With Yamaha quality, and the Friend's Best Price and Total Satisfaction Guarantees, there's absolutely no chance you won't be completely happy!

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