Yamaha P105
The low-end digital piano market is certainly very competitive and manufacturers are constantly introducing new models to give them the edge over other brands. Since its introduction in 2012, the P105 has become one of the best selling pianos in its price range. So let us take a look and see what makes it stand out from the crowd.
First Impression
The first thing that struck me about the P105 is how neat and streamline it is compared to the previous P85/95 models which were slightly bulky looking. It’s certainly much more compact and contemporary looking, and weighing just under 26 lbs., the P105 is certainly lightweight enough to be moved around easily enough should it be required.
The P105 uses Yamaha’s GHS (Graded Hammer Standard) keyboard action with matt black keys to give a much better feel to the keyboard and Yamaha has incorporated its Pure CF sound engine from higher priced models to reproduce the Grand Piano sound. The P105 is 128 note polyphonic, which is double that of the older P95 model. (There is a full description of polyphony in the Technical Terms section of the blog should you wish to know more) The P105 can also be used in conjunction with the Yamaha L85 wooden stand, which certainly is the best option for home use, and looks very nice. The piano is supplied with a basic on/off style footswitch for sustain, but this can be replaced with the more sophisticated Yamaha FC4, FC3 or the 3 pedal LP5 pedal unit which has a soft and a sostenuto pedal as well as sustain. The L85 needs to be added before the LP5 can be used as it fixes to the stand. Using the FC3 or LP5 also enables half pedaling when using the Damper/sustain pedal. Half pedaling is where the amount of sustain varies depending on how far down the pedal has been pressed, making it much more similar to an acoustic piano.
Review
Having played and reviewed many lower priced digital pianos over the years, I’ve come to accept that corners have to be cut to keep prices at a competitive level. One of the things is that most lower priced instruments don’t have buttons to select each sound, and instead use a function button and the keyboard, which acts as switches …. Not so the P105! Yamaha have put the sounds back on the panel, and this certainly makes selecting them a little easier and quicker. Talking of sounds, the P105 has a total of 14, including 2 bass tones, for use with the keyboard split facility, but more of that later. There are 2 Grand Piano sounds, 4 Electric Piano, Jazz, Rock, Pipe Organ, Strings, Harpsichord, Vibraphone, Wood Bass and finally Electric Bass.
Grand Piano 1 is a great sound for an instrument at this price level and incorporates tonal change depending on how hard the keys are played. At soft levels the sound is mellow becoming progressively brighter as the keys are played with more force, rather like an acoustic piano. Damper resonance, (which can be switched off) is also included when the damper/sustain pedal is used adding greatly to the authenticity of the piano sound. Grand Piano2 is a brighter, but equally realistic sound, perhaps more suitable for pop music.
Electric Piano 1 & 2 are typical 80’s synth electric piano sounds, whereas Electric Piano 3 & 4 are sounds of the 60s & 70s instruments as used by people like Stevie Wonder and The Carpenters.
Jazz organ, Rock Organ and Pipe Organ are pretty self-explanatory and are all useful additions. When the optional LP5 pedal unit is added, the left (soft) pedal changes function and controls the tremolo/rotary speaker effect on the Jazz and Rock Organ sounds. The Pipe Organ sound is not the usual big cathedral organ sound that many manufacturers include, which although can sound impressive is actually not very useful. Instead Yamaha have opted for a softer sound, which is far more useful for playing hymns or Christmas Carols.
The Vibraphone, Harpsichord and Strings are also very reasonable on an instrument at this level. The strings work best when using the Dual mode that enables any 2 sounds to be played simultaneously. It is also possible to balance the volume of the sounds against each other, making some great combinations achievable.
Along with the Dual function there is also a keyboard split which enables the keyboard of the P105 to be split at any point and a different sound to be assigned to each part. The last two remaining sounds, Wood and Electric Bass have obviously been included to make good use of this facility, but it is possible to use any sound in the left part of the keyboard should you wish. This is a great facility for more advanced players and one that is not often included on instruments at this price point. It is not possible to use the dual and the split at the same time.
The P105 also incorporates a Duo feature whereby the keyboard can be split into two small pianos for practice by 2 students. The octaves of each section are adjusted automatically so that each section has a range of notes based around middle C. This could be ideal for beginners in a classroom situation.
Other Functions
Other controls to further enhance the use of the instrument include an octave facility, whereby the pitch of any sound can be raised up or down in octaves.
Reverb, which adds ambience to the sound and simulates playing the piano in different environments and transpose, for changing the key of the instrument. Ideal when accompanying a singer when their music is in the wrong key.
The touch sensitivity of the keyboard can also be adjusted through soft, medium, hard and fixed. This feature determines how the volume of the P105 changes in relation to how hard the keys are played. The fixed level switches the touch sensitivity off, which can be useful for the organ and harpsichord sounds.
A basic 2 track internal recording facility is also included, which enables simple recording into an internal memory. It’s possible to record left and right hand parts separately and play them back together, or record both hands in one track and then add more in the second track, creating a four handed performance. It is also possible to use a different sound on each track and play live over the top with another sound, should you wish.
There are also 50 classical songs in-built which can be used for practice or just to listen to. A metronome facility is also included for practice, which is adjustable for tempo, volume and time signature…but there’s more
Yamaha have added a few basic drumbeats to the metronome facility. There are a total of 10 rhythms including Latin, waltz, march, jazz and basic pop patterns. These are really useful, and certainly make practice a bit more interesting, rather than just having a basic metronome ticking away in the background. Naturally, the tempo can be adjusted to suit the song.
Pianist Style
Also included in the P105 are 10 pianist styles, which are simple piano based accompaniment patterns. When the Pianist Style feature is switched on, the lower section of the keyboard is used to activate an accompaniment in one of the selectable styles. For example, select the Boogie style and play a basic 3 note chord in the lower section of the piano, and a Boogie accompaniment will be reproduced, which will change as you move from one chord to another. The speed of the style can be adjusted using the tempo/metronome function, and the volume can be adjusted to balance with the right hand melody part. The styles included are typical piano accompaniment patterns, which can take many years to master including, blues, swing, Ragtime and jazz ballad. All available by playing simple left hand chords!
Inputs/Outputs
There are 2 headphone sockets located on the front of the piano and dedicated stereo line-out sockets on the back of the instrument for adding external amplification. Many instruments at this price level can only be amplified using the headphone socket which then cuts out the internal speakers. USB is also included for connection to a PC, coupled with commercially available software, for 2-way transfer of data between the P105 and a computer.
Conclusion
The P105 is just one of many instruments in what is probably the most competitive section of the digital piano market, and it’s up against some stiff competition but I have to say, it is one of the very best in its price range. There may be other pianos out there at a similar price with more sounds, but in my opinion they don’t have the quality of the Yamaha, and that’s what has made the P105 a top seller in its class. It’s a great instrument and one that I would highly recommend.
Pros
- Compact and stylish design in black or white
- Selector buttons on the panel for the sounds
- Split keyboard facility
- Dual sound facility with balance control
- Drum rhythms/Piano Styles
- Dedicated outputs for adding external amplification
Cons
- Would be nice to have a few more sounds
- No brilliance adjustment for sounds
