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Yamaha P-35 Digital Piano Review

Posted by in Yamaha Reviews on February 28, 2014 . 0 Comments.

Yamaha P-35

Yamaha probably has the most comprehensive range of digital pianos from any manufacturer. Starting with the low cost Piagerro series up to the mighty AvantGrand range, there is a model to suit every budget. The P-35 is Yamaha’s entry-level instrument with weighted keys, and possibly one of the lowest priced 88 key digital pianos from any major manufacturer. Let’s take a look at what the instrument offers.

First Impression

The P-35 is certainly very neat, simple to set up, and is supplied with a music stand and basic sustain pedal. The piano can be put on most keyboard stands or even a tabletop as the speakers are positioned facing upward. The Yamaha L85 stand which fixes to the bottom of the instrument is available as an optional extra and something I would recommend for home use, especially if children will be using the piano. The keyboard is Yamaha GHS (graded hammer standard) action, which is used on most of their lower priced digital pianos. It features a matte finish to the top of the black notes, which gives a much better feel under the fingers. The weight of the keys is also graded which means the notes become slightly heavier as you move down the keyboard, simulating the feel of a traditional acoustic piano.

Review

The control panel is very simple, with just the on/off, volume control and a piano/function button. The default sound of the P-35 is Grand Piano 1, a reasonably full traditional piano sound. There are 9 other tones available, which are selected by holding down the piano/function button and pressing the corresponding keyboard note. All sounds are clearly marked above the keys. The other sounds are Piano2, a brighter sound than Piano1, Electric Piano 1&2, Pipe Organ 1&2, Strings, Harpsichord 1&2, and Vibraphone.

The sounds are generally pretty fair for an instrument at this price level, and it is possible to play 2 sounds together by pressing 2 keys simultaneously. There is also the option to balance the volume of one sound against the other when using 2 sounds, and some nice combinations are available, such as layering piano or electric piano with the strings at reduced volume.

Several other functions are also available using the Piano/function button and the appropriate keyboard note. All functions are clearly shown in the supplied owner’s guide. The functions are, transpose, which enables you to change the key/pitch of the piano, octave adjustment, fine-tuning, demo songs for each sound and a range of classical piano pieces to listen to. There is also a metronome with adjustable tempo & volume and the facility to adjust the overall touch sensitivity of the keyboard. Yamaha has also included a Duo piano feature, which enables the keyboard to be split into 2 “mini” pianos enabling 2 beginner students to practice together, each having a similar range of notes. The notes for each section are automatically adjusted in pitch/octave to make this work correctly.

There is also reverb effect, which adds ambience to the sound. The reverb is adjustable for type and amount, so you can simulate the effect of playing piano in a small jazz club through to a large concert hall! The internal speaker system is 2x6 watts, which is adequate for home use, but does lack a bit of punch particularly in the bass. The technology used in the P-35 seems to be the same as the lower priced, 76 key NP-31 from the Piagerro series rather than a cut down version of the higher priced models in the P series. In fact, the specification is very similar to the NP-31.

Inputs/Output

On the rear panel of the P-35 there is a headphone socket, an input for the foot switch/sustain pedal and MIDI in and out sockets. The supplied foot switch is fairly basic, is purely on or off, and does not support half pedaling. However replacing the supplied pedal with the Yamaha FP-3 enables the P-35 to respond to half pedaling. (Please see the digital piano terms section on our website for a detailed explanation)

It is not possible to connect more than one pedal to the P35 or use the Yamaha LP-5 3 pedal unit. Midi in and out enables connection to other Midi instruments or a computer using an optional Midi to USB converter and appropriate software.

Conclusion

The P-35 is very much a starter instrument and would be suitable to begin learning piano. It is very basic and the sound is very much entry level, but the instrument is certainly up to Yamaha’s usual manufacturing quality and features a great keyboard action at this price level. If you’re on a tight budget, the P-35 may well fit the bill, but adding another $100 or so could certainly be worthwhile.

Pros

  • Very neat and light-weight
  • Simple basic operation
  • Fair choice of useable sounds
  • Dual sound facility
  • Yamaha GHS weighted keyboard

Cons

  • 32 note polyphony (see Technical Terms blog article for details)
  • No internal recording feature
  • No USB socket
  • Piano sound not as detailed as some other brands at similar price.

 

 

Last update: February 28, 2014

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