Yamaha YDP-131: Budget Electric Piano (Yamaha YDP-131)

Member Name: owenmmm

Product:	Yamaha YDP-131
Date:	12/10/09 (207 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very affordable that I'd recommend for a beginner

Disadvantages: If you really want quality, don't buy this, buy a Clavinova

The Yamaha YDP-131 is a budget electric piano that is good enough for a beginner to an advanced player. The quality is not the same as the Yamaha Clavinovas - they are much superior quality. The quality is lacking in the feel of the keys, they feel light and are not hard wearing. If you play heavy music, the keyboard will depreciate and wear within a year. It's still good value for money, with the piano sound being realistic and the reverb really adds quality to the sound, but you must appreciate that you are not getting top quality from Yamaha. For a budget piano, it's great; for a real professional instrument, do not waste your money.

However, the piano I'd strongly recommend for the beginner. Certainly as price comparison to a new acoustic to a new electric piano, this piano is half the price. Also there are space saving advantages to electric pianos and they are very portable and can be moved with relative ease.

The YDP-131 includes a sostenuto pedal (the middle pedal: you can sustain selected notes with it). This feature was usually only available to mid to high-end range electric pianos. It's a bit of a gimmick because this gives the impression that the instrument is a higher quality than what it actually is.

Summary: An allround winner if quality is not your top priority