Yamaha CP85 Stage Piano Reviews 
3 / 5 based on 1 reviewsIt's a flat (not glossy, so your fingerprints don't mess it up) black finish. The piano itself is very small and portable, right around 20 pounds. It's shorter than most stage pianos, too - by several inches. This could mean the difference between getting a new car or fitting it into your current Civic Coupe. As for me, I've been playing piano since I was 4 (I'm now 23), and I currently write for this website under the name 'ShackMan.' I've been a professional keyboard player since age 15 through various churches, theaters, and bands.
I used for the summer season at West Virginia Public Theater, where I rehearsed and played CATS, Chicago, and Oliver. They used to run for around $500, but are now discontinued and have been replaced by the Yamaha P95, which is almost the exact same piano, just with a slightly better action and some updated sounds.
http://www.nstuffmusic.com
So if you only need or want basic functionality and a few sounds to play with, this is it. It's got a great grand piano sound, and you can layer the two grand piano sounds on it for a double-octave honky tonk piano sound. The string, harpsichord, electric piano and organ patches on it are pretty decent as well. It feels quick and the keys are wonderfully smooth to play; the action is graded from low to high to feel more like a real piano. It's also pretty loud for it's size and for just having two speakers. You do get expressive half pedal control, and a MIDI connection in the back. Comes with a metronome.
You really only get BASIC functionality. There is no transpose function, modulation wheel, no volume adjustment between layers, no split function, no effects other than natural reverb, and nothing other than the MIDI and headphone jacks. Not even USB-MIDI control.
Solid construction. Looked good in a room. Easy to lift. Easy to store. Done and done.
If you're okay with dealing without a great deal of features, this is a fantastic piano with a great sound. For an at-home piano, there were few things better at the time, and you can likely find these used for around $200 nowadays. However, if you're looking to buy something new, do take a look into something else, like the Casio PX-130 or the Yamaha P-95, both very viable options right around the $500 mark (The Yamaha is a little more).
ShackMan rated this unit
on
2011-07-20.
