Yamaha Digital Pianos

Current models

CLP430

CLP440

CLP470

CLP480

Previous models

CLP340 (Read 1 review)

Comments and Questions

Hello Graham,

Your book is great - very informative. Thanks.

I was out shopping for my 7 year old who is learning piano for 2 years and has just started her third year.

I found a P95 Yamaha for $699. It has weighted keys and GHS Action.

Another one is a YDP Yamaha $899 Arius 88 Keys graded.

The Arius is a floor model and they are willing to take 10% off if I buy it and it comes with legs and a cover.

Your opion would be valuable. Neither were hooked to a a socket so we couldn't hear the sounds. I was leaning towards te Arius but its the only one they have left.

Thanks

Clare

Reply/ Hi Clare

The Yamaha P95 and Arius YDP141 have the same
feel to the keys. The sound is also from the
same sample. Although it does sound a little
clearer on the YDP141 due to the position and
dimensions of the speakers.

The Arius sounds like your best bet... it's
always nice to have a proper fixed base. The
piano is much sturdier like this. You also
get three pedals and a sliding key cover
with the YDP141.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

--

Thanks so much for your timely assistance. After endless research and a thorough reading of your publication, I'm now considering the purchase of a Yamaha CLP 340. It is a floor model at a dealer some 50 miles away from me. He is sold out of other models for the holidays, but has offered me this one for $2,500. Should I have any concerns about buying a floor model? My local dealer can order a new one for $2,750 delivered to my home. I have also considered the 330 which can be gotten by my local dealer for $2,000. I have read reports by some who have preferred the touch of the 330 over the 340. The stronger speakers in the 340 have been swaying me. Your thoughts?

Gratefully,
Maury Landry

Since I am responding to your wonderful follow-up email, let me also ask: I have heard and read that some Yamaha fans were deeply devoted to what I thought was referred to as "Grand Piano #3", which was an option on the no-longer-available P140. Its current replacement, P155??, only has two grand piano sounds. Are you aware of any current models in the Yamaha line that still include this famous #3? Are you familiar with it? In your opinion is it worth the 'panache' it apparently has with some? Again, let me say that if retailers could provide the type of presentation you have done for the public, along with your follow-thru, what a wonderful new year '11 would be.
Maury Landry

P.S. I, a resident of Bangor, Maine, USA, this past weekend went to lead worship at Unitarian Fellowship in Saint John, New Brunswick, where I got the opportunity to take a Yamaha P70 out for a spin. I was deeply disappointed with the noisiness of the keys, and the plasticky feel of the keys. (I followed your suggestion about turning down the volume and playing the keys.)This was an epiphany for me, since I thought I would not be as finicky as I seem to be. The piano lessons from age 5-18, along with the organ from age 12-18, followed by 16 years of organ playing for a local church, apparently did create a sense of taste and appropriate technique in me, in spite of my best efforts to ignore my teachers. ( I would not insult true musicians by ever describing myself as either a pianist, or an organist, simply one who dabbled, but who as he approaches his 60's and retirement after serving the church as a clergyman for over 30 years, wants the pleasure of playing Bach's Little Preludes and Fugues for his own enjoyment and inspiration)

Reply/ Hi Maury

I appreciate your very kind comments. Thank you.

I wouldn't be overly concerned with a floor model.
Just ask the retailer if it has only been on the
floor, i.e. not been hired out, used for piano
lessons, or returned from a customer!

You should be able to get a better deal on this
floor model.

My advice: Go to the store and tell them you
are only willing to spend $2,300. Take it or
leave it. If they can't do this then you will
buy from another store.

Let me know how you get on.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

--

Hello Graham

There are a few reasons why I haven't bought a digital piano

1. sifting through the enormous number that are available.
2. waiting for the local shop to get the pianos in. (Yamaha clp 370 or 380).
3. organising my piano tutor, the store owner and myself to get together. (i want my piano tutor to play both and tell me how they sound and feel, to her fingers and ear).
4. this will be a one off purchase for me so it is not something that i am taking lightly.

i want it to feel and sound like an acoustic piano.
i need to be able to play in silence, through headphones.
i want to be able to connect to a computer, for uploading my playing, for downloading from CD or the net and to be able to play only one part of a tune (left hand or right hand).
i am trying to think into the future and what i MAY require it to do, never an easy task! (e.g. sound like an organ etc.).

i would appreciate your opinion on both the clp370 and clp380. i have read your pages on ‘choosing a digital piano’. i will never hold anyone to any advice they give but, i am so naive, within this field, that any advice can only help.

i love learning and since i decided to take up the piano, and the task of learning to read music, i have been nothing short of very keen. i had my first lesson this morning and it was my enthusiasm and willingness that i really wanted to dissect.

finally, there isn’t much competition here in New Zealand and with only 2 shops selling digital pianos, value for money is always in my head. it is OK for a business to make a profit but not to extort money or to be plain greedy. I have looked into shipping a digital piano from the UK, with shipping i could save $2000, approximately 1000 GBP. but there are other issues. as with everything in life it is about getting that balance.

regards

keith pearce

Reply/ Hi Keith

I suggest buying from Australia. There are
lots more shops to choose from. Prices are
also lower.

The CLP380 has a superior touch and sound
to the CLP370. But it's only marginal.

For now, I recommend going for the CLP340.
This is good enough to get you up to a
high level.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

--

Thanks Graham,

Your book is fantastic! I highlighted many parts and will reread the highlighted parts.

It may not always be in the front of your mind, but you must know that your book is a very unique gift to many all over the world. Congratulations on your present to us.

Obviously, you seem to not only be an expert in your field, but you can also read the puzzled minds of those dreaming of wanting to be good, homestyle, piano players. (Note that I've avoided the title pianist.) I would like to be a player overwhelmingly happy playing old standards, doo-wop, country, gospel and some simpler blues and jazz tunes. That would be an amazing accomplishment for me. The only experience I have is what I've seen in my dreams. Oh, when I was about 6 years old, I did learn to play the tune "Tennessee Waltz" on my cousin's piano using two index fingers. ;-)

I think my eyes are bigger than my needs regarding what I would like (Clavinova CVP 509??) vs what may be best (Clavinova CLP340??). I really like the idea of being accompanied by a plethora of voices and thus feel like part of an ensemble while playing. I just don't know, as you've addressed in your book, if I would soon tire of the tons of voices (CVP 509) after a while and maybe have sacrificed touch and tone (CLP 340) for little used gadgets. By the way, I could never afford the CVP 509 or other high end CVP's and CLP's.

These are the two Clavinovas that I like "on paper": CVP 501 and CLP 340. Actually, the CVP 501 MIGHT be a financial stretch for us. Finally, since I'm a neophyte, I may not be giving other Clavinova models a good look.

QUESTIONS

1) What does the CLP's 340 14x2 voices mean? Are they like the voices on the CVP series?

2) Does the CLP series sound significantly better than the CVP series? Note: I wear hearing aids. :-(

3) Are the ebay/Amazon vendors certified Yamaha dealers? The ebay site I've seen doesn't seem to have a retail outlet.

4) In the USA, what are fair prices for the CLP 340 and CVP 501, 503, 505 and CVP 403?

5) Are older CLP series and CVP series (300, 400) still available and are their prices lower?

6) Are the 5xx CVP series significantly better than 300 and 400 series?

7) Are there different versions of Rocket Piano (beginner, advanced)? Also, is this software equally effective on a Mac computer or does it have PC only features?

Lots of questions, right?

Indebted to you,
And nervous future buyer,
Robert

Reply/ Hi Robert

1) 14 x 2 voices means that each voice has an
extra variation. So you get a total of 28
different sounds.

2) The Yamaha CLP pianos do have a better sound
than the equivalent in the CVP range. But this
is not the case for the CVP505 and CVP509.

3) I would say that the shops on eBay and Amazon
that sell Yamaha are probably official. But, I
advise searching for them on Google, then checking
out their company details before buying. Just to
make sure.

4) You are unlikely to get much of a discount on
Yamaha Clavinovas in the US. This is because
Yamaha have banned their dealers from selling
Clavinovas on the internet.

5) Older models can only be bought from places
like eBay and craigslist. You might occasionally
find a music shop selling off old models cheaper.

6) I would say that the CVP 500 series don't
appear to be any better than the 400 or 300 series

7) There is only one version of Rocket piano.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

--

Graham,
 
Thanks for the helpful resources on your website, they have been very helpful in narrowing down my search. Based on all my research and trips to local dealers, I have pretty much narrowed my search down to the Yamaha CLP-340, which I was glad to see was consistent with the recommendations on your website. In my last trip to the local dealer, they had a Yamaha Modus F11 in stock, which being well out of what I intend to spend, I had not given any serious consideration.
 
I played the Modus F11 and it seemed to have a better overall richness in sound even over the CLP-340. However, on paper spec wise they both have Yamaha's 4-level AWM Dynamic Stereo Sampling voices, key-off samples, 128 polyphony, 40W x 2 speakers (different placement), and similar quantity of presets. Is the sound any better on the Modus F11? If so, why (because the presets/samples are of better quality on the Modus or the speaker placement, etc.)? Or, are my ears playing tricks on me and sound wise the two models the same?
 
While I wasn't considering the Modus F11, the local dealer has several units they have been unable to sell and have continued to quote me a lower and lower price in an effort to move them. At this point, even at the lower price there's about a $2K USD difference over the CLP-340 and for my situation it probably doesn't add enough additional value to justify it over the CLP-340, but I was curious as to your thoughts on Yamaha's Modus series, especially since I didn't see anything on them in your website.
 
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
 
Chris

Reply/ Hi Chris

The Yamaha CLP340 would be an excellent choice.

I really don't see any added value in buying a
Modus piano.

The only noticeable difference is the sound. And,
as you say, this is most likely to be to do with
the speaker placement.

Most people that buy the Modus piano do so purely
because of the aesthetics... although, for me, I
would be embarassed to have something that looks
like a large suitcase, in my living room.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

--

Hi Graham,

I am interested in buying a CLP-380PE, and was wondering if you could give
me an idea of a fair price for the unit. I am in the United States, and I
visited a local Yamaha store. They told me the retail price is $8000, and
they can sell it for $6300. I told them I am not willing to pay that much
right now, and they said that price is negotiable, but won't negotiate a
price until I am ready to buy. What kind of price should I expect to get
them down to? Since this is in the US, the piano will come with a bench and
a Yamaha warranty. Is it more worth it to buy a CLP-306 instead?

Thanks for the help,

Jason

Reply/ Hi Jason

You should be able to get the piano for between $5,000
and $5,500.

You may need to haggle hard though!

The CLP-S306 isn't a better piano than the CLP380.
I would stick with the CLP308 unless you really
want the upright piano look.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

--

Hi Graham,

Your shopping guide was extremely helpful. Thank you.

After shopping around, we found that hands down the Yamaha Clavinovas play better than anything else. Only Roland comes close, but even it just doesn't have the right feel. I was surprised that there really are very few choices out there.

Personally, I found the touch and sound of the CLP 380 the best so far, and more economical. But my family gravitated towards the CVP 407 which has a lot more bells and whistles, a lot more expensive, and to me just doesn't sound as convincing. I can go from one to the other and very plainly hear the difference. The CLP 380 sounds like it comes right around where the key is, as you would expect on a real piano. But on the CVP 407/409, the direction of the sound is hard to place - it sounds more ambient than directed.

They didn't have any CVP 50x in stock, but I'm hoping to try one of those this weekend (I need to drive a long way) and find out if it compares better to the CLP 380. I would be willing to pay more for this if so.

So it looks like are choice right now would be between the CVP 409 and CVP 509. But I have no idea what price I should expect to pay for them, in US$. And I have no idea where to find these online. I would rather support our local retailer, even if it means higher price and sales tax, because I don't like the trend towards online purchasing and not being able to see what I buy. I believe retailers provide a service that online stores don't, and I am willing to pay for that service. While I don't plan to purchase online, comparing to online stores can help me get an idea of what I should pay, and can help me bargain with the retailers.

Do you have any idea where I would find online retailers for these pianos (in the US)? Do you have any idea what I should be expecting to pay, in US$?

Thank you.

Reply/ Hi Victor

You are absolutely spot on about the Yamaha CLP380
having a nicer sound than the CVP407 and CVP409...

I even prefer the CLP380 sound over the Yamaha CVP509.

You won't be able to find prices of Yamaha Clavinovas
online in the USA...

Yamaha banned all internet sales. They, like you,
believe their pianos should be demonstrated and sold
through specialist piano stores.

As a rough guide, you should be able to get around
20 - 25% off manufacturer's suggested retail price.
But this largely depends on how willing the store is
to discount.

Good luck!

Graham Howard

Further question/

Hi Graham,

I would imagine Yamaha publishes that somewhere, but I didn't find it on their site. I suspect that the store started by putting a sticker price well above the MSRP (so they can discount it from there later, but that isn't really a discount).

Thank you.

Reply/ Hi Victor

Yes, I mean MSRP. In England we call it 'Retail Price'.

If there isn't a MSRP visible then the shop could
sell the piano for whatever they want, I guess.

As a rough guide you could check out the retail prices
in the UK. Then convert to dollars.

This will at least give you some idea.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

--

Hey Graham,

I think I have decided on the Yamaha CVP-505 piano.. now I just have to find the best deal on one.. have any connections to get me one in the US at a fair price???

thanks man

Reply/ Hi Tom

That's a good choice of piano.
The only way to buy this piano is through a store...

Yamaha have banned all internet sales on this piano.

I guess it would be best to just call around some local stores.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

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