Yamaha has two series of popular, portable pianos. Both of which, have earned a serious reputation as excellent starting points for the beginning pianist.
A great example and the one we will be reviewing today is the Yamaha YPG 253.
The Portable series (P series) and the Portable Grand series (YPG series) share a lot of similarities. However, there are a few characteristics, that set them apart from each other.
For one, the P series consists of keyboards that typically have an extensive range of features.
The YPG series, on the other hand, tend to be more concerned with creating, a realistic and traditional acoustic piano experience.
Anyway, both series carry wonderful pianos. And considering the reputation of the brand in question, any of the pianos in either series, would make an excellent choice.
(4.4 / 5)Contents
An Overview Of The Yamaha YPG 235
The Yamaha YPG 235 is a portable keyboard. So, it’s great if you need something you can move around from place to place.
It is one of Yamaha’s more affordable pianos, so you can’t compare it to some of the companies higher end models. However, this keyboard is still pretty good, especially for the price.
We have to admit though, that this isn’t Yamaha’s finest affordable keyboard.
But like we said, for the price, its OK. Many happy pianists own the YPG 235 and find it to be completely functional, durable, and pretty flexible.
It’s great for beginners to practice with, but seasoned players could also work with it. However, it might not be the most pleasurable playing experience for them.
In the evolution tree, the YPG 235 is the direct sibling to the YPG 535. The YPG535 is slightly more high end and naturally gives a better performance.
Physically, both keyboards look pretty much the same. But one thing you can’t miss is the fact that the YPG 535 is a standard 88 key keyboard. But the YPG 235, on the other hand, only comes with 76 keys.
Now, honestly, we like the YPG 235, but the truth is that 76 keys are barely enough for most piano players.
But beginners should be able to manage with this. And if someone has been playing on a 61 key keyboard, this would be a nice upgrade from that.
Design And Construction
We have to admit; this keyboard does look pretty.
How many times do you see a keyboard with a champagne gold finish?
Definitely not all the time, that’s for sure. It looks really cool and contrasts nicely with the color of the speakers and the keys.
As for the design, we love the simplistic, minimalistic route that Yamaha chose for this piano.
There’s nothing complicated about this keyboard at all. The controls and buttons are simple and intuitive. The simplicity of its control interface makes navigating around this keyboard, a whole lot easier.
It has a nice size and is pretty compact. It’s only 53 inches long and about 23 inches wide, so there won’t be any problem finding a place for it in your home or studio.
Besides the size, another reason this keyboard makes a wonderful companion as a portable, affordable keyboard is its weight. The keyboard comes at an ideal weight of 8.3 kilograms which is just a little over 16 pounds.
The traveling musician will love the YPG 235.
Finally, the speakers on this guy are pretty solid for a keyboard so affordable. Most cheap keyboards don’t come with great speakers.
However, the quality of the speakers on this keyboard are very good for the price. Especially considering they come with separate tweeters and woofers, as well as a bass boost.
Keys And Key Action
We already mentioned that this keyboard comes with 76 keys. As for the action, it’s Graded Soft Touch. So, unlike a graded hammer action, the keys of the keyboard do not offer much resistance.
While this might not give the player the greatest feel, it’s part of the reason this keyboard is so portable.
But here’s a compromise to make the keys more realistic… Yamaha makes this keyboard a graded one. What this means is that the lower keys are more resistant than the higher keys, helping to give the keys a more realistic touch.
As we said, these keys might not give the most exhilarating playing experience, but still, this piano is highly commendable. Most portable keyboards hardly come with any form of weighting. But, this one does, which is why we rank this higher than average, in the category of portable pianos.
What’s In The Box?
In the box of the YPG 235, you get:
- Samson HP30 Closed-Cup Headphones: They are padded and pretty comfy. They are also pretty loud and come with a long cord, making it convenient to plug in and use your headphones.
- SXKS Standard Keyboard Stand: This stand is heavy duty, single braced and made of steel. It will easily support you keyboard’s weight. In fact, it will support even 88 key keyboards. Of course, it’s adjustable, and you can set it to any performance height.
- A Yamaha Pa-150 AC Power Adapter
This is an eco-conscious little keyboard. It actually reduces power when the keyboard is powered off. This way you get to save on your electricity bill as well!
The Sound Quality Of The Yamaha YPG 235
As with all Yamaha keyboards, this piano shines its brightest in the sound department.
Yamaha tried to replicate a sound that’s pretty close to a real acoustic piano. And even though it definitely doesn’t sound like a grand, you can’t fault the sound quality of this keyboard.
The YPG 235 features Yamaha’s Advanced Wave Memory technology. This technology helps to reproduce recorded sounds perfectly.
And there’s also the Digital Signal Processing, which processes the sounds using digital effects to make them sound even better. These effects include reverb, chorus, and harmony.
And of course, as mentioned, the built-in speakers do not compromise the quality of sound.
Tone
Yamaha makes some of the best keyboards, with the best tones in the industry. The YPG 235 is a good example.
The primary tone that this keyboard produces is the Portable Grand.
In addition to this, there are 500 other voices and sounds, and about 361 Yamaha XGlite voices as well.
Finding the sound you’re looking for, won’t be a problem on this baby.
Is the YPG 235 ideal for the Beginner?
This keyboard comes with the Yamaha Education suite version 6 or as it is less formally known, the Y.E.S v.6.
The Y.E.S v.6 can teach any pianist of any skill level, with loads of very impressive educational material included.
For instance, it contains special piano lessons for each of your hands. Plus, these lessons also come with a grading system that helps you track your progress.
Furthermore, it also boasts a full chord dictionary!
Pros
- Affordable.
- Great sound quality with loads of functional and fun settings.
- Premium pack with everything a beginner needs to start out.
- Compact and super portable.
Cons
- Comes with only 76 keys which means less functionality.
- Keys do not offer enough resistance with the Graded Soft Touch action.
Conclusion
In summary, what’s our vote?
The YPG 235 is a great beginner keyboard for the money. It teaches, sounds great, and offers excellent value for the money especially if you decide to go for the premium pack.
And of course the color, champagne gold… Hard to ignore that!
In all, we would readily recommend this keyboard to anyone wishing to learn, but is on a budget. This dude punches way above its price – typical Yamaha!