Review:
$500 USD
The Yamaha P45 is the cheapest 88 fully weighted hammer action digital piano you can buy from Yamaha and Yamaha sells loads of this digital piano worldwide. It is also one of the best digital pianos for a beginner to intermediate-level piano player.
Build Quality
The 88 keys on this Yamaha digital piano are weighted and have GHS graded hammer action. This means the keys on the lower register of the keyboard start off with a heavier feel and get lighter as you move towards the higher register. The keys also has 4 adjustable levels of touch sensitivity to suit your skill and playing style. However, a disadvantage that comes with the GHS key action is the short pivot action, meaning that you will need a little more force when playing nearer the pivot point. The black keys on the Yamaha P45 have a matte finish to prevent your fingers from slipping, but the white keys does not have a textured surface which is not a deal breaker for those who are just starting out and buying their first digital piano.
The Yamaha P45 weighs 25 lbs and is available as a portable keyboard only package or with an optional wooden furniture stand — if you don’t need the portability. The 12W speakers are also adequate for the quality of the sound. With the packaging, you do get a music rest, a headphones port for quiet practice and a basic sustain pedal. If you are a more advanced player who require the half-pedal feature, you will need to get the optional pedal.
Built-in Features
On the Yamaha P45, you get a built-in metronome to help you practice keeping time, however, they did not include a couple of rhythms for students to practice along with.
For those who want to dabble with MIDI music production, the Yamaha P45 also has a USB MIDI port that allows you to connect with your iPad, mobile phones or laptops. It is a pity that the USB port only transmits & receives MIDI data but does not handle digital audio — a feature even a cheap $200 Yamaha keyboard has.
If you intend to play with other musicians or a singer, the Yamaha P45 has a convenient transpose and tuning feature. The 12W speakers will not handle the high and low frequencies as well as a higher end model with more speakers but the sound volume is more than sufficient for use in a living room, in a cell group meeting or for busking.
Sound Quality
The Yamaha P45 comes with 10 sounds. These are a selection of bread and butter sounds a beginner to intermediate piano player will find useful for both practice and casual performances. You get 2 grand pianos, 2 electric pianos, 2 pipe organs, 2 harpsichords, a strings section and a vibraphone patch. You can layer 2 of these voices for a richer sound and you also get 4 different reverb effects you can apply onto these voices for your personalised sound. However, there is no way to store your personalised settings for quick recall.
These are demos of the 10 sounds that comes with the Yamaha P45:
Piano 1
Piano 2
Electric Piano 1
Electric Piano 2
Pipe Organ 1
Pipe Organ 2
Strings
Harpsichord 1
Harpsichord 2
Vibraphone
Hope you have found this article useful in determining whether you should get your hands on the Yamaha P45 in 2021. Do click on the links provided to get the latest prices and updated information about the Yamaha P45.