Yamaha YPG-535 | REVIEW | Digital Piano | 2021 | This is a toy!
UPDATED REVIEW - Jan 1, 2021 | Yamaha YPG-535 digital piano-keyboard | NOT RECOMMENDED for Piano Playing | If you are a piano student or recreational player wanting a good accurate and piano weighted key action in a digital piano, I do not recommend the Yamaha YPG-535 at $549 price because it does not have the weighted piano hammer type key movement. Yamaha is a great piano company and makes many different models of acoustic & digital pianos, but the YPG-535 which has been out now for over 14 years (very old technology), is really a glorified keyboard with 88-keys. Although the keys themselves look similar to a piano key shape, they actually have the same spring key movement and feel as a Yamaha 61 or 76-key keyboard which have the lightweight spring-type key actions and are not full or even partial piano hammer weighted like a real piano. However, the YPG-535 is an enjoyable instrument to play just for fun because it has lots of very nice sounds, drum rhythms, chord arrangements, recording features and other fun things that make it a cool instrument to own for both young people and adults. It even sounds somewhat (but not actually) like a piano so it would "appear" to be a good low priced digital piano for students and players. But as far as a realistic weighted piano key touch and acoustic piano resonating tone and dynamics...it's not even close to the real thing.
Yamaha calls their YPG-535 key action a graded soft touch keyboard and that would be true (especially the soft touch part that is). It's easy to press the white keys up and down (except for the black keys which are much harder to press because of the stiffer spring mechanism and pivot point), and that is not what you want if you are interested in developing good piano playing habits and skills. The keys are also quite noisy when moving up & down, especially the black keys! Not only is the key action noisy and not a good one for duplicating an acoustic piano touch, but the key polyphony memory (especially useful when playing larger passages of music or layering instrument sounds together) is a low 32-notes which is very outdated piano processing technology but also costs a lot less money to produce. Normal polyphony memory these days is somewhere between 128 to 256 notes in lower priced digital pianos (under $1500), so this one is extremely low in power. Also, if you are using the regular acoustic piano tone, it starts sounding like a cheap electric keyboard as you get nearer to the top octaves. In other words, the piano doesn't reproduce a realistic piano tone in the upper octaves (it's better in the lower octaves) and that's due to the older and less expensive piano sampling technology in this model.
With regard to the piano pedal, the YPG-535 piano only allows the single pedal that comes with it to produce an on & off sustain instead of a graduated (half-damper) sustaining of notes. This is not the way regular acoustic pianos work and so you should be sure if at all possible that the digital piano you purchase has a "half-damper" pedaling feature, especially if you hope to go beyond a beginning skill level. Most of the better Yamaha digital pianos do have this feature as well as other good brands including Casio, Kawai, and Roland.

Casio CGP700 |
My goal here is not to list the amount of instrument sounds, rhythms, accompaniments, recording tracks, or other extra features these pianos have because they all do a good job in that way. But I want to focus on good key action movement and piano tone quality & dynamics along with pedaling which are of primary importance to me, and if that's what you are looking for, I would stay away from the YPG-535. Be aware that there are always people who will buy these types of pianos (like the 535) and give them good reviews for their touch and tone. However, these people almost always have little to no experience with real acoustic pianos and good digital pianos and the way they actually behave when playing them, regardless of what they may say in their consumer reviews.
If you have little or no experience with a digital piano and don't expect or want much in the way of a good piano playing experience, then the YPG-535 may seem perfect for you. But in reality, it could and likely will create bad playing habits or hinder your piano playing growth if you use it for very long as a piano student. It is fine for playing fun or for practicing lessons for a short time, but I would never recommend it to any of my piano students or anyone else wanting a "real piano playing experience." If you want or need an instrument that will allow the student or player to progress in their playing so they can play a piano correctly and adapt easily to a real acoustic piano later down the road (which is a great goal), then I would not recommend the Yamaha YPG535 for that purpose. However, if you want a fun 88-key digital piano instrument and don't really care how the keys respond or move to your finger touch, aren't bothered by the low 32-note polyphony (which can limit the playing of regular piano music), and are easily satisfied with a basic piano sound like on a 61-key Yamaha keyboard, then this Yamaha YPG-535 will be a good instrument for you.
If you want more piano info and LOWER PRICES than internet or store discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.
5 comments:
What would you recommend between the DGX640 and the Casio PX330?
They really are different pianos with a variety of strengths and abilities for their price range. Either one would be a good choice as I don't really have a preference. It just depends on your musical goals and piano playing experience.
hello,
We are looking to buy our 13 year old daughter a piano. She seems to love the "cheaper" version and it is time to upgrade. We want to make an investment and not have to replace it for a few years. She has had no lessons and is teaching herself from the internet. She is also singing too. I would like 88 keys, and weighted keys as I have read that is what we should look for. Any suggestions? I liked
You may email me direct and then I can help you with your specific questions.
I'm looking for an digital piano without alot of bells and whistles. I'm having to give up my upright grand, and would love to have something that feels like a real piano. I see that you are a casio fan - am looking for something in the $500-$600 dollar range. Is it ever a good idea to buy a used digital piano? Is the Casio PX350 your favorite, as being close to my price range? thanks for your help!
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