Hi all,
I'm 41 years old and studied piano for 4 years when I was young (not practice for 20 years ... ). I'm thinking of buying the Yamaha P85 piano. What do you think of it?

Thanks in advance.

Personally I like it a lot (particularly with its wooden stand and the three-pedal unit) -- it's either the P-85 from Yamaha, or the PX-330 from Casio, or the SP-250 from Korg that are always mentioned in this price bracket. I prefer the P-85, because the piano tone is pretty wonderful, the action is realistic but not overly heavy and the overall design of the instrument is stylish and minimalist.

I also found that I didn't really want or need the additional functions that the PX-320/330 offer. A decent touch and sound were what I wanted, and IMHO the P-85 has those in spades...

It's cheap.

It looks like a piano.

It's made out of plastic.

It can be used for educational purposes.

It has a weak keyboard.

It has weak speakers.

It has few voices.

I own one.

I find the p-85 a good choice as long as you do not need to play it
with the built-in speakers, which are small and weak and lack basses.

I was going to originally order this one. After doing some detailed research (reading threads in this forum lol) I upped the budget and went for the P155

If you can stretch to even the P140 (if you can still find one), I think you'll be happy! Even the salesman in the music store here said the P85 was pretty weak, although I guess he would say that though, since I went for the better version.

Good luck with your search

Try the Korg Sp 250, it has superb action (I think I read somwhere it's either Yamaha or Fatar, can't remember), and great sounds, especially the e-pianos and organs.
It also has some other nice features, but sadly no recorder. You can avoid that by plugging it into a computer.
I'm thinking about buying one myself, the only problem is, I'm personally not a huge fan of the pianos, but most people seem to like them a lot.

Unless you fall in love with the feeling of the P-85, you have several other options (underlines are links):

• Korg SP250 Extremely strong keyboard for the price. Some people think the sound is a bit too mellow. Several voices.
• Casio PX-830 Good keyboard, close to the Korg SP250. Some people think the sound is a little too thin.
• Kurzweil SP2SX Lots of sounds & voices of decent quality. Good keyboard.
• Yamaha P-155 Very good sound considering the speakers. Regular keyboard.
• Kawai ES6 Very good keyboard. Nice sounds. Lots of accompaniments! Several voices.
• Roland HP203 Extremely good keyboard. Expensive compared to the others. Lots of extra voices.

In order to decide if you ĺike a digital piano or not, pay attention to two things when you compare them in the shop:

• Do you like the faked Graded Hammer action of the keyboard?
• Do you like the sound of the Grand Piano voices?

I've been testing the piano in a store yesterday and it sounded quite nice: the only thing that struck me most were the weak speakers ... (yes, I'll buy some headphones for practicing without disturbing the neighbors ).

Another question is which brand and model of headphones you advise. Any help?

Thanks for the information!

The speakers are OK if you use the wooden stand, but on a table or shelf (as it's usually presented at stores) the sound is not as good, because the speaker openings at the bottom are obstructed...

Hi,

I own a Yamaha YDP-S30 (it's been replaced by the YDP-S31 recently), which is basically a P85 with a nice, more piano-like cabinet. I purchased it about a year ago, when I started taking lessons and have been very happy with until now. A year has gone by since I started taking lessons, I've been developing my technique and playing with more higher end DPs and now I feel frustrated every time I play my piano. The keyboard is very light and the sound is not that good.

I think the P85 might be a good piano to start with, but if you're serious about playing the piano soon you'll want to move up. If I knew I would like to play the piano so much I think I had invested a little more right from the beginning. Now I'm thinking of selling my piano and upgrading to a Roland HP207

BTW, I'm also from Portugal!

Best regards / Um abraço

I bought a Casio PX130 this weekend, after a lot of consideration. I rejected the P85, but not for any huge reason--it would have been fine. I think that the thing to realize is that no matter how you spin it, it's not a real piano. I bought it for silent practice at home, and I also have access to a nice piano at work. The differences are immediately recognizable, but I think that how you deal with them is more a matter of how fussy you are than on really big issues. As an object for practicing, it's fine; if I had to give a concert on it, I would not.

I had an interesting experience which highlights this: I recently bought an MP3 album because I was interested in the music, which wasn't available easily elsewhere. After a few playings, I became unsatisfied, feeling that the sound was sterile and lacked depth. A few more playings, and I realized that the whole album was cut on a digital piano. There you have it: practice, yes; replacement, no.