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Just curious...

I never see any posts about someone's CP5. So I'm wondering: Either too few people on here actually bought one or everybody who bought a CP5 is happy as heck or you hate the thing so much you're just too reluctant to say anything. Just saying...

I haven't got one, only played one briefly. But I want one!

I'm guessing Yamaha will introduce a new model next year.

Dr Popper kind of alluded to some sort of upgrade a few months back - Bearing in mind the CP33 and CP300 are apparently still in the catalogues and are a good deal older than CP1/5 and 50 then it feels too soon for a replacement. But some kind of upgrade to the software/firmware might make sense.

Yamaha introduces new models every three or four years. When was the CP1, CP5, and CP50 introduced?

December 2009

CP33 came out in May 2006 and is still "current".

A follow up in 2013 wouldn't be out of place. Of course, with the general financial slow down Yamaha might just milk their current models for all they're worth.

I don't have much work so I'm not in any rush to trade in my CP5. I will buy the follow up to it though.

But in response to the original question: In the archives you should find a lot about the CP5.

Actually, I'm hoping for a software upgrade in the piano voices that will double the length in time for sustain. I practically have to stand on the pedal. You may as well short out the switch. don't get me wrong. I love this sound, the action though others think it's a bit light on the touch. It is, a little, and I usually leave in on "hard" for the velocity response but the lack of sustain is beginning to bug me. Mixing seems to make up for it a little but I like just unmixed piano most of the time. How hard would it be for Yamaha to just lengthen the sustain time in their software? It's not like you're asking for the Moon. It would not have to be a lot of extra time to make a huge difference.

I didn't think I would ever say this until now: But I loved the touch of my Casio PX130. As cheap as that piano was for a entry level DP it truly had a great feel to it. It definitely has a heavier weighted action than my CP5. I believe it was also deeper as well and that may be the only real difference. I wanted a high quality professional grade stage piano and so I bought the CP5 but I'm not so sure I'm enjoying more. I still have my PX130, all boxed back up and cared for. I thought about pulling it back out and measuring the depth then comparing that to the CP5. Is there not a standard for the action depth, does anyone know?

I really like the PX130.

That doesn't seem like a significant change in Yamaha's general business model.


Oh man, I hope you aren't holding your breath for that one. I don't think any manufacturer changes that kind of parameter mid-stream (except for maybe Fatar with the Numa Piano - the software "upgrade" actually shortens the decay time IIRC).

Actually I'm not sure there really is a lot of discussion about the CP5 in the archives. At least, not as much as you see about other pianos. It hasn't been a very discussed piano.

To be very discussed, a piano must be at least one of the following:

1. Very popular
2. Often recommended to people new to digital pianos
3. Nicely priced
4. Controversial (some people love it, some hate it)
5. Technologically innovative.

The CP5 is none of these.

Not that it's not a solid piano, it just doesn't qualify as one of the things that's often discussed here. I guess you could say that it doesn't make good conversation. Yamaha didn't take many risks when creating it so there's not a ton to say about it, good or bad.

That's my impression.

I really like the action on the CP5 a lot. It's super smooth and even and really fun to play on, I would love to have that action in my NP2.

You're kidding! I uploaded the 1.20 upgrade shortly after buying it. Is that what you're talking about? If that's true, and I never heard that from anyone else. How can I get the original version back?

I think Dewster means Fatar reduced the decay time on their product following a software update to the Numa Piano.

Listening to lots of stuff on YouTube I don't get the impression the CP5's decay is too short, although like all Yamahas it transitions from attack sample (which is always good on Yamahas) to a very fast cycling decay, which sounds very fake and static. All Yamahas do this. You mention that you like the Casio PX130. I'm intrigued. I played some cheapy DPs the day before yesterday (2 x Korg (170 and 250), Yamaha P95 and Kawai CL26) but couldn't find a Casio Privia. People say the Casio's decay is too quick - is that your impression?

I considered starting a new thread about my impressions of the cheapies that I played. The Korg SP250 - which I liked actually - does this weird thing in the decay; it fades much too fast initially then evens out at a low level and stays that way for some time. The thing I quite liked is that the loop in the decay is long enough to beat and swell a little so you can let it run a couple of loops before you realise it's a loop. The Nord's pianos are all like that - long enough loops to wobble a bit, which I think is vastly preferable to the Yamaha's and Kawai's short cycles.

Cheers,

Steve

Yes, I did a private comparison of pre and post firmware, and low note decay was definitely shorter post upgrade. Lots of strange stuff going on in the Numa Piano, like incorrect panning of stretch groups, incorrect panning of some layers of some notes (I am told), etc.

Voxpops tried in vain to find a way to revert back to the original firmware load, but no one at Fatar could/would help him, so he sold it.

I must rush to the defense of the Numa Piano, but only the non-updated one. I keep my computer in another room of my house and I've vowed that never the twain shall meet.

I know the Numa doesn't measure well, but with its long decay and natural overall piano sound I find it quite enjoyable to play (and uniquely easy to schlep -- why don't all portable 88s have aluminum bodies?), at least when I'm playing Bill Evans rather than Beethoven.

The Numa Piano does sound nice (as these things go). Decays long enough to realistically wobble somewhat as Steve noted.

Moleskincrusher, have you noticed anything odd with the very lowest notes? HERE is a short clip of the four lowest notes, the first group pre-update, the second group post-update. The second group sounds OK to me, but the first sounds like a repeat of the third and fourth notes at the start, like the pitch is wrong.

And for those interested, HERE is a comparison of pre/post-update decays. The lowest notes decay more quickly post-update.

I sometimes wonder if Fatar exists only as some kind of weird and elaborate practical joke. (*fiendish cackling* "Let's randomly move the stereo pan around inside the sample layers! Let's make the post-upgrade decays unnaturally quick! Let's make it impossible to revert to the earlier load!" *fiendish cackling*)

Wow, I hear the difference big time with the lowest notes (I can't believe how horrible it is pre-update!), but not so much with the decay (it's a pretty subtle reduction IMO).