Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Yamaha YPG 235, should I upgrade or keep it

I have been playing piano/keyboard for about 4 years now and I consider myself intermediate to advanced. My band mates and I are going to start playing gigs around town and I was wondering If the YPG-235 is a suitable instrument for gigs or if I should upgrade (I also have a williams allegro 88 key digital piano but some keys are faulty so I dont want to gig with it)

Well, I would say that you can get a vastly better piano than those for gigging, but can you afford an upgrade? If not, you'll have to make due with what you have. If you can, what's your budget?

Can you make due with something that just has a few sounds (pianos, electric pianos, organs, the usual stuff) or do you need a board with lots of sounds?

Also, do you have a PA system or keyboard amp? or will you be gigging with places that have their own house PA system?

If we know what you need and what you have to work with, that would help the folks here give you better advice.

If your budget is low ($500-1000), I'd look at the casio privia line, especially the PX-350 or the PX-5S, but also possibly the PX-150.

If your budget is higher, it can open up a lot of other possibilities.

Im on a slight budget (probably no higher than $700) we will primarily be running through a PA, and as far as sounds go I can make do with just the usual stuff (pianos, organs, etc), I have a synth as well for the extra sounds

My guess is the sound from that is OK and it`s easy to transport. If the instrument hampers your playing in any way, then look for something better. If not, don`t. Life on the road can be hard. And stuff gets nicked . . .

The Casio Privia PX 150 is going for around $500 now. It has a really good action for the price (weighted action, 88 keys), it's light weight, and has a few really good bread and butter sounds, and at less than 25 lb. it's very portable. It has headphone out out that you can run to the PA system and USB connectivity that you can use to connect to an iPad or laptop.

The PX-350 is going for around $700, and it is much more feature rich. Both privias share the same action, but the PX-350 has huge number of different sounds in comparison. It has dedicated stereo line outs that you can connect to a PA system. It has an onboard multi-track sequencer, both USB and traditional MIDI connectivity and better speakers (which you can also use as personal monitors on stage, -- not sure if the PX-150 speakers will play if you have the headphone jack connected to the PA).

There are a few other possibilities in that price range, the yamaha P35 and P105, and maybe the kawai ES100 if you can stretch your budget or find a really good christmas sale. But probably the PX-350 is your best bet as a good general purpose gigging board in your budget (if just barely).

Warm Regards

Thank you very much for the help, Ill probably just hang on to the YPG-235 for a little while longer and see if I can find a deal in the future

You could jump to an 88-key DGX-650, which is the newest model in the YPG/DGX line for about $800, or you might be able to swing a deal if you look around. Are you specifically looking for a 76-key board for portability? I'm not sure the DGX-650 is the best piano for gigging, but if you look at stage models the price goes way up.

Ive played a DGX-650 before and while it was (obviously) an improved upgrade I didn't see the real extra value in it. Ive been looking around in stores and websites and it seems like to get anything decent its going to cost upwards of $1,000 (Yamaha P225, Korg SV173)

Does anyone have any input on the Yamaha P-105? It seems like a fair price but I learned my lesson on trying to save money on musical instruments

The Yamaha P 105 has the same piano sound engine: Pure CF, and the same keyboard action: GHS, and similar speaker/amplifier arrangement as the DGX-650. So essentially, it's the same piano. The latter has more added voices and effects, and other facities.

Thank you for clarifying that I catch myself leaning towards the DGX-650 (even though its right above my budget) The P 105 looks great but something tells me in the long run I would be more satisfied with the DGX-650. Someone mentioned earlier that Casio owns the sub $1,000 market but Yamaha seems to have a decent selection in the $500-750 range. Im hoping to come across a used model but I just cant afford the full price upgrade just yet

I think the Casio PX pianos outclass the Yamaha sub $1000 pianos. Certainly where the keyboard action is concerned. Other aspects such as piano voice sources and sound system can be added onto later with a computer link and amplifiers/speaker.

Would you say that the Privia PX150 would be a better investment than the DGX-650?

Probably, yes. Certainly, if you're going to use computer based sounds (VSTi) in future. Both those instruments have their fans here - I wonder if anyone knows both well enough to give a good opinion of this.....I don't qualify, I'm afraid

The DGX650 is not light. Or small . . .but it has a built in stand which can easily be detached. If I was gigging, I'd go for something lighter. . . I used to gig with a Hammond. That wasn't light either! And i always got the heavy end. . .

What about the Roland VR-09 Combo Organ, its a little pricey but I saw it online and it seems like my dream instrument

The VR-09 has unweighted keys. Looks like you were looking at digital pianos with weighted keys?

Not necessarily, I have a DP already with full weighted keys and I like it but I would be open to non-weighted keys, I like both equally. Im really just looking for a good gigging instrument that will last me a while