Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Thoughts on the P-35 vs. P-95 vs. P-105

I was set to buy a Yamaha P-105 a few months ago and then got distracted by life. I’m an absolute beginner so I also was considering buying used as a good first step and have been keeping one eye on Craigslist for a used Privia PX-110/120/130 or a Yamaha P-85/95. A few good deals went by that I just didn’t have the time to jump on and now I’m getting a little tired of the Craigslist thing so I’m thinking of buying new again. BTW, here in Southern California the prices that people are asking for used DP’s on Craigslist is absolutely ridiculous. I know that some folks build in some room to haggle when they post prices but if I see one more ‘I’d like to get close to what I paid for it’ ad for a DP that is 5 years old I think I’ll go crazy. Wouldn’t it be nice for everybody to get close to what was paid for every stock, car, or house that they ever purchased??

Anyway, after noodling around in Guitar Center I think I prefer the Yamaha brand vs. the Casio Privia line and my question is that while there seems to be quite a bit of talk here about the Yamaha P-105 ($600 street) there is considerably less discussion of the Yamaha P-35 ($450 street). I’m not sure if it makes sense to look at the P-35 and save $150 or even look at the discontinued P-95 ($500 street) that some retailers are looking to move out. The P-35 appeals to my minimalist tendencies as it has less bells and whistles.

Thanks for any thoughts on the P-35 vs. P-95 vs. P-105.

Rob

My understanding is that the P35 is very much like the P95, slightly scaled down in features, but same piano sound. The P105 has an improved piano sound (though no standard MIDI port). And the actions on all are at least similar if not identical.

I don't know your location in SoCal, but Sam Ash (at least the one in Westminster) has quite a selection and you might be able to compare all these side by side. Might be worth a trip if you haven't yet had the chance to do that.

I can tell you I have a P105B and have been quite happy with it. Though it does not have MIDI out, it does have USB out and a computer will recognize it right away as a MIDI device.

P105 has better sound. Polyphony, samples (velocity layers), tone engine, speakers. You have to decide by listening and comparing with the P35 whether the difference is important enough for you to pay the extra money. You could use the P35 as a controller, but still need to pay to get the software VST.

Currently Guitar Center has a coupon for $70 off $349+ and Musicians Friend I believe has a 15% off keyboard sale through tomorrow. You could inquire about those if you were doing something quickly.

The one disadvantage of the P35 is the polyphony is only 32 notes vs. 64 on the P95.

The P105 has better amplification and clearer speakers and a the sound is a little more expressive as there are 3 different samples for each key; which means the tone changes depending on how hard you hit it vs. the velocity.

If you were able to get a P105 in the neighborhood of $499-$525 would you do it? In my opinion it is worth the extra $150.

@Mark VC I'm in Newport Beach and forgot about checking out Sam Ash (thanks for the heads up) but will do so to play them side by side. At least for now, I don't think that I'll be using MIDI for anything but it's good to know that it is there via USB if I need it.

@Possum PX130 Thanks for the tip on Musicians Friend and Guitar Center. Those are pretty good discounts and on the MF site it also says free shipping and that they pay California sales tax. MF has both the P-35 and the P-105 and with the 15% off the difference becomes $128 or so. Guitar Center's website doesn't show the P-35 just the P-105. Lots to mull over.

Rob

Also, note you would have to call them on the phone (or in store if it is in GC) to use the coupon. Many times they do not work online.

Also, you can call MF and see if they would match GC's coupon and therefore you would save on CA sales tax. That could get you a P35 for $379 which to be honest wouldn't be a bad deal.

The 15% of the $599 would be $525.

I just called Musicians Friend and they said that I could use both the 15% off and the no California tax discount. So, in talking to the rep he gave me quotes on the following bundles. Note each of the bundles includes:
1. The piano
2. On-Stage KS7800+ Bench
3. On-Stage KS7190 Keyboard Stand

The verbiage in parentheses is what the rep said were the basic differences:

P-105 (128 polyphony, can layer and split sounds) $563.91
P-95 (64 polyphony, can layer and split sounds) $481.25
P-35 (32 polyphony, no layering or splitting of sounds) $439.92

He said that the polyphony difference would not be a huge deal for someone just starting out but could be limiting down the road. Same thing for the layering and splitting of sounds (piano sound on left hand, strings on right, etc.) He also said that if were thinking about getting the P-95 then to just pay the extra $80 and get the P-105. I would agree so I think my choice is between the two ends of the spectrum: P-35 or the P-105.

Mulling . . .

The most important aspect to a beginner is the feel of the keyboard. The sound and other paper specs is really not important. Unless you are really obssessed and do a lot of A/B comparisons between the two keyboards, once you have it home and start practicing, it really doesn't make much difference which one you got.

Don't completely agree. The P105 has velocity samples, so tonal response based on playing pp - ff is possible. That's important to learn from the start.

@OP did you end up deciding? I would say pay the extra and do the P105. If it is $125 more and you keep the piano for 5 years, that is $2 more a month over the time you keep the instrument.

You might also want to look at a different stand; the one mentioned was a single brace and a double brace stand offers more stability.

In addition, the bench seems okay, but there are some that have 4 legs and are a little sturdier.

Or you could look at the custom stand and pedals for Yamaha at $175 total.

The tone variation between quiet and loud can also exist on pianos that don't have different velocity samples, it can be done with electronic processing. There is a tone shift between quiet and loud notes on the single layer P95 (which I assume will be the same on the P35).

Oh man, I wish this were true. DPs are package deals, you need good keys and good sounds a good connection between them. Bad sound to me is a massive turnoff.

i would buy the 105 in a heartbeat... that is so much piano for the price... and I personally don't mind the keybed - it's a good match. the extra 100 bucks is really worth it.

I think the p95 is also nice, but why not get the latest.

the 35 is a throwback to the idea of the P60 and p70 from 10 years ago.

Thanks to all for the great replies. I did not order anything last night. I need to go to Sam Ash today and play the P35 and P105 back to back and decide. Hard to judge for me since I'm a beginner and don't really play but I'm sure one or the other will jump out at me.

Rob

Just my 2 cents, and I am a newbie. I went for the 105 and so far have found one thing really stands out for me. I even took headphones and listed to the Yam and the Casio 150. It was an extremely hard choice for me, but the CF sampling on Piano1 on the Yam just sound better to me. If I were to buy again I'm sure that it would come down to the same two choices. Why? I think you will get more money back on either the Yam 105 or Casio 150 over the 35/95 options if you decide this is not for you. If it is for you then I think either of these two will be a good instrument for 3 to 5 years.

Take Headphones with you, it will make a big difference in being able to hear the true sound in a store IMHO.

The Piano1 sound on its own is really nice and I do prefer it over P2 sound; however, I play along with lots of rock/soul/country songs and the brighter Piano 2 sound just nails so many of the tones of the recorded music. So, I usually play P1 when playing on my own and I use P2 when playing along with 95% of stuff.

I have had the P105 for about a month now and I couldn't be happier with it. I was worried about the action (coming from a Roland FP4) but I am super comfy with it now and have no problem playing with lots of feeling and definition.

It is easy to navigate around the options (such as transpose, layering volumes/octaves, etc), the layered sounds are very listenable and easy to customize to your liking. Would I like it to be louder? Would I like it to have 100 misc. voices and options? Sure, but it does a lot for the price and it does enough to fill my needs.

The only thing it really needs is a better sustain pedal (which I purchased at the same time).

I went in and played it again; I find the bass response to be better in that price range than the Casio. I am thinking about repurchasing as I still have the stand and pedals but am having a hard time getting a replacement screw as it is a metric pan head.

On another unrealted note; I played the YDP 141 and was very impressed with the audio output- nices speakers

@Possum Which ones did you actually compare?

P105 vs. casio's I have owned/played - 130 and 350 specifically.

Although I still have my stand and pedals for the P95/P105; something about the YDP's seems to work for me.