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Hi,

May or may not be useful to someone, but here are my first thoughts from playing it a few times. I gig less now than I used to and wanted something reliable, unfussy and more portable. I think I've achieved that. I don't gig enough to justify top-level pianos.

a) Weight: This will be much nicer to lift in/out of my car, and carrying up stairs. Has some slots underneath that are great to grip when lifting it.

b) Sound: Doesn't seem to have the same richness and presence as my old Korg SP-250 which had speakers that appeared to run the length the piano on top, so it was nice to play (and listen to) at my girlfriend's house where it lives in between gigs. Pushed against the wall the P125 sounds a bit muffled and 'thinner'. Not played it via a PA yet, so perhaps live playing is its true vocation and it may sound fine.

c) Voices - the pianos seem very bright and twangy. I do miss the resonance and depth of the default piano on the Korg even if it was an old piano. The electric piano sounds seem ok, although I'll never the DX voice unless I join a retro 80s combo. Organ sounds are fine. Nothing amazing here but nothing jarring. Quite like the 'detail' of the piano sounds - you can almost hear/feel/imagine the hammer strike.

d) Action - I knew it would be a compromise for me as I like a heavier meaty action, especially for rock/boogie styles. but that means a heavier piano. The RH3 on the Korg felt closer to most acoustic planos I've played. This Yamaha GHS action is perfectly usable, but lacks the bite I ideally crave. It's more consistent in feel than my Korg so it won't take me long to adapt. I tried Roland pianos and didn't like the feel, some seemed a bit rubbery and bouncy (FP30 in store is one that comes to mind). I'm not blown away or repulsed by the GHS. Ragtime piano will need some practice to play it cleanly.

e) Looks - it's inoffensive in satin black.

f) Functions: Only real annoyance is the 'Function keys plus keyboard note' access to some functions. I avoided the Kawai for hiding almost everthing up a keyboard key combination. I'll never remember these live wthout the manual. I'm sure 'Reverb' depth coud have been a simple slider switch. Long for an affordable piano with real buttons on top for all controls. The Casio PX-5S button layout works better for me, except the two-tone toy piano look doesn't appeal.

Good bits
Cost - this was £490 online.
Portability - my back will be pleased.
Feels fairly well-screwed together
Dependable action, if a little dull. Better weighted than my old Roland FP4.

Not so good:
Number of voices is a bit limited but what's there is decent quality.
Bit thin-sounding through it's own speakers.
Thickness of piano is greater than my old piano and so my existing Z-stand makes it a bit too high or too low.
The awful toy foot-pedal it ships with. I use my M-Audio one - for me they're bulletproof and offer decent resistance.

Reminds me of a Japanese car - inoffensive, good price, should be reliable, but lacking charm. For gigging the P125 will be just fine, but it doesn't tempt me to play off-stage. It'll do the job and pay for itself quickly.

Dissatisfied? No! Excited? No.

I'll brace myself against diehard Yamaha fans!!

I agree completely- I had a P95 years ago and to me the P125 is a substantial improvement- (I had a Sy55 in my youth and a Yamaha Motif 6 for years so am pro Yamaha but have no Yamaha currently).

GHS didn't bother nor impress me- a friend has a P115 I used out and it was fine- I thought the P125 sounded decent in the store as something to take and travel wtih. I really don't want to go above 25-26 pounds.

I am on my replacement ES110 this week and if it works out I'll keep it- if not I am going to the P125.

The 105's I had were defective 6 years ago- so I used the PX130 as my board- which to me was something I only played out on.

I had a SP280 but the action wasn't great and not really movable.

I would be tempted to get a P255 but don't want to move 38 pounds- unfortunately it seems GH vs. GHS adds 12 pounds - perhaps due to lets say 2 extra ounces per key * 88

How do you like the P125 so far? My second ES110 is likely going back due to a key click that occurs on D2- I don't know if it is due to being close to E2. I am considering going with the 125 instead- its frustrating that there are so few choices in the 25 pound range.

While I don't doubt the GH action weighs more than GHS, remember that the p255 (and presumeably the p515) have larger bodies with substantially bigger speakers too, which probably ads a bit to the weight as well.

I just opened my P125- let me say for the type of music I play (mostly rock with heavy left hand octaves) that this is a good fit for me and my weight requirements. I personally prefer this version of GHS to the PX130 i was using for the same role and the SP280 which was just too mushy from day one but sounded good ( but was not portable).

In my opinion, the speakers on the P125 are an improvement over the 105 (which I was a little more familiar with than the 115).

*It might not be as expressive as the ES110 for jazz but for Billy/Elton/Stones the left hand range is better.

Also- in terms quality- Yamaha's boxes always ship well- never any holes- vs. those that Kawai and Casio are shipped in- Korg and Roland I think to a good job of protection as well- that needs to be considered by a manufacturer as well.

Tricky to answer. I've gigged now with the P125 and have played a lot at home to try to familiarise myself with it more.

The main issues that stand out to me personally - the light action and the tinny internal speakers.

The action:
To be fair, the action is predictable, so once my fingers are 'tuned in', riffs and runs up and down the keyboard flow well as the weighting is consistent. (I found my Korg SP250 would catch me out on a few notes that seemed more resistant than neighbouring ones.)

For me the bass and mid-register keys are annoyingly too light. But as I mentioned, I like heavy meaty actions that I can dig into. I learned to play on old pianos with heavy actions (Duck, Son & Pinker upright, Danemann grand piano at school) , and still play the odd pub piano with muddy actions. To me it's like the difference writing with light roller-ball pens versus a fountain pen. I need some resistance to slow me down to improve my handwriting. But I could argue it's teaching me more finesse and delicate touch.

To give it some credit, played hard you can feel some sort of 'hammer bounce' which feels ok, and the key noise is minimal.

Internal speakers:
The lack of bass clout that I had with my Kord SP250 makes me feel like I'm playing an old Casio piano. I assume the speakers are small, light and trebly to achieve a lower weight, so perhaps it's a necessary evil to make it portable.

It's certainly not a keeper - as soon as something with a better action appears in this price range, I'll move on, but for now it's ok and does the job.

All the best !!

Seeing all these excellent comments in websites and youtube about p-125 regarding speakers and tone quality, I am impressed seeing someone having exactly the same opinion as i have(finally). Mostly about tone being too bright. Having not tried speakers myself, so i cant speak about that.(they will be better than my dgx630 for sure though) :p

My second (replacement) ES110 came with clicky keys too, as well as the first one. This can't be happening that often, even if Kawai won't admit it it's got to be a design flaw.

Sorry for the off topic but this issue pisses me off.

Good luck with the p125! Maybe I should get one too...

RodrigoPon, it could be that some customers are simply more sensitive to these things than others. Provided the keyboard still functions correctly (i.e. each key transmits the correct range of velocities when played), I don't personally believe a little extra mechanical noise on one or two keys should be a major concern.

/off-topic

Kind regards,
James
x

Sorry James but I have to disagree. If the reported clicks are anything like those in my ES8, they are rather loud when playing ppp and develop along the use: they are not present or do not sound as loud in less used keys and were not there when the piano were brand new, which indicates the action degrades with the use. Maybe I am one of the "lucky" ones that had two ES8 with the very same issues just like these fellows had with the ES110 and the other users just do not had the issues and no clicks at all or maybe we are more picky about this defects than most users but that does not make them less deffective. Otherwise the clicks would not change/increase with the use.

Same opponion as EVC2017. Both my ES110 developed the loud clicking after only a week of use (they weren't present when my piano arrived), and they're quite loud when playing ppp which affect the playing experience a lot, in a negative way of course.

I find it hard to believe it's being "picky" about it, and that there's people not being bothered by the noise or not noticing it at all. Unfortunately it seems there's a lot of "lucky" ones around with clicky keys.

The Yamaha P-125 also has a USB audio interface / sound card built-in. This makes using VSTs a breeze. The speakers are not bad for the size, the sound is good for the price, and the GHS action while not stellar is adequate. In my opinion the P-125 makes a great low cost midi controller/sound card combo if you don't need all the knobs and sliders e.t.c. It's also a very respectable entry level digital piano.

I found the GHS action on the Yamaha P-45 to be a bit stiffer which I liked. The P-125 also uses GHS but it's slightly updated to make it a bit lighter than the older GHS found in the P-45. You really can't go wrong with the P-125 if you have a limited budget or don't want to spend a tonne of money of a nicer digital piano.

Just some user-experienc that might add something, and I believe not mentionned before. Owner of a P125 for a couple of weeks now, and things I didnt / couldnt know when trying DPs in stores and showrooms :

- hammer sound in the soundsamples (especially present in standard Piano Voice and Voice 2
The P125 took me some getting used to, despite there being NO escapement , especially through headphones and mostly present in in the standard and number "2" piano setting is the slightest hammer-sound. Let me explain : from the start I used it a couple of hours and was a bit annoyed by a what sounded like a louder key-sound than I expected - tried low volume and it dissipated - tried turner volume up and it got louder... so I tried a headset and couldnt hear the fysical sound of me hitting the keys but still could hear (and hear it even better with headphones) the hammernoise... never heard that when trying it in a store. Seems to me that the samples include the sound of the hammers hitting/returning. For a few days that felt weird to me...had the sound/noise of hammering but not the feel (no escapement).

- sympathetic vibration of strings
It is subtil buth what I mean by that : when I (slooooowly) push down a key and hold it, eg : G1, and then hit and release almost any other G-key...the vibration of G1 is audible... just like it would do in an accoustic (or at least some of the accoustics I played). It s not something I hear or was aware of when trying it out in stores. It s subtil but it s present, which to me was a nice surprise. Dont know if I have expressed myself correctly : what I mean is : in my exemple it s a bit like there is a really silent sustain on the G1 strings. It s something some accoustic (no idea if all of them do that) pianos "do" and I was pleasantly surprised Yamaha emulates in.

I got the P125 with stand an 3-pedal unit for 709 euros (shipping included, France), and like many people for my budget I was hesitating between Roland FP30 and KawaiES110... I quickly ruled out the FP30 because of its sound (annoying to my ears on some chords and some specific combinations of lower chord / higher notes) didnt sound "right" - and I didnt like the feel of the Kawai (of which the keyboard felt "off" and a bit unreal) - just my opinion / reason for choice , NOT re-opening any debates on that ! Personnal choice / due dilligence.

Biggest flaw so far, for me, on the P125, but thats already been mentionned : the button and key combinations... 3 pages of them...and the lack of screen, especially when one doesnt have an ipad - The Smart Pianist app is available for android but not operationnel (keyboard gets recognises but with a "not supported" message within the app) - and for some reason when using Flowkey (3months free when registring your DP with Yamaha btw) , P125 connected through standard USB to host cable...the sound of the app is NOT played when allowing it acces through USB when a popup message appears to allow it access - howver when I hit "cancel" and therefore do NOT grant it access ... the sound from my android phone or android tablet gets played through the speakers of the P125. No idea why but it works - key recognition works great as well as the MIDI USB connection. Anyways it s really annoying, especially the first few days, when I hit a lot of keys I wasnt supposed to and messed up the settings.

The keys are not ivory touch or feel but not slippery (to my feel) and NOT white...they re a bit off-white, and on a personnal level I feel/hear absolutely no difference between this 2 sensor system and the 3 sensor system on others. However it feels like its range is approx (p)pp-ff at best. (but that is with my way of playing). Difference between the Hard and Medium setting is neglectable for my feel, and Hard does not appear to allow for fff, feels/sounds more to act on volume then on touch.

Perhaps worth mentionning : some settings get reset when you turn it on and off and on again... once you get the settings that you feel comfortable with dont forget to backup those settings / save them, or you will loose things...and have to start over again. A lot is saved/stored when powering off (IAC/Damper/....) but some things get lost unless you backup (explained in the manual at the end of it).

No idea if this adds something to the conversation, just thought I d put it in here...as this is almost the only place I could find when I was looking for user-experiences.

To sum it up : for my budget / space it s a great Digital Piano with a great feel, good sound - great sound through headphones - with the little surprise of the hammersound which I did not expect and with the absence of the feel of escapement was a bit disturbing for a couple of days.

Well, it's a "sample-based" sound generator. Whatever acoustic piano was recorded to get the samples, _it_ (like all acoustic pianos) had "hammer-return" sounds. The samples picked them up, and you're re-playing them, each time you strike a key.

A funny thing about "action noise":

. . . Nobody ever plays an acoustic action, _with no strings_, to test how much noise the action makes.

@Charles Cohen,

I got the "hammer return sound" thingy, just found it odd in the beginning, not the sound but the feel or rather the missing feel ....being used to accoustic where one gets used to the combination of the hammerreturnthing and the feeling on the keys that go with it, I wasnt used to the sound WITHOUT the feel - and didnt expect it to be honnest. Using headphones it s a more present sound than through the internal speakers. I only got to try it out in stores without headphones and stores and showrooms are a bit background noisy, so I honestly didnt notice it. Got used to it now.

"Nobody ever plays an accoustic action - with no strings - ... to test how much noise the action makes". My point was not about the noise it makes, but about the vibration of the damper-free strings.. I like using the very soft sustain effect in silent and somtimes slow parts of music and or/at the end...may be quite silly, but I play for myself (I m not an audience guy) and I kindof like that, just for my personal taste. I am quite aware it has no" real" or "general" use and it s not all that audible - I dont even know if there s a name for it... it s just a thing I like and I didnt expect to find on a Digital Piano and just thought it was worth mentionning.

In my experience (tried the 125 in the store) the 125 would make a nice second piano, an instrument that can be used when traveling or on stage - which is it’s primary function. I was pleasantly surprised with its sound and I found the keyboard action responsive and pretty decent.

However, I think the stand and the pedal unit are a waste of money if the intended use is at home, the stand looks cheap and the pedal unit makes sense only if you want to launch the rotary effect of the organ voice. In all other cases a normal metal П stand would do better.

The looks of the piano... plastic with markings. Once again, the intended primary use is not at home, the goal is to create a lightweight portable piano, which is accomplished, more so with the 73-key 121. If this was my piano on which I would exercise while away from home, I’d be less fussy about action noise, samples, looks, etc. It’s a pretty decent instrument.

Now if only it existed with a nice inexpensive cabinet (like the Arius S-34)! Alas, All models from the Arius family lack connectivity (no line out) and the Clavinovas have their own set of problems (distorted samples, speakers resonance, dull sound of my 575 through its speakers, the Bösendorfer voice is a waste, etc). I doubt I would shell out top dollar on a Clavinova ever again.

Which gets us back to the 125 as far as Yamaha is concerned. Or wait for the 7xx series in 2020.

I agree 100%- I have the piano as a portable one but will say it sounds nice- and I have the ES8 next to it.

The only thing right now troubling me is that I can not find a case deep enough for it - it is 6 1/2 inches deep vs. 5 to 5 1/2 for my prior piano for the road.

I had the P95 years ago on the stand and thought even though it was neat to have that the pedals looked like clown shoes.

I agree with the pedals/stand looking cheap - but I think their emphasis is on the "portability" ... it has a real small footprint (which is great for me) - the only thing I replaced are the screws that keep the keyboard on the stand (which build-wise is quite good quality) with screws with a handle so I can take them of withouth having to use a screwdriver.

I use it as a "second" piano and move around with it (an accoustic does not have a headphone jack, or two in the case of p125) and it takes up almost no space, footprint of the whole is the same as the 125 itsself.

Key response is pretty decent indeed and Stereophonic Optimiser, when used with a decent pair of headphones is great - real stage depths. Speaker sound is balanced and I havent been able to get it saturated - "sound boost" hardly makes any difference no matter what volume level you use...it slightly (really slightly) boosts the mediums a bit. Advantage I found on it that I can use Line Out and still have speakers on (option is ON/OFF/auto - and same thing goes for the headphone jacks) and you can adjust line out volume (but again that goes through a combination of buttons and keys)

All in all and after having compared it : it s like the portable version of the ydp s52 (except for the keysalthough I hardly noticed any difference, and amplification 14 vs 20watts), same specs, same options (same electronics inside ?)

@PossumES8Krome61
For a carrying bagg I got a Gator 88 slim which is cheaper than the 139 euros yamaha bagg, is easier to find than yamaha baggs, and is a real good yet tight fit (the SLIM version of it), but doesnt have a shoulder strap... (nor does the yamaha bagg) - payed the Gator bagg 78 euros (including shipping) the version with the decent padding and straps inside, not the thin as-good-as-no-padding version.

On the pedal unit : doesnt feel anything like a "real" piano ..they look pretty decent but you really feel the spring in them and there is some horizontal movement of the pedals themselves. For my feel it s still beats the cheap plastic square pedal that comes with it (and doesnt have half sustain) - and they dont slip like separete sustain pedals. For the move I use a sub 20 dollar universal metal sustain pedal (with a polarity button) that works great on it and feels good (brand : anamorph or something like that, the brand sticker came of but the pedal is great and has been for a year or two now).

All in all I d say : Overpriced stand and pedals, but good build quality if assembled/adjusted correctly.

(bit hypocrite on my behalf , as I got the piano for 599 and payed 110 for stand and pedals (discount when bought together with the keyboard) which for me is about what they re worth - 129 and 79 retail price is something I would not have payed for it - they re Ikea with metal).

(Pedal unit LP-1 in my experience : it keeps the stand in place on a tile floor...the plastic feet on the stand kindof slip on tiles, the pedal unit has 2 rubber feet and stabilises the whole thing, and nothing moves or slips.

@TrollToddington :
I had the same experience of lack of sturdyness of the stand when I tried it in some stores and found it sturdy in only store...it s actually more of an assembly issue than a quality issue, when assembled correctly it is sturdy- I just think in some stores they just assemble it quickly (if you follow the instructions to the letter it stays in place better than on an X-stand). When the screws are tightened in the right order as per instructions it becomes a real stiff sturdy stand - but still with plastic little feet)
But budget wise I totally agree : I would never pay 130 something euros or dollars for a wooden 3 boards stand or 80 something for a set of pedals of which in real life one mostly - not to say "only" - uses only the sustain pedal. Overall design of the plastic body is real great for moving it around (big grooves on the bottom, easy to get a good grip on it).