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Something new:

Yamaha will be showcasing the YC73 and YC88 Stage Keyboards during NAMM’s virtual Believe in Music week starting January 21, 2021. The YC73 and YC88 combine great-feeling new keyboard actions with the soulful sounds, drawbar control, and gig-ready ease of use of the YC61 (introduced in January 2020). The YC73 features 73 weighted, balanced keys and is ideal for keyboardists who divide their playing between organ, piano, electric piano, clavi, synth, and other staple keyboard sounds. The YC88 is meant for musicians who prioritize the touch and response of an acoustic piano, offering 88 weighted Natural Wood keys with triple-sensor action, synthetic ebony and ivory key tops. Both add options alongside the semi-weighted “waterfall” action of the YC61 — the key shape preferred by organ players.

https://yamahamusicians.com/new-yamaha-yc88-and-yc73/

https://www.prweb.com/releases/yama...ages_for_all_musicians/prweb17648014.htm

Interesting....

So it’s an organ focused variant of the cp88 right?

Yes, they seem very much like CP88 and CP73 with the addition of drawbar organ. The 73 looks like a nice alternative to the Nord Electro/Stage HP models with their TP100 actions.

+ a true FM engine. As much as organs and FM sound fantastic, the CFX sounds absolute crap. This piano just doesn't fit.

Given how bad the Acoustic Piano sounds are on the CP series, IMO, these are the stage instruments Yamaha fans should consider, as at least you get FM and usable organs.

How bad are the CP-series piano sounds? Are they bad when used in a home context or as gigging stage instruments?

When listened to with ears 😉.
They are probably fine when you can't hear the piano eg in a band with no sense of dynamic control and inadequate monitors.

I over exaggerate of course. Basically, the sound is not quite as good as the CP4, as no strings res.

I think also, the organs on the YC series are modelled.

I'm not sure this is as simple as it sounds. There are many wonderful and lush virtual pianos that sound great when you listen to them with headphones or on a good stereo system but fall short when used in a band context, not cutting through other instruments, when in mono or through a sub-optimal speaker system as in a club. And then there are some stage piano sounds that are not very good for classical/jazz solo piano recordings but have a good reputation for live situations, the Kurzweil Triple Strike piano coming to mind.

Point is, the difference between the Yamaha stage models to me is that the YC series has credible organ noises, whereas the CP-series doesn't. I'm sure that the piano is fine for stage purposes on both series, definitely not for home use.

Yamaha really need to do something to make the various areas of the interface stand out don't they?!

I agree with you Doug. As you can see they "almost" made the various areas of the interface stand out on the CP88 with Yellow Piano, Red E.Piano, and Green Sub /other voices. Not so much on the YC

They sound thin (and bright) compared to P515 and Kawai equivalents. Some old voices are because they are not 88 keys sampled. My humble guess is CFX is not 88 keys sampled voice (correct me if I'm wrong). CFX sounds thin and rings in the mids. Terrible lows (lacks volume and bass, and will sound boomy if you EQ).

Yamaha is making a statement. I guess it's preparing the market for its ultimate stage piano, with a price tag competing with Nord Stage. If Yamaha was going to announce a stage piano with all the bells and whistles and price it like Nord, it wasn't going to be welcomed by the community: the boiling frog theory.

So behold for a 5k Yamaha stage piano very soon.


One thing I really love to see is that these stage piano manufacturers recognize that we need to see the control surface in low light situations! Having some sort of phosphorescence material areas on the surface to separate things is really appreciated. Just like watch handles! It doesn't have to be super bright, just mildly so that we can see where them panels are!

You can see how that happened though... the functions of the yellow, red, and green buttons on the CP are, in fact, all handled by the one red button on the YC (in conjunction with the one extra toggle switch at the bottom of that section).

Amen to that. One of my pet peeves, how bad so many designs are in non-ideal lighting conditions, as you often have on stage. Black controls on black backgrounds, unnecessarily reflective surfaces, legends with small print on a barely contrasting background color, adjacent buttons that run right into each other...

Yeah, I guess one could use enamel paint and take the initiative.

I don’t believe it’s a true FM engine. Not like the Yamaha MODX.
Anyway, that YC73 action is the same BHS as the CP73. Lots of complaints on that one.
The YC88 action, like the CP88, is top notch, similar to the Yamaha P-515.

It's not what we believe in, it is in the specs it says it has FM engine!


So 8 FM operators.

The action is not the same as P-515. It's a synth-action NW-GH3, similar to CP88 (NW-GH).

The 3 here probably indicates that CP88 doesn't have 3 sensors but YC88 has 3 sensors. There is also the possibility that Yamaha has typos in their product pages. BUT as far as the information tells us, CP-88 has GH and YC88 has GH3.

Bad Mister has insisted that NW-GH has 3 sensors. Anyway, typical Yamaha. Always confusing and halfass product information.

Cp88 is clearly declared to have 3 sensors. Cp4 also had that 7 years ago. What yamaha does with naming their actions is beyond us all. Cp88 is cleaarly upgraded over cp4 (try to belive, me I did) as stated by badmister also. Yc88 could be the same exact as cp88 but marketed as "3" to assure organists its software works with the sensors to help when using organ sounds (just guessing)

I know what Bad Mister has mentioned about NW-GH but I found both Bad Mister and the product pages sometimes not accurate or inconsistent. Officially, in the product pages, Yamaha claims that GH is 2 sensors and GH3 has 3 sensors.

They have not updated the product page for CP88 knowing there is confusion.

https://usa.yamaha.com/support/faq/pianos/GJC14031.html

And even worst it even says, NW is not in the lineup anymore!


It's not beyond us all. It's stupid and confusing. As an example, the difference between AWM and AWM2. Even Bad Mister couldn't answer this question accurately. He even confessed that it's not very clear. Obviously, he can't express himself the way I do.