Anyone have this? If so, what is your opinion of the key action? The P115 is advertised as having the action of an acoustic piano but for me I find it is hard to play. After a few minutes my hands & wrist feel tired. It is supposedly set for the touch of a Grand piano.

I couldn't find one locally to try before buying so I ordered it. I've played acoustic piano for years & don't remember one ever having a touch like this. I'm not enjoying it so far, maybe I just need time to adjust to it. Thanks.

The P115 has Yamaha's cheapest action. As you've already discovered it's not good.

Since you don't like it, send it back for a refund. You'll likely be stuck for the cost of shipping. But there's no point in suffering a piano that you like.

Never trust these digital piano advertisements that promise their DPs have a grand action. THEY ARE ALL LYING!

And never buy a piano until you've tried it.

Agree!!!! I found my P255 is hard to play too. The keyboard action is too heavy, especially when you want to play the fast melodies. I don't like the action of yamaha's so-called "grand piano". Still finding any replacement...

Two questions:

... Have you tried different settings of the 'touch' parameter?

... Is your volume control set near maximum ( 3/4 or more) ?

I consider the P115 action to be light, compared to other DP's and acoustic pianos. So I wonder why your hands are getting sore.

Thanks everyone for your help.

Charles: I have not tried different setting of the touch parameter.

I have the volume control set on medium but will change it & see if that makes a difference.

I've never owned a digital piano before & am not comfortable making changes but will give it a try.

Any suggestions on a Yamaha digital piano close to the same price range that you like better than P115? Thanks.

Like Charles, I'm wondering why the keys of the Yamaha P115 hurt your hands, as it's action (GHS) is generally considered too light. I suppose that rules out the entry level Casios, PX150/PX350, for a replacement, as the action of them is heavier. As for the Yamaha P255, and the P155 for that matter, they have the GH action, considerably heavier than the P115's GHS action.

Lighter isn't necessarily better. It can also be affected by the bottom - too squishy or too jarring.

To the OP, you mention this is your first digital piano. Were you playing on an acoustic before this, or are you brand new to piano in general?

I would go to a music store and try out the Casio PX-150 or 160(coming out later this month I think), as well as other DPs for comparison. Bring along a set of headphones so you aren't relying upon the store's setup to hear. If you find that you are having the same problem, then you know the GHS action is not right for you and that you should look at what felt good to you - even if that means waiting to save up for it.

I can understand that how the fingers hit the bottom (as far as the keys move down) can very well lead to hand or finger injuries. Also, if the GHS action is very light, the fingers hit the bottom with more force, than in the case of a heavier action digital piano. That plus the repetition factor, can result in injuries, like beating the fingers many times.

Maybe the best digitals are the ones with the weight of the keys gradually increasing, the further the note is pushed down, so the "bottoming down" becomes softer for the fingers? I assume such pianos are way above the price range of the P115.

From what I remember, it is getting a bit vague now, and been back around 6 month ago to have had a quick tickle of some different ivories in the shop while picking up some sheets. The Casio keybed bottoming out is on the softer side compared to others I tried, like CN 24, some yamahas. While Casio action is fairly light I gather, it does hit the bottom in a sort of springy way, if that's the right way of putting it. I actually thought this was a good thing to reduce impact for me, it felt kinder to me. Anyway to me it feels good, since it is not like as if you are hitting a hard wall quite suddenly, which I felt was more the case with some others.

I don't know, such traits may or may not help the OP, not being an expert on piano actions or playing or piano injuries, just to point out I did notice it back then, and also the very first time when selecting a piano a year ago trying some different models.

TheodorN, are you referring to escapement, or that notch feeling by any chance ? Casio doesn't have that feature AFAIK, but neither do the cheaper lower and yamahas mentioned here I think. Not sure if that would help one way or another with injury ?, but more the fact that it eases transition between a real grand action and a digital action to feel more natural with escapement ? some others may be able to comment further. I haven't got a clue about that sort of thing, ready to hear the views and learn

It's personal preference, but the ones to check out would be the Kawai ES100 and the Casio PX150/350.

Casio PX-160 now too.

I don't even know what escapement is, I was just talking about the force hitting back at the finger when the bottom is reached. The less strain on the finger when the key reaches the bottom, the less the risk of injury becomes (I would think.) I'm glad if Casio keybeds bottom down softly, I have a Casio.

Thanks for all the info. This is my first digital but played acoustic for years. I haven't played either in awhile & feel, with practice, I will regain strength in my hands. I'm not terribly disappointed in the P115 because I didn't expect perfection from a digital piano this inexpensive. I will keep Casio & Kawai in mind if I replace this one.

I find that on the P95, a couple of generations older than the P115, that the default Touch Sensitivity setting of Medium did not feel right to me in regards to the pressure/sound ratio. So I set mine to Soft and it feels much more natural to me when I play and the resulting sound/timbre I hear.

I grew up playing a Yamaha Studio Piano so the action on it is lighter than a grand. Changing the P95 to SOFT on the touch sensitivity "fixed" everything for me. Granted, this does not change the "feel" of the keyboard, but the pressure in which you play and the resulting sound is affected. You don't have to play as hard in order to hear the full-on samples of the notes.

Hope this helps.

I went to Sam Ash/GC this morning and tried out a few models:

I tried the P115 and even though it is GHS, it feels a little better than my P95 and a little more comfortable than the P105 was.

The P255 action was decent in my opinion- I can see though both sides of the argument but I found it realistic. The volume was pretty good, perhaps though not as much as the SP280.

Compared to the CP4 action, I think I would perhaps pick the P255 as a whole, built in speakers etc...

The PX160 was decent at its price point in terms of sounds and action. The PX130 action actually feels uncomfortable after release. I would consider selling the PX130 and getting the 160 but am not in the mood to deal wit craigslist people.

I tried the RD300 and found it a little sluggish.
I think for the same price I would take the P255 with the speakers, but the RD300 had some nice editing features

Having played the ES100 last time out, I think perhaps that is the clear overall winner of the batch with P255 second.

The ES100 has an action comprable to the P255 in my opinion, nice sounds and a decent rhodes and a SMALL footprint.

I would pick the ES100 over the P115 for $200 and would venture to say it is a better instrument thant the PX160 which I was impressed with.

I use the SP280 and PX130 at this point. I think for me a P255 would be an improvement as well as a ES100.

I tried the CP4 but it seemed to have more than what I needed- I simply don't need 15 variations and a CFXIIII/CIII/S6- inother words the one P255 piano (with 3 variations is enough)

The CP4 sells for $2299.99, definitely not in the same price range as the other keyboards your looking at. You should take a look at the Yamaha CP40 which currently retails at $1399.99. It competes price wise with the Roland RD300nx, although I think action and sound wise the CP40 is a much better choice.

I also believe you need to decide wether or not internal amp and speakers is a feature you really want. And if so, then clearly the ES100 or P255 would be the ones to look at.

I agree about the CP40;the RD 300NX seemed a little sluggish towards the bass notes. I found the P255 emitted a high level of volume, even while listening in a Sam Ash showroom. I am not sure if it is as loud as my SP280- and am not bothering comparing watts because as we all know it depends on the speakers themselves.

After reflecting on yesterday, if I was going to go out and get something in the next hour it would be the P255.

*However, I thought the P115 was decent to play, and I am accustomed to GHS which works for me because I am playing more percussive classic rock and blues and less classical music.

I tried a P105 which had some of the creaking present on the one I returned close to 3 years ago, and plesantly did not find the same issue on the P115.

Although a fine stage piano, the Cp4 just had on it more than what I needed. I feel as though I could make my own variations on the P255 just with different permutations of EQ/Reverb/Brilliance adjustments.