If you are a just starting to play piano and are looking for a digital piano that sounds great, is affordable, and skips on all the bells and whistles as you get started, then the Yamaha P80 digital piano should be on your list. As many piano teachers would recommend for a beginner, you should try and find a piano that will help you focus on the important things necessary to get a good foundation in playing your instrument. Even pianists would tell you that what they are truly looking for in a digital piano is for authentic sound and piano action. These were the goals for Yamaha while creating the P80 and it might be just what you are looking for.
UPDATE: The Yamaha P80 has been discontinued by the manufacturer. The Yamaha P125 is the new model of this digital piano. Read our Yamaha P125 review or:
If you click the button above you will be redirected to Amazon.com. In case you then decide to buy anything, Amazon.com will pay me a commission. This doesn’t affect the honesty of this review in any way though.
If you look at all the features of the Yamaha P80 you can see how it was almost built for students or teachers. First, it is a Full Grand piano sized keyboard giving you 88 keys to practice many octaves with. Unlike other digital pianos, the P80 has weighted keys that give you the feel of playing on a acoustic piano. It even includes a music stand and pedal for sustain.
One of the greatest features is the weight. At only 37 pounds, the P80 is able to be tucked away in a closet when you’re not using it, to travel in the car with you when going to lessons, or even to gigs once you become more comfortable playing for people around you. This basic set up is truly all you need to practice your foundations. Soon after you get more comfortable, the rest of the P80’s features can become more useful to creating your own unique sound.
Because the Yamaha P80 was designed to be a simple digital piano it really has most benefit for beginners or instructors. There are concerns about some of the features for this piano such as the pedal not working as a acoustic piano would. It sustains only the notes that were hit and the subtleties of how an acoustic piano will vibrate when played are lost in the digital piano. This is a common concern that many people have about digital pianos who are used to playing on acoustic ones.
Even though you can plug headphones directly into the P80 the sound of the keys hitting the plastic remind players of the clatter of keys on a computer keyboard. This can become a nuisance to the player after hours of playing. Even the people around you might start to feel a bit frustrated with all the clicking that you are making. The keys are also made of plastic making them easy to clean but possibly easier to break. Some owners of the P80 have said that if one key breaks that all the keys need to be replaced in order to fix it and that the cost from Yamaha is high enough to consider buying a new keyboard since this keyboard is no longer being manufactured.
But like any purchase you make, it’s a good idea to consider many options and possibilities. If you are just getting started learning how to play, than the Yamaha P80 digital piano is perfect for you.
Check out this demo below of the Yamaha P80
