Yamaha P45: Great practice piano for the beginner student

Yamaha P45 is the entry-level piano from Yamaha’s portable P series pianos. It’s great for serious piano students looking for an 88-key piano with fully weighted piano keys and excellent piano sound. There’s not much difference between the P45 and the P71 (sold exclusively on Amazon). See price of Yamaha P45 on Amazon.

Introduction

Give your piano study, piano practice and piano playing a big leap forward with this wonderful instrument.

The P45 is compact and lightweight, has a nice and clean design with minimal buttons. The key action is authentic (fully weighted) and is adjustable. It has warm piano voices, and has some interesting voices besides the piano. 

It’s inexpensive but is NOT a cheap piano at all. The supplied sustain pedal could have been better though; but you can always buy a separate piano pedal (with half-pedaling feature).

This is strongly recommended for students looking for a good value. 

Highlights

• Entry Level Piano from the Yamaha P series (portable pianos)
• 88 Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) keys provide realistic acoustic piano feel
• Built-in Stereo Speakers, can hear through headphones as well
• Duo mode (connect two headphones) for partner practice/instructional use

Who Is It For?
The Yamaha P-45 digital piano is perfectly suited for the beginner/intermediate pianist looking for a digital piano with fully weighted keys, and who have a budget constraint.

It’s a great piano for learning and practicing.

Pros & Cons

• PROS: Value for money. Fully weighted keys. Can be your first proper digital piano. 
• CONS: Limited features – Very few tones/presets, no recording function, no line output, no split mode (but remember it’s priced also cheaper)

Yamaha P45: Review

There are lots of electronic keyboards out there but if you seriously want to learn to play the piano and want to appear for piano exams, you should get a nice 88 key piano with fully weighted keys.

The Yamaha P-45 meets these bare minimum qualities, and also sounds great. It’s a fantastic keyboard with piano-like action, available for a reasonable price, and perfect for those who want to learn to play the piano but are not in a position to spend a grand on a digital piano.

The Yamaha P-45 is the entry-level digital piano in the popular p-series from Yamaha. The P-series has some excellent stage pianos.

The P-45 has hammer-action mechanism, comes with built-in speakers, and is lightweight. You can use it for practicing at home or for performing on-stage.

If you’re looking for an affordable stage piano from Yamaha, the P-45 digital piano is the one to consider.

Priced under $500, you get a piano that offers a real acoustic grand piano sound along with Graded Hammer Standard keybed, yet it’s lightweight and compact. 

Compact & Simplistic Design
The P-45 looks very compact, its hardly deeper than the actual keyboard. And although, most of it is made of plastic (to keep the costs low), the piano still looks nice overall.

Although the main settings/buttons are located on the case above the keyboard, not all functions are available through buttons. To make selections – other sounds or settings – just hold down a key and press a piano key.

With simple one-button operation & layout, you can access the major functions on the P-45 using minimum keys. You may use an optional MIDI interface to connect to a computer or iPad for use with a variety of music Apps, or for creating music.

Fully Weighted Graded Hammer Standard keys
The yamaha P45 features GHS weighted action that is heavier in the low end and lighter in the high end, just like an acoustic piano; it feels like a real piano.

This being an entry level piano, the keys are not made of wood with ivory coating (available on the more expensive models), but the keys replicate the feel of a grand piano quite well.

Play this piano and you would know why yamaha pianos are known for their best-feeling keys on the market. Its perfect to get started with learning to play the piano.

 

 

 

Great Sounds, Built-in Speakers
You get realistic & rich grand piano sounds and a powerful built-in speaker system. This piano sounds great when used with top quality external amps/speakers, though the built-in speakers can be convenient at times.

Besides great keyboard action and piano sounds, this digital piano has a basic set of features, that makes it ideal for the needs of the beginner piano student.

The built-in speakers sit on the underside of the piano and also directs the sound downwards. The sound is thus somewhat indirect, but also leads to a pleasant spatial sound. The speakers sound loud enough for playing in small rooms.

Suitable for Gigs
The compact, lightweight & contemporary design of this board makes it suitable for gigging as well (although its not a pro keyboard). The design is intuitive and its easy to access all the features. You can use half-pedaling on the P-45 stage piano (with the optional Yamaha pedal). A sustain foot-switch and a music rest is included.

Yamaha P45: Video Review / Demo

 

 

Here’s video review of the P45 piano:

Read more user reviews of Yamaha P45 on Amazon

 

Accessories for Yamaha P45

In addition to the power supply, you get the music desk (its thin and break-resistant).

You also get a sustain pedal along with the piano, but it’s a box-style pedal. Though its good for beginners, it’s not one of the best models as it moves around a lot and doesn’t stay in place. The better ones are designed to look like a piano style pedal, are heavier and support half-pedaling.

For those, who wish to make the piano look more elegant can opt for Yamaha’s wooden stand L-85 (available separately), on which the P-45 can be placed.

Great Beginner Piano

If you want to seriously pursue learning the piano, you need a quality instrument with a good keyboard feel, and the Yamaha P45 offers that for a reasonable price. Its the entry-level piano in the popular P series pianos from Yamaha.

If you want a piano with proper weighted action and nice-sounding pianos, then do consider this model.

Once you start practicing on this piano, you should be able to play on most acoustic pianos.

Competition Check

Yamaha P45 vs Yamaha P71
There’s no difference between the two. It’s just that Yamaha P71 is sold exclusively on Amazon. You will find different packaged bundles with the Yamaha P45.

Yamaha P45 vs Yamaha P-125
Yamaha P-125 is the next higher model in the P series. Its expensive, comes with better speakers, the keys are of matte finish and has several options in the touch settings.

P-125 has more polyphony, more voices, has bigger/better speakers, and can use 3 pedals (P45 can use only 1).

Yamaha P45 Vs Casio PX-160
Casio PX-160 is another option that you may consider. Not much of a difference between the two (Yamaha P45 is cheaper though). Both sound great, the Casio piano sounds a bit brighter (the Yamaha is warmer). The P45 and P125 have the same graded hammer standard (GHS) key action, which is quieter and a bit more firm than the action on Casio PX-160 (which also has weighted keys).

So what other options can you consider, besides the Yamaha P-45?

• You can consider the Casio PX-160, part of the Privia Series of digital pianos.
• Yamaha YPG 535 88-Key Keyboard
• You may also opt for the Yamaha p155, the next higher model in the Yamaha P series

Yamaha P45: Features / Technical Specs

Here are the main features of Here are the key features of the Yamaha P45B Digital Piano:

• 88-key Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) weighted keybed
• Has 64-note polyphony
• Matte finish, less slippery keys
• Has AVM sampling (Advanced Wave Memory) that uses digital technology to record the sound of an acoustic piano
• Deeper richer, spacious sound created due to AVM sampling
• Multiple settings can be changed with one single button
• Has 10 voices, 88 weighted keys and other features.
• One touch button to select Grand Piano sound
• Has Keyboard split and layer (dual) mode to combine two voices such as piano and strings etc.

   

   

  
  In & Outs, and Buttons on Yamaha P45.

   

• Connect the P45B with its USB port to connect it to your laptop, tablet or smart phone.
• Reasonably priced and affordable, Compact and lightweight
• Built-in stereo speakers with powerful amplifiers
• Sustain footswitch pedal included, Detachable music rest included
• Headphone output, No audio inputs
• USB Midi
• The P-45 is only available in black finish.
• Dimensions: 58.2 x 16.1 x 11.8 inches, Weight: 35.4 pound

 

 

Yamaha P45: Buying Links & Pricing

The Yamaha P-45 is an entry-level stage piano available in a sleek & portable design, with authentic piano sound and a graded, weighted hammer-action keybed, perfect for the beginner student of piano. If you have a child who is off to college, this could be a great piano to carry along. In a time when traditional pianos are expensive and cumbersome to use, the Yamaha P45 is a good substitute for it. The Yamaha P-45 is a good beginner piano with good piano sounds and good action, and most users need just that.

Buying Links

• Buy on Amazon | Buy on zZounds

Useful Accessories

• Yamaha L-85 wooden stand
• Yamaha FC3A Piano Style Sustain Foot Pedal with Half-Pedaling