Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 30
 Excellent August 23, 2010
J. P. Barrington (UK)
No whistles and bells - an excellent full-sized keyboard with great action on the keys without any distraction of pre-programmed stuff. Buy it - you won't be disappointed.
Brilliant kit - but buy it for what it is, not for what it isn't., August 9, 2010
Stonedwolf (Scotland)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
It depresses me to see people criticize this keyboard because of what it is not, rather than review it for what it is. People are moaning that it does not have weighted keys. That's true. But it doesn't claim to have them either, or the cost or weight of them.
This keyboard is HALF the price and HALF the weight of the weighted rival the P85. This keyboard is 5.5 kilos. It's unbelievably light! Carry under your arm light, carry on public transport light, carry to a festival camp-fire light. The P85 (and P70 before it) weigh 13 kilos, more than twice the weight. It goes from being gossamer-light to being something you have to start considering the weight of a bit more.
This piano has soft graded-touch keys, 76 of them. This means the bass keys have a bit more resistance. It's not acoustic or weighted, but it's leagues over other MIDI controllers. And it's LIGHT. I've said this but it is stupidly light. This makes it idea for the keyboardist on the move. I can jam round a camp-fire at a festival, giving the guitar guys some back-up. I can bring it to a gig or to practice without a truck. I can take it to the park. (It runs on 6 x AA batteries).
For "campfire/park" work the built-in speakers are fine. Enough to give the acoustic guitars a bit of support. They're fine for practice. For stage work you want amplification, that comes through a headphone jack.
There are only 10 voices. There are two pianos, and they sound fantastic. Yamaha must be proud of them each. There are two electric pianos (my favourite), again beautiful, perfect for Jazz, Funk, Soul, and the like. The vibraphone is sublime, and the strings are functional. Now to the disappointment, there are two organs, but very much in the classic/Baroque sense rather than rock/jazz/pop organ. The two harpsichords add to that. Don't get me wrong, they sound really great, but more for the classic pianist than the gypsy funkster. There is also some modest reverb options. I would have liked a Rock/Pop/Jazz organ preset or two, and I would have liked an electrified clavichord too (i.e. a Clavinet).
The voices can be layered, and the level varies. You can't split the keyboard between two instruments, but rather have two voices play each time you hit a key. Mostly this is for adding strings to the background of a foreground instrument (e.g. the piano) but also adding vibraphone in the background, especially to the Electric Pianos, sounds great.
There are MIDI in/out ports, so on stage I use a laptop and VST-hosting software to emulate Hammond Organ, a huge range of Electric Pianos, and other instruments. I also split the keyboard, again using software. I know of a lot of instrumentalists who slave-MIDI this keyboard to a high-end synths with fewer keys in order to have a larger range of octaves. It also takes a sustain pedal, get the FC3, whichs is a "half-damper" rather than on/off. It makes all the difference. It's not cheap, but it's so worth it. All the difference in the world.
I love my NP30. It is portable, lightweight, sounds great, and comes at a great price. It's suitable for a MIDI musician on the move, or wanting to expand a hard-synth. It's also a great child / young-person teaching piano if you don't want to invest in a much more expensive model just yet.
 Great for the price June 16, 2010
Tj Pollard (London, UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this for my girlfriend, who has just started learning to play the piano. I did some research beforehand (online and in the shops) and didn't find anything comparable on the market for this price.
The piano is solid yet light enough to move it around when necessary, and the sound is good. I'm told that the keys are 'semi-weighted' rather than 'full-weighted', but this still seems to give a good level of key control/responsiveness.
Overall a nicely-priced piano that is definitely worth considering for someone who wants something simple for learning and practising.
Good idea March 19, 2010
P. Languerand (UK)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I'm a mother of a 19 mths old baby and wanted to take up playing the piano. This digital piano allows me to pursue my interst using headphones while the baby sleeps. I can practice without disturbing my husband as I am a total beginner. I have lessons on an upright piano and find my digital just as enjoyable at home. I reccommend buying the Yamaha 30.
Could not believe how good this is ! December 4, 2009
Mr. Philip G. A. Baldwin (Portishead, Bristol UK)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Yamaha are on to a real winner here. Have been playing piano organ and keyboards for 50 years, and have at last found something wonderfully portable, superb sounding and unbelievably cheap. Crank up the reverb to max, close your eyes and you would think it was a full size grand.The keys are as close as you could get to true piano feel and I can see these appearing in flats, student halls of residence, church and hall community halls in their thousands and dare i say it, Glastonbury!
Yes, it really is that portable. If anything the adaptor is heavier than the keyboard !. Astonishing that this retails for the cost of about 3 tunings for my acoustic piano. It must be the model T Ford of today, and music for the masses. Steinway had better look to their laurels !
Showing reviews 1-5 of 30
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