YAMAHA NP-12 Piaggero - Slimline Home Keyboard for Hobbyists and Beginners, in Black

Product Information

Using the sustain pedal warms this sound up quite a bit, as the clinks of the bell tone are very short, and the lower tone is longer and catches with the sustain. For those looking for a full-sized stage piano with weighted keys, we highly recommend the Yamaha P-45. Of course, as you'd expect, you can layer two of these sounds together to create more complex voicings. You don’t get textured or synthetic ivory or ebony keytops, but that’s not a huge loss, and real pianos often use smooth keys too.

Yamaha’s acoustic technology furnishes the Piaggero’s powerful sound - a sound that belies its compact size, featuring resonant grand piano-style bass notes and beautifully detailed treble tones. Another difference worth mentioning is that the NP-11 only has a 32 voice polyphony, while the other two have 64. My second favorite choice would be Guitar Center, another giant in the music industry that you can trust. Regardless, there’s an argument to be made for building up finger strength and having these keys might be good for newcomers. I’m personally keener on the black color, though Yamaha is quite insistent on marketing the white variant.

The PSR-E353 has a few hundred voice and sound options, ranging from ones similar to that of the NP-12’s, all the way to drums, synthesizers, and sound effects. Each hit is initiated by a charming bell plink, followed by a warm muted tone that mellows out the first strikes. Its compact and lightweight nature clearly puts it squarely into the realm of an affordable home keyboard, whereas, the piano-sized keys and high-quality sounds make it a valuable option for the budding pianist. Headphones come in very handy when you want to practice in private, focusing solely on your playing and not disturbing others nearby.

It’s clean, minimalistic design proves that the manufacturer set out on a very specific mission with this keyboard: create a simple user interface that allows players to immediately sit down and start playing.

Yamaha have designed these compact Piaggero keyboards to offer the same sampled sound of their acoustic grand pianos. The NP12 uses a highly efficient stereo amplifier, generating a solid sound in this slim, light and compact digital piano. Since we’re looking at an affordable keyboard, I recommend getting an affordable, universal X- or Y-stand, such as the previously recommended RockJam Xfinity Double-X stand. There are only ten buttons on the face of the keyboard, whereas some other keyboards and synthesizers might intimidate the user with its vast array of buttons, knobs, sliders, and wheels.