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Older Roland and Yamaha / CP5 for Christmas


LX88

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Haven't posted in a while.

 

I have had my eye on either a Yamaha CP5 or CP4 for quite some time. Price has been a factor and I do like to buy behind the price point curve. As we know a new digital piano can cost a pretty penny.

 

So .... something finally came along. A never gigged Yamaha CP5 with Gator case at a no brainer price.

 

So this gets me somewhere in the ballpark of what is happening with the current Yamahas. This thing did not come with a manual, so as we know Yamahas can be somewhat hard to navigate regarding changing parameters.

 

The first thing I discovered that actually helped was a parameter called " Rel" which I am assuming means release of some sort. There seemed to be a springy sound in the lower register that I am not used to from older Rolands and Yamahas that I have had. This " Rel" setting to me made the piano sample seem more natural - as if there was a more friendly sustain of the lower register tone. It also affected the upper octave as well, as if the piano had the quirk of being mechanically more forgiving .

 

The thing about hearing the CP5 is that it also makes me realize that the older Yamaha sample( I have a P-140 with speakers ) holds up well after time. And as we are seeing, there are many Craiglist bargains on instruments from the previous decade.

 

Another thing. Having this makes me realize how much I still like my Roland RD300 GX. What makes that older " Superior Grand " sample still pleasing to me is that the tones don't strive to duplicate the idiosyncracies of acoustic pianos in way that come out sounding un natural. The tones are rather pure and don't try to be something that cannot actually be achieved.

 

I am curious if any of you have comments about older digital pianos - Roland Yamaha or whatever. There seems to be so much focus on newer gear on this forum. What about the older stuff?

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I have always liked Roland acoustic pianos. They have always had a nice keyboard feel/sound connection to me. Others may disagree. I still play a RD700nx at my church and really feel connected to its sound. The only thing I don"t like is that it only transmits 4 midi channels. I try to control my Kurzweil PC361 with it and only have limited control.

Kurzweil Forte 7, Mojo 61, Yamaha P-125,

Kronos X61, Nautilus 73

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I had a CP50, from 2011 to 2014. The user interface was quirky; no lack of learning curve. I thought the core piano sample was solid, and the derived Voices were highly playable.

I think Yamaha took an odd turn with the CP interface design in 2009, and has been finding their way back from that since.

 

I get your affinity for the Roland Superior Grand and older Yamaha piano samples /Voices. Though I do make use of the current CFX and Bosendorfer pianos in my MODX 8, there are also older pianos and other Voices/Performances I've pulled forward from condensing several Yamaha pieces. There is a lot to be said for straight-ahead tones that avoid detailed duplication of acoustic piano idiosyncracies. I still use Yamaha's Natural Grand-based Voices a lot. They have a no-nonsense presence in a live mix.

 

Regarding 'older stuff', I don't have any 'old' digital pianos any longer. The closest to that is a Roland FP-50 that's in the teaching studio I work from; but that's based on SuperNatural technology, which is still current for Roland pianos. Still have a few old modules though: a Yamaha TX-1P original AWM piano 1U piece, a Roland XV-5080, and an Alesis QSR module. The TX-1P still holds the test of time respectably. I used the XV-5080 as my stage piano module from 1999 to around 2003.

'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo.

 

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I just can't do two grand or whatever the CP88 costs. Probably more than that.

 

Plus.... I am finding that certain Yamahas, Rolands or whatever have their own niche. As I stated above there are some thing about older boards that to me rival the newer ones.

 

I got a Yamaha P140 for 150 dollars and I really like it. I really like the lower register on the P140. I have heard samples on some newer Yamaha that try to increase the string resonance in the lower register and I am not wild about it.

 

I also really like the Rolands with the Superior Grand sample. Once again, they didn't get carried away with the string resonance issue.

 

I like a little bit of upper register harmonics but I often try to dial them back if they sound artificial. The same goes for electric pianos. Most of the time they bark to quickly. I have to find the touch sensitivity settings and dial them back.

 

One more thing for Roland. I do find that many Yamaha do not have a user friendly interface. I have had Yamahas ( such as Motif) that I never fully understood. This also the case with the CP5. It is actually fairly hard to understand the manual to even get from sound to sound.

 

 

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I played a CP5 for many years, and found it quite enjoyable. Loved the Yammie action. I just used the stock sounds and never really got deep into the menus. The beast proved to be too heavy for me, and caused me to wrench my back at one gig.

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It's interesting how much these instruments depreciate within a span of 5 to 7 years, when the CP5 was still considered to be a " new" item.

 

I would tend to disagree with Dave that the CP5 is uninspiring - at least to me.As with any board, there is a learning curve as how to best dial it in, what speakers or phones to use etc. etc. Sometimes this learning curve process goes on for years!

 

So I wish I had known Dave's CP5 was going for next to nothing. That might have paid for gas down to L.A. and I might have made it to the NAMM show etc.

 

I did A/B the CP5 with a CP4 before I bought this CP5 actually. I like the CFX sample but I have some issues with even that so I thought.... well this are DIGITAL instruments after all, and there are going to be issues with them at any level.

 

I haven't looked at the price of a CP88 recently but I remember thinking that it wasn't exactly free of scrutiny.

 

Another thing. My economic situation is not exactly pretty right now. But I did want an instrument that might approach being inspiring. Right low I am working on a teaching method that analyses popular music styles of primarily 60's and 70's music. Most of this comes from the time that I was teaching a high school music class and was using songs that the students requested that we could study. This was in lieu of doing traditional music theory courses ala Walter Piston etc. So I am currently involved in documenting all of this.

 

But yes , my days of being a gigging musician and a school teacher are behind me so I am on LIMITED retirement income at this point. But to me, a used CP5 gives a lot of bang for the buck - particularly when some people are practically giving them away.

 

But the depreciation curve.... that tends to happen with just about any digital pianos..

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By the way

 

The CP4 was released at NAMM in 2015.

 

That means the CP5 was technically a new board until 2015.

 

So, in 5 years time it has depreciated significantly.

 

I hesitate to say what I actually paid for it, with a Gator case.To me it was a no brainer

 

BTW I like the Rhodes better than the Montage.And yes, this CF sample is working fine for me, plus wooden keys.

 

May use it as a controller for Ravenscroft or something similar. It's not for gigging. I wanted that wooden key action.

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I kept my CP50, what Allan said above about the board is correct...solid AP/EP patches and sound, very good B&B sounds...CP4 action of course is better but I can live with it's heavier action. Sonically it's still hold it's own for live work... the interface was not a problem for me for some reason but I believe I am in the minority in that regard.

 CP-50, YC 73,  FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122

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Really starting to dig this CP5.....

 

Once again, it's coming down to headphone selection . it was an oddball set of Koss phones that is making me see the light.

 

Audio Technica MX 50 and AKG 240's did not cut it. Another board that is fussy with phones.

 

Love the wooden keys

 

Loving the 75 Rhodes too.

 

Older Yamahas have their merits. CP5 and P 140 with speakers and subwoofer for now.

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