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Yamaha YC61 Announced


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So does that mean the YC61 key width is the same as the MODX7/MX61?..

Certainly looks like it..... I would have been surprised if it has full size Yamaha 'piano' keys -- and, as I say, using Yamaha's own photos the keys certainly seem to measure out at 160mm (159mm) per octave, and not 164mm.

 

 

Yamaha - YC61 - P105 - MOX6 - HC2 -- Neo Vent 2
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Well that's a damn shame then... Was looking forward to grabbing one. If Yamaha wanted to replicated an organ as close as possible, you'd think they'd at the very least match key size as well. On the bright side, hearing this made me look into some other options and it looks like a Crumar Mojo 61 paired with an iPad can do what the YC61 can do (and sound better in my opinion) at basically the same price. The added weight and lack of internal audio interface is kind of a bummer though.
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On the bright side, hearing this made me look into some other options and it looks like a Crumar Mojo 61 paired with an iPad can do what the YC61 can do (and sound better in my opinion) at basically the same price.

 

The YC61 may beat out the Mojo for cut-ability. Judging from comments I have read here and elsewhere, the Mojo's (and VB3's) Achilles Heel may be that it can tend to get buried, lost in a dense mix etc. I've had Nord, Ham-Suz and now an HX3 module and never a problem with that (also got a Mojo classic a couple of months ago, for playing at home, have not yet gigged with it). Anyway, for most of us that's an important consideration, I would think.

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Well that's a damn shame then... Was looking forward to grabbing one. If Yamaha wanted to replicated an organ as close as possible, you'd think they'd at the very least match key size as well. On the bright side, hearing this made me look into some other options and it looks like a Crumar Mojo 61 paired with an iPad can do what the YC61 can do (and sound better in my opinion) at basically the same price. The added weight and lack of internal audio interface is kind of a bummer though.

 

You'd think so - however, it's not surprising, as this has been their practice with synth actions for many generations of instruments.

Does anyone have inside information on the logic behind the decision?

Could it really be much of a cost savings in manufacturing?

4mm for each of 61 keys - that's 244mm or 9.6 inches.

Yeah, I guess shaving 9 and a half inches shaved off of the case and keys makes it a smaller, lighter, cheaper instrument.

Why else do it?

 

How does it affect, play? Probably not much - we see people play great things on mini keys like the reface YC.

But if you don't care for it - perfectly understandable to pass on the YC61, Montage, MODX, etc.

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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From what I've heard in Mojo demos on youtube and such, to me it sounds like the closest replica a gospel B3 organ. With that said, if a normal church B3 can cut through a mix decently well, I would think that the Mojo could do the same. But even if this isn't the case, and cutting through a mix was a major problem, I'm thinking controlling the Hammond B-3X app through an iPad could remedy this. But I doubt it would get that severe though. (And in all honesty I think I'd be playing the rhodes patch slightly more than the organ patch on gigs anyway...)
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Yeah, I really don't know what Yamaha is thinking with this. It has to be cost, but is it worth it? They lost me with this decision, that's for sure. If you had to pick between thinner synth keys vs regular organ key width, I feel like the choice would be rather obvious for the vast majority of players...I can't see anyone picking the thin keys given the choice. The inch of overall instrument length and 1 or 2 pounds of weight saved by having thinner keys is basically moot (especially more so when you remember that you are saving about 400 lbs on a regular organ).
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From what I've heard in Mojo demos on youtube and such, to me it sounds like the closest replica a gospel B3 organ. With that said, if a normal church B3 can cut through a mix decently well, I would think that the Mojo could do the same. But even if this isn't the case, and cutting through a mix was a major problem, I'm thinking controlling the Hammond B-3X app through an iPad could remedy this. But I doubt it would get that severe though. (And in all honesty I think I'd be playing the rhodes patch slightly more than the organ patch on gigs anyway...)

 

 

Just an FYI I had a lot of problems with a Mojo cutting through the mix front of house.

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yea , i have to agree , the mojo sounded great through phones , but on stage , even through a 3300 , it had no guts in a full band setting , the hx3 in an UHL organ has no such problems , the legend organ had problem either . i have to ad , the mojo sounds fantastic through a 3300 but as soon as the band cranks up the bottom end is mostly gone . not sure why that is , but it is , so i cant use it .
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Elmer,I think they're talking about 4mm per octave not per key. A 5 octave keyboard downsized by over 9 inches would be wildly excessive. Still,Yamaha should use standard sized keys on this thing.

 

This. When I"ve had Yamaha unweighted keyboards in the past it was just under an inch for 5 octaves. Still silly...but not THAT silly.

 

Yamaha CK88, Arturia Keylab 61 MkII, Moog Sub 37, Yamaha U1 Upright, Casio CT-S500, Mac Logic/Mainstage, iPad Camelot, Spacestation V.3, QSC K10.2, JBL EON One Compact

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Elmer,I think they're talking about 4mm per octave not per key. A 5 octave keyboard downsized by over 9 inches would be wildly excessive. Still,Yamaha should use standard sized keys on this thing.

 

This. When I"ve had Yamaha unweighted keyboards in the past it was just under an inch for 5 octaves. Still silly...but not THAT silly.

 

Thanks for that. I haven"t owned a Yamaha unweighted action. But I have played the DX7, SY99, EX5, and Montage often enough and have to say Yamaha has made really nice feeling semi weight synth action over the years - but only on their top tier models. I"ve never noticed the 4mm per octave shaving until I learned about it a few years ago on this forum. Personally, it"s not a deal breaker for me - but that doesn"t mean I don"t wonder why the heck they do it.

 

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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Still,Yamaha should use standard sized keys on this thing.

 

Bad Mister @ YamahaSynth: â The new YC61 has neither a piano action, nor does it have an action like the MX61.

Also, contrary to Internet conspiracies, there is no 'standard piano key width".'

 

ð

Yamaha C3 | CP4 | CK88 | P-121 | Sauter 108 Studio | Schimmel 112 |

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Still,Yamaha should use standard sized keys on this thing.

 

Bad Mister @ YamahaSynth: â The new YC61 has neither a piano action, nor does it have an action like the MX61.

Also, contrary to Internet conspiracies, there is no 'standard piano key width".'

 

ð

 

That particular person is very knowledgeable about Yamaha keys and will generally defend Yamaha design decisions when they are questioned. I will concede that there isn"t a published standard that manufacturers can quote and say 'we are compliant'. And there is some variation. I just measured 5 of my keyboards and there was about 1/16' per octave variation across all of them. When I had my MOXF, it was around 3/16 ' per octave shorter than my other keyboards. It didn"t tend to bother me if I was playing just that keyboard; I seemed to adjust subconsciously. But it did bother me slightly if I was playing with one hand on another keyboard and one on the Yamaha. Not a huge deal, but I don"t understand why they want to deviate arbitrarily that far from the 'norm'. It can only cost them sales...I don"t see them touting it as a feature. Oh well, there are plenty of choices out there.

 

Yamaha CK88, Arturia Keylab 61 MkII, Moog Sub 37, Yamaha U1 Upright, Casio CT-S500, Mac Logic/Mainstage, iPad Camelot, Spacestation V.3, QSC K10.2, JBL EON One Compact

www.stickmanor.com

There's a thin white line between fear and fury - Stickman

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Bad Mister @ YamahaSynth: â The new YC61 has neither a piano action, nor does it have an action like the MX61.

Also, contrary to Internet conspiracies, there is no 'standard piano key width".'

 

ð

 

Maybe I missed it but I don't think anyone here stated that the YC61 had a piano action. Internet conspiricies notwithstang,while there is no strict piano key width,there are acceptable tolerances outside of which some might find playing a little awkward. I don't mind a few mm either way but some folks have stated it could be a deal breaker. For instance,my Roland A70 has narrower black keys than most and I can play it fine. A few guys who have sat in on it have bellyached like mad about it. Also,I think since theYC is being touted as organ centric it might have been smart to make the keys the same width as those on a Hammond console. For all I know maybe they did. Really want to try the YC. Do I need it? No. Will I want it? Can't say until I get my hands on it. Right now it's all baloon juice.

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Bad Mister @ YamahaSynth: â The new YC61 has neither a piano action, nor does it have an action like the MX61.

Also, contrary to Internet conspiracies, there is no 'standard piano key width".'

 

ð

 

Maybe I missed it but I don't think anyone here stated that the YC61 had a piano action. Internet conspiricies notwithstang,while there is no strict piano key width,there are acceptable tolerances outside of which some might find playing a little awkward. I don't mind a few mm either way but some folks have stated it could be a deal breaker. For instance,my Roland A70 has narrower black keys than most and I can play it fine. A few guys who have sat in on it have bellyached like mad about it. Also,I think since theYC is being touted as organ centric it might have been smart to make the keys the same width as those on a Hammond console. For all I know maybe they did. Really want to try the YC. Do I need it? No. Will I want it? Can't say until I get my hands on it. Right now it's all baloon juice.

 

 

I may have mentioned this already, but I played the YC at NAMM, and went right from the Marriott over to the convention center into the keyboard section to where Hammond was set up. I played the XK-5 within about 10 minutes of playing the YC. I remember thinking that the keys felt very similar to me, especially the light action (which I care about a lot as a NE owner, which still seems too stiff to me) and the shape of the keys. Hardly scientific, but that was my impression..

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Zxc ,that's encouraging to hear. Thanks for sharing your impressions. I have high albeit guarded hopes for the YC. It could make my rig lighter and simpler which would be great as long as I don't have to sacrifice sound and playability. I'm with you on the Nord stiffly sprung action. Had it for a while and ended up bailing out on it.
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I prove the YC, and this is a great waterfall keybed,very pleasant to play.

Nothing similar to a Modx, a piano action or another thing.

Just a great organ waterfall keybed.

 

Eps and piano are from some off the CP séries, but not all (i have a CP88), and feel great to play on this keybed.

Nord stage 2 EX88,Nord electro 5D,roland RD800,Roland FA08,Korg kingkorg,Korg PA4x,Yamaha PSR s970

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I think Yamaha can be trusted to deliver a top class action, especially on such a premium board.

And it definitely should deliver, because it entered a really stiff field: the direct competitors (Electro 6 61, SK1, Mojo 61, Vox Continental 61) are all at least 400 cheaper, with the Vox a ridiculous 1000+ cheaper.

And they are all excellent boards, each in its own way.

 

Of course the Yamaha brand and quality will automatically win lots of customers, but still the bar is set pretty high

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the direct competitors (Electro 6 61, SK1, Mojo 61, Vox Continental 61) are all at least 400 cheaper

In the U.S., the Nord is hundreds more than the Yamaha.

 

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the direct competitors (Electro 6 61, SK1, Mojo 61, Vox Continental 61) are all at least 400 cheaper

In the U.S., the Nord is hundreds more than the Yamaha.

 

Really?!? Wow. EU (Thomann) prices are roughly, in euros

 

YC61: 2050

Electro 6: 1650

SK1: 1550

Mojo 61: 1350

Vox: 1000

 

If you throw in the VR-09 at 650 and the VR-730 at 1200, it's clear that the YC61 is going against a lot of decent-to-excellent competitors...all cheaper (many MUCH cheaper) than the Yammi

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Thomann UK lists the YC at 1699 Euros. Only the people who have played it are in a good position to say how it stacks up. Key action and finger-to-sound connection are such a big part of it for any keyboard, and the YC's action is totally new. That's definitely the big unknown for me. That alone is probably 20% of my buying decision for an organ clone that does other duties. C/V might not be best in class, but I'd be surprised if it was terrible, so I don't expect that will affect my buying decision much. Call it 5%. Let's say 10% for leslie sim. UI is probably 15%, and I can already see that it's 1-1 so big check in that box. That leaves 50% for how much I like the sounds. From what I've heard, they're likely good enough, but really need to get headphones on in a music store.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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the direct competitors (Electro 6 61, SK1, Mojo 61, Vox Continental 61) are all at least 400 cheaper

In the U.S., the Nord is hundreds more than the Yamaha.

 

Really?!? Wow. EU (Thomann) prices are roughly, in euros

 

YC61: 2050

Electro 6: 1650

SK1: 1550

Mojo 61: 1350

Vox: 1000

 

If you throw in the VR-09 at 650 and the VR-730 at 1200, it's clear that the YC61 is going against a lot of decent-to-excellent competitors...all cheaper (many MUCH cheaper) than the Yammi

 

In the US, SW prices:

$2,000 YC61: 2050

$2,200 Electro 6: 1650

$1,900 SK1: 1550

$1,499 Mojo 61: 1350

$1,700 Vox: 1000

 

The real eye popper is the Nord Stage 88

$4,500 NS3 88: 3,200 euro

 

Geesh, the Electro and Vox are way way cheaper in Europe, even accounting for $1.09 needed for 1 euro. For the longest time I thought it was the other way around, cheaper to buy most boards in the US, looks like I was mistaken.

 

I've contacted Thomann and MusicStore.de about importing new boards here. Turns out their deals with the manufacturers prevent most boards being sold from Europe. Thomann said they'd honor the warranty if one was sold, but you'd have to pay for shipping there to have it fixed. They also said you could enter an item in their cart, and if it was not possible for them to sell you one as a US customer, the cart would tell you. They also only charge $33 for shipping to the US.

 

 

Here's the response I got from Thomann:

 

"Unfortunately we are not able to ship Yamaha, Casio, Roland and quite a few other brands products to the US at the moment. We are prohibited by existing agreements between manufacturers and distributors from selling some items to certain territories. This is something over which we have no influence â nor can we predict when, or if, the situation will change.

 

I've just checked the data base and Kurzweil is currently available for shipping to the US. Furthermore, we can send our own brand (the Thomann keyboards) to the US, however, some of them require UPS shipping (higher shipping costs), due to the parcel length.

 

With regards to your other questions:

> - Our 3 year warranty is valid worldwide, however, in a warranty case you'd need to send the item back to us. We would of course cover the return/ shipping costs in a warranty case.

> - We ship VAT free outside of the EU, so your order will not include the German VAT.

 

Randy

 

Numa Piano X73 /// Kawai ES920 /// Casio CT-X5000 /// Yamaha EW425

Yamaha Melodica and Alto Recorder

QSC K8.2 // JBL Eon One Compact // Soundcore Motion Boom Plus 

Win10 laptop i7 8GB // iPad Pro 9.7" 32GB

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