Yamaha CP-33 Keybed

[dalpozlead]

for CP-33/CP-300 owners.. do you think this board have a heavy keybed?

[Stokely]

Not an owner, and barely remember playing one...but my impression is that it is quite heavy. I read a long article (one guy's opinion to be sure) about downweight and one other measurement for actions, and in his opinion the GH "medium level" yamaha actions on all the stage line and some of the home line are all too heavy compared to the typical/ideal grand weight (again, his opinion!)...the cheap GHS and the more expensive avantgarde ones are ok.

 

Again, what really matters is how you like it.

 

For example, I personally have issues with most of the Roland actions, that guy from the article thinks they are spot-on and basically what he thinks a piano action should be.

[dalpozlead]

yeap, I think its too heavy, but can't afford another controller (and frankly it seats perfectly in my new designed desk).

 

So I'm trying to think about ways to change this, and make it lighter...

[Mjazz]

for CP-33/CP-300 owners.. do you think this board have a heavy keybed?

Former CP33 owner here ... definitely heavy, I thought.

[Al Quinn]

Another former CP33 owner here. Yes, heavy. CP4 is so much better.

[Dave Ferris]

That thing was a clunker X 10. They said it was the same action as the P120 which I used for 10 years. But I remember it playing nowhere as easy as the P120. It sounded harsher too. I was using the EV SXA-360s at that time.

 

The CP5 came out after the CP33, and that was light years better and now the CP4 is another improvement on that.

[Pa Gherkin]

Yup. When the CP-33 was a hot ticket I tried one after seeing some positive comments on this forum. Also used one in a backline provided situation. It made for a pretty long feeling 40 minute set. Was shocked at how heavy the action was. Sounded ok but the heaviness of the action was a dealbreaker for me.

[dalpozlead]

we'll guess I've messed up with this purchase 8 years ago LOL

[Legatoboy]

Yeah, heavy .... I broke a key once on my 2nd one, sold it, re-bought it. Never broke a key on any other DP. That's it in my Icon photo with an old Nord Electro Rack on top, can just see a hair of red.

 

Playing organ on it was something, no smears or anything. For smaller gigs w/o a 2nd board.

[guzman]

I'll pile on. It's now a backup to my backup if that tells you anything. Very heavy action - quick passages were always challenging. I did like the bass patches though.

[gg22]

Do P155 and CP33 have the same GH action? (I think they are even from the same production year).

If so, I don't find my Yamaha P155 action heavy at all.

[cphollis]

It was my first gigging keyboard. A massive, heavy beast. Heavy, stiff action. I had no complaints at the time. I was just happy to be playing on stage with a decent board.

 

But, boy, did my hand strength improve after playing it for a while. Everything else felt like a toy afterwards.

 

Sort of like going to the gym. I could sit down at a traditional grand and rip things up.

[rickp]

I havent been able to convince myself to part with mine, theres something about it that makes me smile. I think it has the heaviest action of all the keyboards I own, and has a harder bottom landing of the keys than most keyboards, which can make the keys seem stiffer than they actually are.

 

I use it several times a month as a practice keyboard for several reasons. As Chuck said, it sure builds/maintains hand strength. It feels very similar to the grand pianos in three of the churches Im invited to play a few times each year. And whatever I practice hard or uptempo on the 33 will feel like a breeze to play on my 4 and most everything else I might encounter. And for the occasional blues or Southern Rock jam or reunion gig, its still a blast to use live.

[dalpozlead]

any DIY actions to make it smoother? or I'll open a can of worms if start thinking to execute such thing?

[Mighty Motif Max]

Hello,

 

Ive done some hunting around on google and it looks like the CP33 action is the same as the CLP-130, which I have. If that is the case, I dont find the action to be too heavy at all. It bottom out hard but other than that its quite nice. I like it better than the GH3 on my higher end Clavinova from around the same era (two year later release date). Very smooth key tops however, so you can slip a little if youre not careful.

 

 

Heres an older thread I dug up: https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2350606/Can_Someone_Here_Compare_The_Y

[LX88]

I agree with Dave Ferris. I picked up a P120 and a CP33 a couple years ago and A/B'ed them, and the P120 won. I still have it and still use it.

 

To me, the P 120 and the CP33 sound quite a bit like the MOXF which I also had for awhile. Most of the Yamaha samples sound similar to me until the CP5 and later the CP4 came out , and then the Montage and whatever this latest offshoot is called.

 

The only thing I do not like is a certain plunkiness in the midrange of these earlier Yamahas, right up through the last of the Motif, MOXF, MO8's or whatever. They can still get you through some practice sessions, but are hard to gig with because they are hard to amplify.

 

That being said I am often surprised on how good my P120 still sounds when I add a common 10'' woofer based home subwoofer.

 

The P120 has slightly better action than the CP33 did, but it is well broken in I think.