As another addition to the popular P series, the Yamaha P85 digital stage piano is a solid contender for those who are in the market for a great yet affordable digital piano. This review will help you a lot in uncovering everything you need to know about the P85 together with its pros and cons and my final rating.

Despite its luxurious 88 key keyboard, the first thing you’ll notice is that the P85 piano comes in a compact body and a full-sized GHS (Graded Hammer Standard) keyboard. It also has a total of 10 built-in high quality voices (grand piano, organ, some superb electric piano sounds and more) together with 64 note polyphony and a speaker system which is quite an improvement from the previous models of the P series.

Visually, the P85 also has its controls strategically laid out to allow you to operate the piano with just a single touch.

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The Good:

From the outset, you’ll be impressed by the classic Yamaha grand piano sound. Real Yamaha concert grand pianos have been sampled in Advanced Wave Memory stereo which makes the P85 sound every more lifelike and authentic — check out the sound with headphones and you’ll really notice this. The action is pretty standard with Yamaha digital pianos, it’s a bit heavy at first but you’ll be used to it in a few days as your fingers and wrist develop more strength.

Tip marks to Yamaha here for the P85′s lighter (very portable coming in at only 25 pounds) and compact design.

With just a single touch of a button, you can record and play your performances — which makes the P85 an awesome beginner friendly digital stage piano. You can also play on top of your recorded performances by layering sounds — this is a very cool and fun feature!

It’s also worth mentioning that the Yamaha P85 has a library of 50 classic piano songs built in that you can play at the touch of a button. It’s like having a classical pianist at your fingertips.

The Bad:

The sound may not be comparable to the richness offered by a real acoustic grand piano which can be quite of disappointment to those who are looking for digital pianos that sound and feel like a real acoustic grand piano but when you consider that it can be found selling for under $500 you really can’t go wrong here.

Some people have complained that the speakers could be a bit more powerful. When I auditioned the P85 at my local music store the power of the speakers seemed fine.

I found the absence of a display might add a bit of confusion when adjusting the metronome if you are playing in a darkened room. This can be a bit of a hassle if you need to constantly adjust the metronome as it can be quite tricky to find the controls but eventually you’ll memorize the location.

This Piano is Perfect For:

Beginner piano students as it has a great piano sound, built-in metronome and solid piano action that will keep your fingers in shape when you play at your piano teacher’s studio
Semi-pro gigging musician who needs a professional piano for touring or playing in the church — not to mention how portable it is for touring
People who live in apartments and small rooms due to its compact design

My Verdict:

The Yamaha P85 digital stage piano is a good choice for both beginners and professionals alike. The rich and authentic Yamaha grand piano sound combined with its lightweight and compact design make it a worthy candidate when searching for a good yet affordable piano keyboard. The bottom line: the P85 is a very satisfying and playable semi-pro digital stage piano you can rely on for years to come.

Make sure you check out the matching stand and damper pedals. Both of these Yamaha accessories are a great way to enhance your piano and protect your investment.

-Chris Braun

If you want to buy this digital piano Amazon has it on sale right now

A P85 Owner’s Review:

By Martin Doege

The Yamaha P-85 is well-designed digital piano with the full 88 keys at a price point that is hard to beat. 10 different voices are included, which can also be layered in many different ways (e.g., octave-shifted). The grand piano voices and the first electric organ are in stereo (and there are two stereo headphone jacks at the front of the device) and sound absolutely amazing…

All in all, the Yamaha P-85 looks and sounds great, is a joy to play, and has all the basics for piano playing covered, as well as some advanced features like voice layering. The quality, convenience (headphone jacks, easy recordings), and price of the P-85 make it pretty hard to fathom why anyone would bother with the hassle of a real grand or upright piano anymore. But I suppose the flower vase has to go somewhere…

Review paraphrased for size – view original review here

(Note: here’s a really exceptional video I found on You Tube where the guy demonstrates all of the features of the Yamaha P85. -Chris)