We are digital piano & keyboard specialists, based in Banbury, Oxfordshire. Stay up to date with the latest news, reviews, tips, and offers by joining our FREE newsletter (unsubscribe at any time).
Up until October 2017, Yamaha hadn’t produced keyboards with touch screens.
Their flagship keyboards included the PSR7000, PSR8000, PSR9000, and then all of the Tyros models, which included a black version of the Tyros 4, made to stimulate sales before the Tyros 5 was launched.
The Tyros 4 Anniversary Edition didn’t actually have much more content than the standard silver Tyros 4, but it was in a new swish black finish and it had an expansion memory with a new expansion pack loaded in – which included a set of electric piano sounds.
> See the surprising extras that we upload into our second-hand Yamaha Genos keyboards <
> Don’t miss out on our HUGE Yamaha Genos clearance sale: See full details by clicking here.
Yamaha Genos was launched in 2017 in its smart black finish, and it blew everyone away with its sleek design, its large colour touchscreen, and its huge range of new styles and voices.
We still get the odd customer who is adamant that the Tyros 4 or Tyros 5 is unbeatable and that the newer models are no better than theirs – but we’ve sold more Yamaha Genos than any other flagship keyboard, over 1000 to date, so most players must appreciate all the improvements.
Most of the Genos buyers are moving up from smaller keyboards or older flagship models.
You don’t get the choice of 61 or 76 notes with the Genos – like you did with the Tyros 5, but you do have the option of the smaller 61-note SX900, which is like a mini Genos.
Many of its features are the same, but it has a not so gutsy sound and a smaller screen, ideal for the players who go out and entertain as the SX900 is much lighter, shorter, and easier to pack in a carry case in your boot.
So why do players love the Genos?
Its main panel is almost the same as most of its flagship predecessors.
It has all the intros, backing variations, break, endings, sync start and stop, registration buttons, one-touch settings, and part select section in almost exactly the same places as all the S series, SX series, and Tyros models.
So, finding your way around is easy – and the touchscreen makes finding setups, voices, and styles easy too.
How easy is the touchscreen to use?
If you’ve used an iPad or tablet, you’ll know that menus and choices are easy to find. All the styles and voices are in sections and, when selected, you can choose from pages of 10, just by touching your choice on the screen.
If you want to go back, there’s an arrow in the bottom right corner, or an X in the top right corner to get you to your previous screen.
What about saving your best settings?
It’s very easy to save registrations, user styles, or voices as you get the “file” button at the top of the page. You can simply select and save, then using the on-screen typewriter you can name your new file and save it where you want to find it next time.
Do you still get Music Finder?
Yamaha have replaced the Music Finder facility, but e-pianos still include Tyros 5’s “Music Finder” alongside the new “Playlist” feature. For those new to keyboards, Music Finder is a long list of songs which, when selected, gives you a great intro, 4 backings which really suit the song, and 4 suitable sounds for the song that can be easily selected.
Playlist is a much more thought-out section where you can put songs you like to play together into a “playlist” or set list.
So, for those who do like to play out, you can collate together your own list and save your own selections for perhaps the bowls club, the local pub, the women’s institute, Burns night, and the Christmas party all in different lists so you remember what you played last time you went.
> Did you know about our Genos Tipsters Information Guide? – We’re including it for FREE (digital version) with used Genos’ <
You can easily move the order around and each song is now made from a bank of up to 10 registration buttons in the registrations area.
So, when you do use the original Music Finder, each song uses one batch of 10 buttons. This means if you find a new setting, or a few new settings you like for one of the songs, you can easily add them to the bank in one of the spare buttons and save it for next time.
So, the registration feature is just the same as on S series and Tyros models, with the exception that instead of just using it for batches of settings in the same genre, it can now be used for individual song setups.
And the huge benefit is that all songs are listed by their Title in the bank name, so to recall the song, you can just select a magnifying glass icon at the top of the screen and type in part of the song’s title.
All songs with those words in their title will show on the screen and you can select one and use the registration with ease.
This selection process makes it very easy to collate your own playlist and prepare it for your next medley or concert.
Are the voices and styles better?
Absolutely, without a doubt, Yamaha’s voices and styles are improved every time new models are introduced by new sampling methods and better effects processing. Styles include many of the new voices and effects in them too – making them more realistic.
Yamaha are continuously striving for the best. Customers are always saying, “How can they improve on this?” and somehow Yamaha continue to improve them and raise the bar that extra amount to wow us!
So, should I upgrade to a Yamaha Genos?
If you love to while away hours enjoying combinations of styles and voices, then Genos will definitely invigorate your playing experience.
It will stimulate your hobby, raise the hairs on the back of your neck, and put a smile on your face. I consider this a priceless experience, and upgrading to a Genos will be money well spent!
> Don’t miss out on our HUGE Yamaha Genos clearance sale: See full details by clicking here.
Enter your email address below to receive our free weekly newsletter containing the latest piano, keyboard and organ demonstration videos, breaking news, special offers, invitations to our live video events, technical support articles and much more.
These items are sold on behalf of Yamaha, and are sent to us on a per-order basis, typically within 5-7 working days, unless an ETA is otherwise stated.
We'll contact you the moment your purchase arrives with us to organise delivery, based on your selected option.
Example products: Yamaha DGX670, Yamaha P-525, Yamaha YDP-S55, Yamaha Clavinova.
These items must be sent with a heavy-goods courier (typically APC or FedEx). On occasion, depending on which is fastest, we will drop-ship directly from Yamaha to your address via Dachser.
Tracking will be provided by the haulier, with a typical arrival time of 1-2 working days.
*If you have included the optional £180 "Yamaha Premium Service" home delivery & setup option offered on selected products, we will contact you regarding arrangements after purchase.
**The Yamaha CSP Series, Yamaha CVP905 & CVP909, Yamaha CLP875, 885 & 895GP, and Yamaha NU1Xa are all sold on behalf of Yamaha and arrive with us on a per-order basis. As soon as your piano has arrived, we will contact you to organise the appropriate dispatch method. ETA for stock is shown on the product page for those items.
***If you have included the optional £99 home delivery & setup option offered on selected products, we will send your details direct to the installation team, who will contact you within 48 hours to make arrangements.
Depending on which option is most appropriate, we will either contact you to discuss a bespoke ePianos delivery surcharge for goods we can’t package for a 3rd party courier, or otherwise dispatch goods via FedEx or APC.
If a courier is used, tracking will be provided by them directly, with a typical arrival time of 1-2 working days.
Example products: Yamaha PSR-SX920, Yamaha P-225, Yamaha NP-15.
These items will be sent via courier (typically APC or FedEx). On occasion, depending on which is fastest, we will drop-ship directly from Yamaha to your address via UPS or Parcelforce.
Tracking will be provided by the courier, with a typical arrival time of 1-2 working days.
Smaller items, such as books, discs, etc, will be dispatched via Royal Mail second class.
After purchase, you can download the file either from the order confirmation page or the "Downloads" tab in "My Account".
If you have selected the option to receive a pre-loaded USB stick, then this will be dispatched via Royal Mail.
We will contact you regarding any pre-ordered items, and let you know when they arrive so as to arrange delivery with you at a convenient time.
Used items can also be purchased using either of the following options (minimum loan amount of £250 after deposit):
Total amount payable: £893.32
Available finance options are displayed at checkout. Alternatively, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to discuss the options, or email a finance application to you. Find out more by clicking here
Our seasonal opening hours are as follows:
We are closed on all bank holidays, therefore the processing of sales and deliveries will be delayed.
For orders of any stock displaying a 7-10 day lead time, we will contact you as soon as the item arrives with us to schedule a delivery with you.
Occasionally, there may be availability issues with our suppliers, in which case we'll get in touch with you to see if you're happy to wait, or if you'd like to cancel the order and receive a full refund.
This is a special order "agency" item, and comes to us directly from Yamaha on a per-order basis.
It typically takes 7-10 days for this item to arrive with us, whereupon we'll contact you to discuss the arrangement of delivery.
For any pre-orders, we will contact you as soon as the item arrives with us to schedule a delivery with you, and update you with an ETA.
Occasionally, there may be availability issues with our suppliers, in which case we'll get in touch with you to see if you're happy to wait, or if you'd like to cancel the order and receive a full refund.
*Cashback amount varies product to product, as indicated.
Comments:
Will Yamaha still be supporting Genos 1 in the future now that Genos2 is out
Hi Barry. Yes they will. Yamaha will continue to support Genos 1 with upgrades such as firmware updates etc. Hope this helps!