Yamaha P45 – read our review here
A lightweight and compact, fully-weighted, 88-key portable piano, with a beautifully simple interface
Yamaha P45 Key Action
The Yamaha P45 has a Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) key action, which emulates the way piano keys feel ‘heavier’ on the bass end and ‘lighter’ to the touch on the high end, just like you would find on a real Grand Piano. This makes the Yamaha P-45 an incredibly responsive and authentic piano to play and, together with subtle touches such as the addition of matte-finish black keys, ensures a tactile and comfortable playing experience.
Sound & Operation
Yamaha has improved the AWM tone generation within the Yamaha P45 piano, incorporating studio-recorded samples of real instruments to provide superb sound.
The control interface is beautifully simplified; access settings with just one button, with piano always as the default sound, delivering ‘plug-in and play’ enjoyment out of the box.
Compact Design
At only 11.5kg in weight and only 30cm deep, the Yamaha P-45 is easy to transport, easy to fit in compact spaces, and ideal for gigging musicians sharing a busy stage.
The Yamaha P45 has a stylish, sleek appearance, so it blends in nicely to any environment. It fits nice onto our XX frame stands, or it can be fitted to the Yamaha L85 stand, both of which can be added to the product by selecting the appropriate bundle and/or accessory from our options.
Yamaha P45 – Ideal for Beginners
The simple operation and great value of the P45 makes it a go-to for beginners, who might be looking for the most ‘streamlined’ approach to learning, without being presented with too many parameters and options when wanting to just practice.
We find that a majority of players who progress to more advanced instruments throughout the course of their musical journey still hang on to their Yamaha P Series pianos, finding a place for them as a studio instrument or simply as a convenient way to practice with friends.
Connect to your DAW
The Yamaha P45 features USB to host connectivity meaning that, along with the installation of Yamaha’s free USD MIDI driver (available for both Mac and PC), you can use it to control the sounds built-in to your Digital Audio Workstation software (not included).
This means you can access your built-in soft synth VST/AU sounds and ‘play’ them, using the realistic touch of the P45’s weighted piano keys.
Our thoughts
In all of our (considerable) time selling Yamaha digital pianos, the Yamaha P45 is far and away one of the biggest-selling pianos we’ve ever stocked – and for good reason.
The P45 is an excellent all-rounder – robust, easy to use, with a great sound and a good key response; it really is difficult to match its quality with any other instrument at its price point. There is an argument, perhaps, for the Korg B2, but beyond that nothing really comes close enough to count.
The Yamaha P45 boasting USB to host makes it a go-to for the home producer on a budget, as does its portable form factor and weight. It’s also worth mentioning that, whilst we certainly don’t recommend exposing the P45 to any abuse, it is remarkably solid, which is why (many moons ago) we used to rent them to our local piano students.
It is true that its bigger siblings offer better sound and more features, but if price is king (and it so often is), you’d be hard-pushed to beat the Yamaha P45.
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