Yamaha, 76-Key Portable Keyboard, (NP32B)

The media could not be loaded. My daughter began learning in October how to play the piano. We looked for a secondhand or used keyboard but then were told by her pianist grandfather to look into a digital piano. I am so glad we researched and landed on the Yamaha NP12. This product produces a rich authentic sound. It does not have all of the bells and whistles of a keyboard, however it has a wonderful pure piano sound, perfect for a new player. I like that it has a number of keys and that the keys are weighted similarly to an actual piano.This product does not come with a cord or any other accessories, so if you need anything else, including the power cord be sure to order separately.My little girl loves that she can record her music and play it back. Since she’s a beginner the family loves being able to plug headphones in and allow her to practice quietly. I highly recommend this product if you have a little one learning piano but do not have the space or money for a piano.I’ve added a video of my little playing twinkle twinkle little star about three weeks into lessons. As you can see pressing down the keys is a bit difficult. However; now that she’s more advanced she easily moves from the digital piano to an actual piano. The keys are the same size, spaced the same and weighted making it a great first piano.

** Note: This is a review for the NP-32 76-key Piaggero. I am an experienced pianist. **There comes a point in a musician's life where he /she realizes that no single keyboard instrument can do all that's asked of it. All piano-like keyboard instruments (not thinking harpsichords or celestas here) have their inherent strengths and weaknesses.For example, a Steinway concert grand is expensive, isn't portable at all and goes out of tune if played regularly. But if you don't need portability, have the cash and it's in tune ... nothing can compare to it (except, perhaps, an in-tune Bosendorfer).I realize this is a rather long-winded introduction for a relatively cheap electric keyboard, but I think it's important because many of the low-star reviews are comparing the Piaggero to pianos that don't have to travel (such as the Steinway). No wonder people are giving it bad reviews!Instead, let's judge the Piaggero for what it is: a very portable, ultra-light, bare-bones performance electric piano (with synth action) that's extremely easy to travel with. This is the reason I purchased it -- i already have a high-end, hammer-action electric piano, thank you very much (Kawai CE220), but i can hardly schlep it to gigs!Based on what it's positioning itself to be -- THERE IS NOTHING ELSE LIKE IT ON THE MARKET. Here's why i think it's the best budget portable performance piano out there:- It's VERY INEXPENSIVE FOR WHAT IT IS. I got mine for USD 250.- It's LIGHT. You can carry it under your arm with ease.- It's PORTABLE. Because it features very few flashing lights, bells and whistles, the form factor has been kept very small for a 76-key keyboard, so it's just over 1 metre in length, which gives it a small turning circle (so to speak)- It's BATTERY-POWERED with 6 AA batteries, so you aren't enslaved to a wall outlet power supply (though you can buy one separately, if you so choose)- It has BUILT-IN SPEAKERS, so you don't even need to bring an amp (though it's best suited to small venues with light accompaniment - it's perfect for accompanying a singer, not so much a brass-band!)In fact- with the sole exception of a foot pedal, i have no reason to accessorize the Piaggero with anything else to bring it to a gig. You can plop it on a tabletop (so no need for a stand) and away you go,The only thing which comes close in comparison to the Piaggero is the Roland GO piano, which doesn't have all the features mentioned in the list above.Of course it isn't perfect, and here are some of the flaws (none great enough to knock off a star):- The position of the extra keys compared to the 61 key version are a bit awkward-- it would be nice to have a full C to C extra octave, but instead the additional key range extends to a bottom E in the left hand and a top G in the right hand.- The speaker could be louder. It does limit the performance to accompanying singers and light instruments. If you want to accompany a rock band you'd need a proper speaker.- There's no obvious "Transpose" button - you have to plough through the manual to figure out you have to press and hold the "Metronome" button and one of the keys to transpose up and down octaves. You'd be forgiven for thinking, at first glance, that this keyboard doesn't support transposition.Some other quick features -- USB Midi, and some standard voices (2 acoustic pianos, 2 electric pianos, yada yada...)... but let's be honest you aren't buying thing as a MIDI controller (i recommend a Novation Launchkey for that), or its wonderful electric piano sounds (they're ... ok) - you're buying it because it's highly portable for doing workhorse gigs.In conclusion... wonderful for what it is. Don't expect to be able to play Rachmaninoff on it, or expect anything other than a synth action-- but if you want something you can very easily gig with, say to play a couple of tunes out of the Real Book, then the Piaggero is an ideal lightweight gigging companion.

If you are going to use this keyboard without the power supply (which is oddly not included), then buy really good AA batteries. I tried using the Duracell regular gold/black AA batteries (it takes 6), and the keyboard kept shutting down after about one minute. It was fine when the power supply was used, so I suspected the batteries were the issue. I switched to using Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA (found on Amazon), and that problem seems to be gone now. So if you are playing away, and the power goes off, try more powerful batteries.For the price, this is a nice portable keyboard. I bought it so I could have something to practice on while on long vacations. (I have a Yamaha DGX-660 at home, which is well worth the extra money if you are looking for a better piano experience.)Note that if you are in the same boat, the NP12 keys are a little narrower than the DGX660 (and I suspect other full-size pianos as well). The measurement for ALL the keys on the NP12 (five octaves including C at both ends) is 32.5" exactly. On the DGX660, the same number of keys measures 33.25", so that's an extra .75" over the 61 keys. For vacation playing, it's not going to be an issue, but if you are ONLY playing this keyboard and then need to play in front of an audience on a real piano, you will want to practice on that piano for a while beforehand I would think. Might not be an issue if your child is an elementary stage, but something to think about if they are progressing.Speaking of keys, I also found the black keys a little too thin for my liking, and too rounded. I feel like my fingers are likely to slip down the sides. On the other hand, the keyboard itself is pretty nice compared to the others I played at a local music store. Some of them had large gaps between octaves, and one had a distinct "spring" sound when pressed (like an old bed!). So I encourage you to visit a local store to feel the different keys. Prices are often the same as on Amazon too.The voices are quite good though, even if the speakers seem a little underpowered for the size. I like the Strings in particular. Note that you can press the Demo button and then press each instrument button to hear a different song played using that voice. However, since I can plug this in to my laptop over MIDI, I can always play virtual keyboards on my Mac and bypass the NP12 sounds.* Update 10/2017: I added Pianoteq Stage virtual piano software on Mac which comes with a Steinway and Kawai modelled pianos. With headphones on (the built-in speakers can't do it justice), the sound is incredible! I couldn't stop playing!