Yamaha CLP470 Reviews

“The sound is excellent very close to acoustic quality”

The CLP470 was, thanks to your general advice, exactly right for me and the technological
improvements over the CLP150 are quite dramatic. The sound is excellent very close to
acoustic quality, the touch, and pedal progression makes it very much easier to play !
The recording set up is so simple too.

Review by George Watson

 

“These are customer reviews from actual owners of this piano.
The most recent review is at the top of this page “, Graham Howard, Piano Advisor

Send me an email if you have any questions or need advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
Or call 020 8367 5107

 

“The CLP470 has been outstanding in all aspects”

Delighted with the choice of our first digital piano! Graham Howard’s “7 things You MUST Know Before You Buy A Digital Piano”, was instrumental in making this choice.

In summary:

a) Yamaha scored in the top 5 brands,
b) came 2nd in the top 10 most reliable,
c) scored in the top 5 best warranty,
d) came 1st place on long term popularity, and
e) 1st place again on recent popularity.

Although the CLP 470 was rated 3rd place in the top ten list of best digital pianos, it’s touch and sound (which are the most important aspects of a digital piano) of 9.25 is the best score.
It also rates highly (5th) in the top 20 over £1,000, and since the first four pianos are between £3,200 and £6,000, the CLP470(PE) has done extremely well to come 5th, costing us £2,244!!

So, finally, after a lot of reading and researching we have come to a very satisfactory conclusion with the purchase of the Yamaha Clavinova CLP470 and chose the Polished Ebony finish – as an added bonus!!!

Since we don’t have anything to compare this piano to, thus far it has been outstanding in all aspects and believe it will serve us well.

Thank you, Graham, for your advice and assistance which we have appreciate immensely.

Review by Lilla Skopek, Hemel Hempstead, UK

 

“I have not got anything I dislike about it”

I set up my Yamaha 470 in polished black ebony today.
These are my first thoughts but may have a few more after tying it some more.
Didn’t play before today but can now play 3 peices and am very pleased with
myself after a few hours of trying.

All the information in the piano guide helped me make a choise, and helped
me get a good price it looks great and sounds amazing (on the demo more
than me playing so I need to learn now LOL).

For our room I thought it was worth paying the extra money for the polished
black as it stands out as a beautiful piece of furniture too.

I have not got anything I dislike about it.

Thanks Graham for your assistance with the guide, it was a great help to me
so many thanks for your assistance.

Review by Mark Pearson

 

“A very average product form Yamaha”

Not great….

Has better tonal characteristics than the Roland models in same price range. However the speaker system onboard the 470 is of low quality. For example if you play at louder volumes, say above 3/4 max volume, you get heavy tonal distortion and its very annoying and shouldnt happen at this price. If you record your playing on the piano you can use the built in recorder for audio or midi, but again if you record at a volume too high there is distortion and you wont know until you play it back on a recording, this is if you are recording externally as apposed to the internal recorder, which records at a set maximum volume to avoid the distortion (they clearly know about!) and its not loud enough for more professional recordings in my opinion.

Apart from the poor speakers, this model also has very muffled and again low quality bass section notes, some of the notes sound louder than they should compared the other notes within close proximity (the C bass note an octave below middle C is far too loud for some stupid reason, and the D flat next to it) , this gives an unbalanced feel when playing lower bass notes with treble notes. This model is an inferior 480 it would seem, so beware of this, never compare the two models because you wont want the 470 after listening to the 480, but as always the 480 is overpriced.

Underpowered speakers and underwhelming bass section coupled with a poor selection of tones (you only get 14 for some odd reason) and you get essentially a very average product form Yamaha, I know because I have owned many different pianos over the years. With the Rolands you get far better speaker systems at same price range but perhaps a flatter overall more dull tone than the yamahas.

Remember – a digital piano is only as good as its speakers in many cases, if you really like to crank the volume up whilst playing a piece just beware of the distortion which completely ruins your enjoyment of playing.

Review by Mark Fowler, Peterborough, England

 

“It does not have too many gimmicky features or distracting sounds”

After a very long and frustrating wait for my piano, it has finally arrived and I am delighted with it in every way. I very nearly opted for the Classenti CDP3 based on the excellent online reviews but in the end, the strength of the
Yamaha brand and advice from Graham’s buyers guide and ongoing advice swung my decision in favour of the Yamaha. I wanted a piano that was as close as possible to an acoustic in terms of key weight, touch and feel and the CLP470 comes very close.

It does not have too many gimmicky features or distracting sounds, just enough useful featues and sounds to give you enough variety when needed. My two daughters are just starting lessons and I am returning after a thirty year break which I really wish I had not taken. The Grand Piano 1 sound is superb and is pretty much what I will use most of the time. The pipe organ is also a very realistic and pleasing sound. Set up was easy even for me but
make sure there are two able adults to lift the main keyboard section which is at least 50kg.

Review by Mark Fletcher, Crewe, UK

 

“The Yamaha CLP sound, touch and general look were all superior to the Kawai”

Arriving two weeks ago at the piano shop , rather uncomfortably close to the evening closing time, armed with notes from your excellent piano guide, I was all ready to purchase a Yamaha CLP 440, which in theory ticked all my boxes. But with another customer in the shop I had time to tinker on other pianos (including Steinway grands, why not?) but very apologetically, since piano is not my first instrument.

I exited the shop with a CLP 470 on firm order.

Why? Having tried out all the keyboards in sight, I found that for digitals the Yamaha CLP sound, touch and general look were all superior to the Kawai (yes, they showed me the backboard!) and I disliked the Roland sound intensely. Then I discovered that this high class(Steinway-oriented) piano shop had its own standard advantageous price for the 470, not far above the 440, and it seemed silly not to take advantage of it.

The rosewood “beast” was delivered yesterday by two strong men. Already unpacked, set up, and ready to play. And play I did, during snatched moments in the afternoon, and then late at night with the volume turned right down. No need for headphones to hang on the dinky hook thoughtfully screwed on underneath.

Amongst the fiendishly difficult 50 Classics in the book so thoughtfully provided by the manufacturer, I found a couple of old Chopin pieces and, after more decades than I care to admit, my fingers began finding their way comfortably round the keyboard.This compact piano has feels exactly like the pianos I used to play on at school.  I can also thump out Beethoven without worrying the neighbours, (noisy though they are) as the speakers sound clearly at 35%-45% volume. The buttons are arrayed logically and great fun – the harpsichord sound isn’t bad, and, with the touch button on “Light”, Scarlatti is easy to rattle off. The pipe organ is pleasant.  The choir sound an unexpectedly pleasant surprise.

The metronome clicks like the real old-fashioned weight-swinging one and thank goodness does not have that hideously annoying first beat in the bar DING that drives one wild when one doesn’t want it.
Will no doubt get tangled in knots when using the recording feature and MIDI connection one day. Presume there’s an online Yamaha forum for that. I found the pedals a bit high, until I put a pair of heeled shoes on – then they were just right – not too tough. And l like the fact that Yamaha has given the middle pedal a function – a sostenuto (sustaining) pedal for use by the organ/strings/choir voices.

But then one can semi-close the keyboard cover to hide all the buttons, and just imagine one is playing a pukka piano. My original intention for years has been to buy a good electronic keyboard, which can be stored upended in this small domicile.  But now I’m so glad I paid double to buy this piano as I’ll get four times the enjoyment from it.

As for looks, although compact, the clean lines of the 440 are smart enough to put against my antique mahogany pedestal desk without looking ‘out of tune’.

So I definitely have Graham Howard’s Piano-buying Guide to thank for being satisfied that I have bought the right piano for me needs. (All I’ve got to do now is learn how to play it properly!!)

Review by Caroline Walcot, Belgium

 

“The piano is superb”

After a lengthy search including reviewing Graham’s impartial and informative buyers guide, we opted for the Yamaha CLP 470 and I’m so glad we did. It was a close call with the Classenti CDP3 but the strength of the brand, high scores and advice from Graham swung it in the Yamaha’s favour. The piano was easy to assemble but ensure there is one relatively fit and able person to assist the delivery driver and another to manoeuvre into the room and help lift the keyboard section onto the stand.

The piano is superb and in my opinion as close to an acoustic piano in terms of key weighting, touch, feel and sound but with more versatility. There are not too many gimmicky features to distract children and we cover the electronic panel with the sliding keyboard cover which makes the piano look more authentic. The Grand Piano 1 sound is primarily what we use and I think it is very realistic compared to the acoustic I played on many years ago. Yes, the CLP470 is one of the more expensive digital pianos but the discounts available and packages bring it down considerably compared to the RRP.

Review by Mark Fletcher, Crewe

 

“It seemed the best option”

We are very pleased with the look, sound and feel of our 470.
We are both musicians and it was important that it had good
sound and touch. This seemed best option without spending
an extra thousand pounds.

Review by Lizzy Barker, London, UK

 

“We found that the overall volume was quite quiet”

We originally chose the CLP470, but once installed, we found that the overall volume was quite quiet, and that to really feel the sound in the room we had to play it at a high volume.  Also, my husband is interested in pursuing the MIDI functions, which (if i understand correctly) was limited on the CLP 470, sooooo, after much ado and discussion and pondering, we opted to upgrade to the Yamaha CLP480.

We’re now waiting for delivery, and so are anxious to try it out!

Review by Charlene

 

“The piano teacher confirmed the CLP470 is a brilliant piano”

Graham Howard’s digital piano buyer’s guide is extremely useful

A few weeks ago I got the depressing news from my son’s piano teacher that our piano was no longer good enough for him to progress in his playing. She suggested the cheapest way to buy a better piano would probably be a digital piano.

After a search of the net I found Graham Howard’s piano guide which is extremely helpful.

After reading the guide I decided that I would like to buy a Yamaha CLP470. I got my son’s piano teacher to try one out, She confirmed that it is a brilliant piano.

Review by Alasdair Hay, Edinburgh, Scotland

 

“The touch feels like a real grand piano”

Hello Graham,

My piano yamaha clavinova clp470 has been delivered about a week ago.
The information in your book was very helpful to make my choice.
The clp470 is a great instrument for use at home.

My findings are: price quality is good.
The touch feels like a real grand piano is fantastic.
The sound of the instrument is good but not that great.
The piano sounds are great but some of the others are just good.

I will need some more time to find out what the possibilities are of this instrument.

Review by Jean Van Leare, Belgium

 

“I couldn’t be happier with my purchase”

I finally narrowed it down to two pianos, which are the equivalent of each other in their respective ranges: the Yamaha CLP470 and the Roland HP507, and Graham Howard of UK Pianos responded to my email for his thoughts with a list of the positives and negatives of each. They are so close in sound, feel, and functionality, that it effectively was decided on cost, and the Yamaha was around £400 cheaper.

So now the Yamaha has been delivered, and I couldn’t be happier with my purchase, it sounds and feels fantastic. I now need to set some time aside each day to get a bit of practice in. All credit to Graham for his invaluable documentation and advice…..thanks Graham!

Review by Dale Samson

 

“It’s good to know that I am getting the second best for now”

Hi Graham,

Thank you for the detailed information provided for CLP 480. I actually went and give it a try at the local piano store after reading your review on how stunning it is. Indeed, it is every bit of what you have described, the extra speakers on top and the soundboard are just mind blowing, like playing a real acoustic piano, might even sound better than the old upright Kawai that I have. The store owner recommended Roland HP507 as well, but I
find it too muffled especially at the bass.

Honestly this is making it very hard to go for the initial CLP 470 which I set out for, but the budget is really a big constrain to me, so I decided to go for the CLP 470 after a night of battle haha. I really want to express
my thank to you, for the honest and accurate feedback provided, though I am not able to get the best of what you have recommended, but it’s good to know that I am getting the second best for now.

Review by Chan

 

 
>> For Yamaha CLP470 information, specifications and prices, click here