Yamaha P105

Description

Availability: Discontinued, new model is Yamaha P115

Headphones: Hadley HB20

Piano Stool: Hadley HS100

Dust cover

 

Buy a carry bag for the Yamaha P105, more details here
(Thick padding, large pockets, shoulder strap, nametag, 5 year guarantee)

 

Alternatives to the Yamaha P105:

Broadway AB1
Hadley S1
Korg SP280

The P105 is an upgrade of the P35 and has the following advantages:

Better sound (clearer and more resonant)
More features (more instrumental voices)
Can use 3 pedals (can only use one on P35)
4 times as much polyphony (128 versus 32)

 

Yamaha P105 Reviews

1) “My daughter decided that it was the one for her on account of its action, feel and sound”

Hi Graham,

Many thanks for your invaluable advice on buying a piano. Your book offers great guidance and your rating system proved to be really useful in helping us to make a choice.

I have been looking for a piano for my daughter who is presently at Grade 3 and working towards her Grade 4 as well as GCSE Music. For years she has had to practice on an old SY35 which is no longer up to the job and so needs replacing with a proper instrument. As we live in a flat a real piano isn’t really an option.

Following your advice, reading the personal reviews on your site and researching myself lead me to finally choose the Yamaha P105 as it was within our budget and seemed to offer the right features to help her progress. After trying one out and comparing it against some Korgs, Rolands and Kawais, my daughter also decided that it was the one for her on account of its action, feel and sound. I’ve now bought one. I might even start to learn myself!

Once again, many thanks for your guidance. It certainly made the job easier.

Review by Jonathan Elwood (16/11/2012)

 

2) “The sound is as good as you could hope for from the size of the speakers”

I learned as a boy on my music teacher’s (who, as a girl, met Florence Nightingale; we lived in the village that was her childhood home) German Steinway upright piano,and practiced on a lovely piano – a George Russel iron framed upright – my mothers 21st birthday present in 1937.

The p105 feels fine – the weight of the keys etc. the sound is as good as you could hope for from the size of the speakers and the output of the amp.

What do the whingers expect when they buy an instrument having, presumably, read the spec?!

When I have sorted the amplification through my big speakers I expect to hear a concert grand.
Honestly, what can you expect for 500 quid? It’s great.

Review by Michael Smith (22/12/2012)

 

3) “Far better than simply taking a shot at it on Amazon”

Hi Graham

As I know nothing about pianos or music, other than knowing what I like, it was reassuring to find the UK Pianos site, read the write-ups and reviews and to exchange emails and a phone call with this outlet.
Far better I felt than simply taking a shot at it on Amazon or wherever. I was impressed that as I wanted a specific day for delivery for the piano I bought (yamaha P105) as a present I was phoned with reaffirmation of the despatch.

My only problem now is – what to do with an old out of tune upright ‘pub’ style Joanna! Any takers?

Review by Mike Cox, Windlesham, Surrey (25/07/2013)

 

4) “The sound from this will really help her to progress”

We are really happy with our P105, my daughter is just about to take her grade 1 exam, and the sound from this will really help her to progress. I read some of the guidance from your website which was very helpful.

Review by David (17/10/2013)

 

5) “I would most certainly recommend UK Pianos most highly”

I bought a Yamaha P105 from UK Pianos, They were absolutely terrific. I particularly appreciated the phone calls that kept me up to date with the progress of the order.
I would like to say that I would always use them – but I can’t imagine buying another piano for quite a long time! I would most certainly recommend UK Pianos most highly.

Review by Chris Baugh, Driffield (13/11/2013)

 

Questions and Comments (Email your questions to grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk)

Hi,
Is the P105 closer to the “real thing” than the Broadway b1 ?
How long would the Broadway last me?

Ciaran

Reply/ Hi Ciaran

The Yamaha P105, being a portable piano with
a compact lightweight body, only has small,
low wattage speakers and tiny speaker outlets.
The result is a weak, thin tone.

The Broadway B1 has a larger cabinet, therefore
a bigger acoustic box to hold more substantial
speakers. Of course this piano has a much
deeper, clearer and more resonant piano tone.

What’s more, the P105 has only a medium-
weighted key touch. The B1 has a fully-weighted
touch…

The heavier feels to the keys is ideal for learning
to play as it will strengthen your fingers and
enable you to learn to play with the correct
technique… This is very important if one day,
you would like to play a real piano.

Summary:

The Broadway B1 is closer to a real piano than
the P105… it has a heavier, more realistic feel
to the keys… and the sound is fuller with more
resonance.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

—

“I want a portable piano”

I’m looking for a piano that will be moved reasonably frequently and needs to be portable – at least two gigs a month – have a yamaha keyboard that is about twelve years old and I have been doing some work with a choir using a
variety of pianos and just feel I would like to a) replace the keyboard and b) go towards an instrument that feels more like a piano. Had a little try out of the p35 and p105 last week as we were on holiday and quite liked the feel.

The piano might be good for working with the choir as you can not always guarantee the quality (tunefulness etc) of a piano at a venue when it is a small ladies choir that does mainly church halls.

Regards
Ian

Reply/Hi Ian

Then the Yamaha P105 is my recommendation.

Currently it’s the best portable piano you can
get for under £1000.

But, if you’re not in a hurry, there’s a new
Roland coming out in November.
It’s the F-20.

The F-20 has a much nicer feel to the keys than
the Yamaha P105. It has more resistance, so the
feeling is closer to a real piano.

I also prefer the Roland’s depth of tone. The
sound is warmer… more Steinwayish.

Now, the only downside is its physical weight.
Because it has a hammer action and wooden
body, its overall weight is more than the P105
(20kg versus 12kg).

But this is definitely worth sacrificing for all
the upsides.

Here’s details of the Roland F-20:

Roland F 20

Yours pianistically

Graham Howard

—

“Which piano do you recommend for a tight space?”

Hi Graham

I considering a piano for my wife, as a surprise, she can play, but is rather rusty now. She learnt many years ago. Space is an issue, so I think it would have to be a portable one. The two I’ve been looking at are the Yamaha P105 & CP33. You consider the P105 a budget model and it does not meet what you consider a minimum spec. The P155 obviously has a better spec. but is a lot more expensive and really a bit beyond my budget, it also doesn’t feature in any of your top 10 lists. I suspect the P105 may be good enough for my wife’s needs. But are there any others I should consider that are under £1000.

Your advise would be appreciated.

Chris

Reply/ Hi Chris

Under £1,000, no, there’s only the P105 worth
considering at the moment.

However, in November 2013 ther’e’s the new
Roland F-20 coming out. This is definitely worth
looking at. The key touch is very close to a real
piano, and the cabinet is wooden rather than plastic.

If you can break the £1,000 barrier then the best
portable piano is the Roland FP-50.
You can see this here:

Roland FP50

This has a wonderful sound.
And its key touch is very realistic.

Otherwise, if it doesn’t have to be portable,
the Yamaha YDP162 is worth considering.

The YDP162 is more suitable for your wife to
practice on. It has a more resistant key touch
than the P105.

This would enable her to get back to her past
ability and progress on from there.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

—

“How does the Yamaha DGX650 compare with the P105?”

Hi Graham,

I just came across the  Yamaha DGX650
I was wondering how it would  compare to the P-105 in terms of touch and sound and price.
As I think it works out the same price as the p105 with stand .
Its mainly for my kids to learn piano and they probably wont be using the advanced keyboard functions – until the know the basic chords etc – so I am interested in mainly the piano sound

Thanks

Arti

Reply/ Hi Arti

There’s very little difference, playability wise,
between the P105 and DGX650.

The key touch is exactly the same.

The speaker wattage is slightly more on the P105
(2 x 7 watts versus 2 x 6 watts), but the difference
in sound is actually slightly better on the DGX650.

If you think the additional features of the DGX650
might come in handy at a later time, then this
piano is the best choice for your kids to learn
and progress on.

Otherwise, I recommend buying the Broadway B1.

The Broadway B1 has a nice, full tone. And
the key touch is fully-weighted. It also
quite smooth and responsive under the fingers.

Also, the cabinet is compact, so it takes
up less space than other digital pianos.

What’s more, it’s a good piano for them to
learn and progress on… finger strength
and technique will develop in the correct way.
And they’ll find it easy to transfer to an
upright or grand piano later.

You can read more about this piano here:
ukpianos.co.uk/broadway-b1

Please call me on 020 8367 2080 if you
would like more information.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

—

Hi Graham

I am interested in buying a digital piano and cannot decide between Yamaha P105 and Yamaha P155.  I am a beginner and have only taken one lesson so far to see if I was able to learn and I really enjoyed it.  I just would like to know what I am paying extra £600 for.  For me, it is a long term investment and I would rather go with something better quality than basic.

I would like to know if it is possible for you to show me the difference i.e. sound quality between the P105 and 155 in your showroom.  I have watched some Yamaha P155 videos being played on You Tube and I must admit it sounds fantastic, just like a real piano.

I would appreciate if you could help me on this matter.

Many Thanks

Kind Regards,
Mrs. Secil

Reply/ Hi Secil

There is a vast difference both in sound quality
and key touch.

The P155 feels a lot closer to a real piano than
the P105. It has more resistance on the keys and
reacts more sensitively to touch. This won’t make
much difference when you’re in the early stages
of learning, but will become much more important
as you progress.

The P155 has a bigger, richer and more resonant
sound.

There are also additional voices and features on
the P155. Although the quality of tone and feel
of the keys are the main reasons to get the P155.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

—

Could you please ask Terry Stepanyek to contact me about repairing my Yamaha P105. The electric socket has broken and the piano does not turn on.

I bought the keyboard from you originally, It’s lasted well – about 2010. I’m hoping it can be repaired.

Hilary
London, N21