Yamaha YDP141 Reviews

“The sound, to me is an excellent reflection of the piano. My only criticism so far is the music stand”

What I was looking for was a piano that had possibilities of various voices,
demonstrations and computer links did not interest me.I was taken by the idea of a
digital piano because of its size, portability, stability in variation of humidity and
temperature, and finally no need for regular tuning.

After reading your handbook I looked at and played a few pianos and found for the cost
the YDP141 was suitable, the YDP161 was more expensive and had more voices etc which I
did not need.

My impressions:
The sound, to me is an excellent reflection of the piano as is the touch.If anything the
touch seems a little heavy but this can be changed quite simply.I suspect some of the
heavy feeling is due to me needing to develop the correct finger muscles.

Many of the add on functions I have never tried as I have been concentrating on
relearning basic piano skills.

At first I thought the body was a bit like an MFI creation however the key board and the
upper section are of good quality and finish. Now I find the piano fits into the room and
is quite unassuming as a piece of furniture.

My only criticism so far is the music stand.I remember stands always had clips to keep
the music open.The stand is too steep and too short; sheet music tends to fall over the
back of the piano and books of music either close up in front of you or fall onto the key
board.I have overcome the problem by lowering the slope of the stand by placing a block,
a large laboratory weight, on the piano behind the stand!

In summary — I am happy with the piano; all I need now is some talent!

Review by Frank Rendell

 

2) “Compares favourably for a medium priced instrument”

We are supplementing a rather ancient pianola which I hope to get restored in due
course so didn’t want to spend a massive amount. We have ended up with a
Yamaha Arius YDP141 – Looks weren’t crucial as it’s living upstairs but the
overall look and feel is very good we chose the dark rosewood. It doesn’t
have as many ‘gadget’ features has a much better piano feel to it – the
children have their lessons on a baby grand and it compares favourably for a
medium priced instrument.  Gear4music customer service is A1!

Review by Kerry Stocker

 

“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

 

3) “It does all I need as a piano to learn on and more”

I must say I am delighted with my YDP141 and I feel I made a good choice.

Why did I buy this model.

Well being a total novice I first thought go second hand but having seen a few I
soon realised that it is easy to buy a pup this way.

So I loo around a few music shops and everyone spoke well of Yamaha although a
lot tried to sell me a Casio.

I then looked on the internet and found your advice on buying a piano and down
loaded this which I found to be very helpful.

I then looked at prices and terms and found that I could use the take it away
interest free scheme and this swung it for a new one.

The reasons I bought the Yamaha YDP 141 were

Lovely looking light cherry laminate finish much nicer than say Casio
sounds good It does all I need as a piano to learn on and more If I find I lose the
love for it I have seen they re-sell OK.
Good price. Reputation
A digital fits nicely in my home office as it is not too deep and this room now
doubles as my music room. I sit in there in the evening with a glass of beer (well away from
the keys of course) and it is great for cold winter nights to occupy one’s mind away from
the goggle box.

I have now owned it less than a month and I am having lessons and can now play a
few simple tunes and I am starting to use both hands.
When I started I thought that if I could play a few easy tunes this would give
me encouragement.
I suppose this is still so, but I also found I have a desire for the knowledge of
music and how to read it and have surprisingly become very focussed on the fact that I can
play only it if I can read and most importantly understand the music-  although I am
not kidding myself in that practice make perfect. For those wishing to do what I have
started my advice is

It is a marathon not a sprint.
It takes ages to become good
You have to work as hard at the theory as you do the practice – at least until you
know how to read the music or unless you are talented to play by ear
If you are a person who gives up easy forget it.

I started with a long standing desire to play the piano and it has taken nearly 58
years for me to even think about doing it.

So far 6 weeks into lessons I am starting to develop a passion for it and I am
encouraged and I am determined to succeed to a decent level.

Review by Colin Cook (22/12/2010)

4) “Of the 5 voices the two pianos are excellent but harpsicord, strings and church organ
are not of the piano quality”

I wanted to get the best I could afford. Living in a bungalow my first thought was a space saving
keyboard but on seeing what was on offer I looked to see whereabouts I could fit in a proper piano. I always
intended to purchase through Amazon as friends could make contributions to the cost by gift voucher and I also had
about £100 of Nectar points to convert. The list price for my Yamaha YDP141C was about £680 but I paid just
£576.

Yamaha was always my preferred brand. The remarks from your Piano Purchase Guide only re-inforced my
existing choice and that was as a result of extensive research on the subject. I was pleasantly surprised at the
range of instrument on view at Amazon and ended up being supplied by Norman’s Musical Instruments (based somewhere
in the midlands).Delivery was on schedule despite the snowy, icy road conditions prior to Xmas although I hadn’t
been made aware, beforehand, that I would have to assemble the instrument myself. It came packed in a large box and
took a little while to put together. (This does prove it is portable though!).

As a piece of furniture it is pleasing on the eye. I chose the Beech look rather than the dark wood of the two on
offer but I would have preferred Teak. Living room furniture was re-arranged to fit it in but I’d already planned
that from the detailed dimensions given on-site.

An instruction book & a music book accompanied the instrument. The music book was quite advanced for novices
but I possessed a good store of music anyway. The instruction manual is very comprehensive and shows the many
applications available to the player. I feel that quite a few are fanciful extras that don’t add to the value of
the instument. Of the 5 voices the two pianos are excellent but harpsicord, strings and church organ are not of the
piano quality and are really a trivial extra.

When I hear the sound of a Grand Piano in my living room I can’t help but feel that this is a thrill I could not
have expected even a few years ago- and it doesn’t even need regular tuning. So , I am more than pleased with this
asset and look forward to being able to play it whenever I take the fancy .

Review by Raymond Craine (04/03/2011)

5) “Musically it ticks most (if not all) the boxes”

Yamaha Arius YDP 141 – I bought it as a Birthday present for my wife and she loves it. From all
the information I have read on the web, musically it ticks most (if not all) the boxes to look for in a digital
piano . I find it a bit on the cheep site look and finish but a good enough package for a beginner (up to middle
level player) and a limited budget.
Personally I think I am not a piano person and I feel I probably would be happier with a 88 key keyboard with more
options and 1/3 price but without the graded action keys etc (just a key related to a sound) if one day I decide to
learn (mine is an entirely different logic) , but the piano teacher we have and my wife are definitely happy with
the Yamaha

Review by Nick Kalnakov (16/07/2011)

6) “My son now has an adequate learning instrument at a very competitive
price!”

Dear Graham,

Many thanks for your helpful information.
I have now purchased the Yamaha YDP141 via Gear4Music.
I ordered it on a Sunday evening and the Piano with stool was delivered to my home in Newcastle, County Down 2 days
later. This was excellent service and my son now has an adequate learning instrument at a very competitive price!

Review by Joe Totten (14/11/2011)

7) “Easy to put
together, seems well made, but power adaptor makes humming noise”

We are complete musical novices and were looking to buy a piano for our 8 year old who is taking
lessons and practicing on her keyboard was holdIng her back. We had no idea what to look for in a piano we just knew we
didn’t want to spend a fortune on something she may lose interest in, but at the same time didn’t want to buy
cheap rubbish.

We read numerous reviews and eventually downloaded Graham Howard’s book from the UK pianos website.
We found this book explained everything we didn’t know about Piano’s and helped us reach the decision to buy
the Yamaha YDP141. We decided on this piano as Yamaha’s seem to be highly recommended and we wanted a mid range priced
model.

We ordered it from Norman’s and it was delivered 2 days later. It was easy to put together and
seems like a very well made instrument and also looks like a nice piece of furniture when closed. As for the technical
stuff like sound quality, touch sensitivity etc. I can’t comment as we are not experts.

The only negative is that the power adapter appears to emit a humming noise which is a tad
annoying but hopefully can be resolved with a better adapter.

Review by Emma Baket, Croydon, England (28/04/2012)

8) “The YDP141 has all the
features that we need”

Very good sound
– excellent touch of the keys
– the YDP141 has all the features that we need.
Note that the piano is used by our 7-year daughter, piano begginer.

Review by Lucian Dumitrescu, Buharest, Romania (22/11/2012)

9) “We are very pleased with the Yamaha YDP141”

Hi Graham,

Thank you very much for your excellent detailed advice and assistance with our recent digital piano purchase. We
would have been very lost without it.
We are very pleased with the Yamaha YDP141 which we purchased as an entry level piano for our son, who appears to
be now glued to the stool.

UK Pianos will be our first stop for any future purchase.

Review by Genie Webb, Lymington (22/03/2013)

10) “So far it is living up to my expectations”

I purchased a Yamaha YDP141 Arius digital piano. I chose it as all reviews I read said that it was a good choice
for a beginner. I am a “mature” beginner (although like many starting later in life, did learn as a
child!)  I wanted to upgrade the second hand electric portable piano I had (also Yamaha) to give me better
sound quality, and more of a feel of a “real” piano now that I have held my hand up to my music teacher to put me
forward for a Grade 2 exam!

Hopefully this new piano will stand me in good stead as I practise and move forward in my new hobby which I am
thoroughly enjoying.

So far it is living up to my expectations. I chose the piano in cherry wood and am also pleased with the way the
piano looks as a piece of furniture in the house.

Best Regards
Helen

Review by Helen Large, Canterbury (26/03/2013)

11) “My daughter felt the similarity when she played with real
pianos”

I read and also learned things that contributed to our decision to buy the Yamaha Arius YDP-141. We got what we can
afford but after 2 years, we’re now thinking of upgrading to help my daughter go beyond learning to play
via her normal lessons… but hopefully to explore her mixing and composing (saving data, integration w/ an
iPad/Mac). My Son got interested and also now starts with his lessons from the same teacher.

The piano, in general provided what we needed… an electronic one so that my daughter can play w/o worrying about
disturbing the neighbors (sound can be adapted or even silenced and still enjoy the music via head/earphone).
The feel of the keys is also one important factor in choosing the piano. I’m not a musician but my daughter felt
the similarity when she played with real pianos.

Review by Romel Nacua

 

>> For Yamaha YDP141 information, specifications and prices, click here