So I finally got my portable piano and thought it was about time I did a review on it!
I've broken this review down into main parts to make it easier to find aspects of the NP-31 you are interested in.
Keys
The Yamaha NP-31 has 76 touch sensitive keys. A lot of people said that the keys were somewhat noisy, however I have not found this to be much of a problem although as I have not been able to play it in headphones yet I can not comment on this aspect much more.
The keys are not weighted which I thought was going to be an issue. I do not often play keyboard and am used to my grand piano but after a few minutes you adjust to the keys and some pieces are easier to play with unweighted keys. Plus this also makes the piano lighter which brings me onto my next topic.
Weight
When the box came through the door I was somewhat shocked by the heaviness of it. I had imagined it to be lighter and more 'portable'. I was also quite surprised by the length of the piano. Having ordered online I did not have a clear idea on how large the piano would be. Because of the length I will have to move my room around some but that is not an issue as I do need all the octaves so I can play the pieces that I want to.
Portability
As I said before the NP-31 is quite heavy and also quite long, this reduces its portability. I would not say this is a piano you could take back and forth on a train on a day to day basis. However, I think for taking to gigs using a car would be fine for this, that is if it will fit in your boot! (A test I have yet to carry out)
You can get a gig bag for this piano but at around £60, so until then my NP-31 will just have to wait.
Sound
A quality you can not deny the Piagerro is its crystal Grand Piano sound. The high keys and middle range especially match the sound of that of the real deal. I was very happy when I played out my own songs at how it mimicked a real piano. The last four or five bass notes on the piano sound a little bit 'keyboardy' but for the amount they will be used I can not complain.
The speakers on the NP-31 are of decent quality. Being positioned at either end of the piano means you sit within the middle of your sound and can clearly hear everything in balance. There is a dial to control the volume which gives you more control than volume buttons. The only issue was when you have the speakers on a very high volume it can fuzz slightly in small rooms. A note I'd like to add is these speakers will not be loud enough for gigs etc. you will need an amplifier.
Useful Links
Gig Bag - http://www.rimmersmusic.co.uk/bckkb47syamaha.html
NP-31 on Amazon - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yamaha-NP31-Portable-Keyboard-Black/dp/B004RTHGHU
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