Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I'm a professional keyboard player. I needed something light to take to practice and small solo gigs, but it needed to have at least 76 keys. My 88-key weighted controller is a lot to move, and 61 keys aren't sufficient for classical music. Generally speaking, the only choices for 76-key unweighted keyboards are workstations costing well over $2000. I don't need another workstation, just a workhorse for use in-between stage shows. The Piaggero, then, seemed to be my dream come true. It didn't quite meet my needs, though.
First of all, it lacks MIDI ports. Some of the cheapest $99 keyboards have MIDI IN and OUT ports. Yes, it does have "USB" MIDI, but that is no good on the road. You can't connect to other keyboards and sound modules. It also doesn't have proper Line Out ports. If you want to connect to an amplifier, you're forced to use the headphone out. That method introduces more noise into the signal. Another missing feature involves the USB to Device port. Try as I might, I can't load standard MIDI files from this connection. I can save and load my own performances recorded on this keyboard, and even convert them to SMF format, but I can't get it to recognize Internet-downloaded MIDI's or MIDI files of my own creation. My old Yamaha PSR-S700 had no trouble with this. Another problem, and it may be unique to the one I received, is that the speakers buzz terribly when I play the D 14 half steps above middle C. The display could also be better; It's not very detailed or informative. Thankfully, it's much better than the NP-30's lack of one.
The sound quality falls short for a keyboard that's trying to emulate a piano. Supposedly, paying $70 extra for the NP-V80 over the NP-V60 gets you the Live! stereo-sampled Grand Piano. I've heard that sample. This isn't it. The Piaggero grand doesn't sound any different to me than the default piano on the $159 Yamaha PSR-E323. It is very harsh. It's very difficult to get an expressive performance from this patch. The dynamic levels just aren't there. I guess this is a limitation imposed when you're trying to save money on components and use as little sample memory as possible. The name Piaggero is a portmanteau of the Italian words for "piano" and "light", yet my ears are not fooled into believing I am playing a piano at all.
This keyboard does have a few redeeming qualities. It is very light. It's the first electronic keyboard I know of that has 76 keys, runs off of batteries, has a full sound set (more than just Piano, E.Piano, Organ, and Strings), and plays through built-in speakers. It even has a real display and not just blinking red lights. The keys themselves are pretty good. Better than your average portable, but there are better soft-feel actions out there. The Piaggero isn't really a bad keyboard, I just can't see what it was made for. The Yamaha Portable Grand YPG-235 is almost the same instrument, just with a little more bulk/weight and a beige finish. I don't understand why Yamaha removes valuable features from their keyboards. Maybe it's to prevent professionals from being steered to the cheaper products. They missed a great opportunity, though. The Piaggero could have been an amazing keyboard had it not been crippled so dramatically. Maybe it's not a total stinker, but Yamaha knows they aren't giving you the best they have to offer.
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