Why I bought the CP88 (long-winded review/statement) For my history, I have previously owned a Roland A90 Piano/Midi controller and a Yamaha Clavinova PF-100 (circa 1994) and I got incredible amount of use from both but due to personal changes in my life I thought it was time to upgrade since I haven’t had anything new for almost 25 years. Just so everyone knows, I am not biased with any company whatsoever. Fast forward to Nov/2018 where I purchased a Nord Piano 4. Absolutely LOVED the sound however, there was a huge issue with the keybed as it was making more noise than it should. To the point upon release of the keys the noise would resonate through my mic and through my L1 compact. Not acceptable. After many views KZfaq comparison videos and personal demoing in my local music stores I was undecided between the Korg Grandstage, Korg Kronos, Roland RD 2000, Yamaha CP4, Korg Krome nd the Roland FA-08. All great pianos/workstations so it was a matter of sound, versatility and of course the keybed. So, back in April I my local store had a CP88 so I jumped on. They had it running through a small Fender amp and even with that I got soooo sooo excited ….just as I did my Nord. So, when that excitement hits, instinctively I go with it. Plus, the keybed/action was just so soooo amazing that the decision was made there and then. So, traded in my Nord Piano 4 it in for my new love, the CP88. Unfortunately they only had the floor model so they gave me their floor model as a loaner until the new one came in. So, as far as sound. I will admit I am not as happy with the piano sounds themselves compared to the Nord but with some tweaking with the EQ I have got 3 amazing piano sounds that I am very very happy with. The CFX has this sort of tinny sound to it and I will admit I thought the CFX on the CP4 was a bit better. However, the Imperial, S700 and the upright U1 are truly amazing. A little tweaking and you can basically get a great sound out of it. The CP80/70 sample is definitely comparable to the Nord (which I use quite a bit in my set) so apart from the bug that’s going to b fixed this coming September it sounds absolutely incredible. The Wurlitzer (especially with April’s update) totally blows the Nord away. I am just so so happy with it as it really helps with my Supertramp/10cc tunes that I use in my setlist. The keybed, Well, it truly came down to the CP4, the RD2000 and the CP88. The CP4 was great for sure as was the RD2000 but after a number of jumps between the CP88 and the RD 2000 I found the RD was a little heavier than the CP88 and the CP4 was a little lighter so the CP88 was the perfect balance between the two. As weird as it sounds (no pun) I feel my playing has actually improved on the CP88. Songs that I had a hard time playing before (Tony Banks’ Lamb intro and Firth Of Fifth plus some blues scales for example) are coming much more easier. Weird how that works. Yes, there are only 57 sounds with the CP88 as opposed to the NP4 and yes you can load samples into the NP4 but I had to be practical within myself. I use Logic Pro X for a trillion sounds that I can trigger so for home use/editing/sequencing for backing tracks the limitation of the sounds in the CP88 is not limiting to me at all. Plus, one has to ask themselves……or myself…how many sounds does one actually need? I mean seriously…these are stage pianos. I usually get between 3-5 gigs per month and I do not use more than 4-5 sounds within my 40 song setlist. So it’s basically, Acoustic Piano, CP80, Wurli, Rhodes and a AP with a combined Ample Acoustic Guitar (triggered through my laptop) /Piano sounds. The rest are just icing on the cake. Ok, the other pianos may give you way more sounds but in all honesty, many of them are just different variations of the same sample, Don't let 1000 sounds fool you into thinking you're getting 1000 samples because you're not. Now, that’s just me and I can’t speak for anyone else’s needs as everyone has different needs and requirements. I also love the fact that I do not have to use my M-Audio interface anymore as the CP88 has a USB audio interface built in so with that and my upcoming purchase of a Yamaha MG10XU mixer (USB audio interface) going through my Bose L1 Compact system will be the perfect match for me. So this whole notion that CP88 blows this out of the water…or The RD2000 feels better or the Nord Pianos sound so much better is total nonsense. It is ALL down to personal taste for personal needs. I will say for price, keybed, versatility (again depending on your needs), sound and weight (yes I can actually carry the piano in my gig bag with one hand) the CP88 is hard to beat….but that’s just me. Finally, I will say buying a piano is actually worse than buying a house or a car. Very stressful at times and we always want to make the "right" purchase. Yes, you can watch a trillion KZfaq videos, read all of their comments, jump on the forums, get a a thousand different opinions and yes it helps but many times it can actually confuse you even more and also cause ulcers...LOL. It’s best to think of your own needs and try not to let anyone’s opinions (comments) sway you but your own. Cost/price aside there will ALWAYS be pluses and minuses to any of these pianos and if I had to do it all over again I would have waited until April this year before purchasing the Nord and maybe taken more time to study as it’s been 9-10 months to land to where I am now. I hope my experience/review will resonate with anyone who is undecided in purchasing the CP88 or any other piano for that matter. Now get out there and get a CP88!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You won’t regret it….LOL!!!

Thanks for this. I´m actually on a crossroad between these two. Haven´t had the oppurtunity to try them both at the same time. This vid made it clear for me. Yamaha it is!

Epic comparison with these two Titans , Rd-2000 & Cp88 are excellent sounding Stage Pianos , we need more comparison vids , Keep up the good work :)

I tried both in person and to decide is really hard. The difference is the feeling on the Roland's keys, real piano,

Trank you for this nice comparison! What i miss there (especially for Rhodes and the Wurly samples) a little bit is how they sound if you hit the keys really hard. I find it important for a Rhodes sample how it „barks“ and for this, your playing is to soft. But you are a very good player, indeed.

Acoustic comparisons: 0:11 YAMAHA CFX 1:20 Roland Stage Grand 2:48 YAMAHA Imperial (Bösendorfer) 4:15 Roland Deep Concert

This Yamaha is of an extreme quality in and out. Every thing about it is built to last and preserve the sound and life of the instrument. This keyboard is one of those keyboards that will appreciate in value once it's discontinued.

Prefiro o design do Roland, ainda pode misturar vários sons e tem ritmos de ótima qualidade, mas o som do Yamaha é superior!

After trying both very good stage pianos, Ilast week I went for the key action and better piano sound of the Kawai MP11SE. The CP is amazing for its purpose (stage), but I was underwhelmed by the sound as I missed the Piano details. Thumbs up for the video, great job!

Roland RD 2000 and Yamaha cp 88 are both good quality.....sadly I don't have them.... Even a single latest keys.....

Tough calll. As both of them (at least with this particular patch) sound amazing. Yamaha is a bit Brighter (?) or Cleaner (?) While Roland just has that warm Tummy Feel. (which by the way is what sold me on Presonus's Studio One DAW as their Sound Engine had that Warm Tummy thing like Roland.)

As far as the Keybed, which one feels more natural and real?

How would you compare the action? Both should have wooden keys and weighted hammer action, so how do they feel compared to the other?

Honestly, they both sound great. In this comparison, the Yamaha is maybe a little better, but you need to remember that the Roland has about 20 times more sounds on board (60 vs 1200), so you have a good chance of finding one that you like a bit better. For example, the first Roland piano isn't my favorite. The Roland sounds are very tweakable too. The Roland also has an exceptional action. Owning both, I use both, but the Roland is my go-to piano, usually. You wouldn't go wrong with either one.

I’ve done some more research and noticed that Roland piano keys are slightly wider than Yamaha piano keys. I don’t have straw fingers so the width of the piano keys plays a major role to people with Hercules hands . I was not sure if I was the only one noticing this so I went to google to see if my fellow piano players were experiencing this phenomenon and to my surprise they have. It’s hardly noticeable it’s very subtle by a 0.1mm or 0.2mm those are generic numbers I’d have to take a ruler 📐 for precise measurements but when you have wider fingers your tend to bite the next key note and more likely to make a mistake as you play, that is if you’re accustomed to playing on a piano with wider keys like Roland. Yamaha piano keys are on the narrower side from my observation you need to have a delicate and accurate playing so your fingers fall all the time in the narrow space on the key so you don’t accidentally bite the next one, it’s not a dealbreaker if you have thin fingers or you’re just that accurate of a player and the narrow keys doesn’t affect your playing at all. It’s just something to check and keep in mind before buying a Yamaha piano. Maybe it’s just me but since there’s been others who picked up on those subtleties it’s fair to say I’m not the only one. If you have noticed this problem. Leave a comment and let me know if it’s something Yamaha should work on changing in the future.

This is a very interesting comparison depending on what you listen on. On my phone speaker the Yamaha seems to come across better, I keep noticing the overall punchiness of the sounds. But as soon as you put decent headphones on you realise the top and bottom ends have been hyped and now sound unrealistic, the midrange content is not so great when singled out and suddenly the Roland leaps out in terms of nuanced detail. Make sure you listen to this video on a number of sources before you make up your mind

I love the sound Of the Yamaha🎹❣️

Great watch, but I found the dust on the Roland to be a nightmare for my OCD tendencies lol

Idk in my opinion Roland piano Keys are the closest to a real acoustic piano, and Yamaha’s piano keys always feels plasticky. I can’t stomach the feeling, not worth all the bells and whistles if they can’t get something as simple as the feel of the piano keys right, since you spend the majority of the time experiencing the piano keys as you play. Yamaha has a lot of catch up to do in that area otherwise their piano sounds amazing, Roland is always my go to, Yamaha second they are both great. They aren’t the same so I don’t see the point for the constant comparison but that’s what people do, it’s like two hot woman, it’s a hard decision choosing one over the other, it all comes down to preference and which one has the qualities and features you’re looking for. It’s the right one (piano) or the right women when you not only love her (your piano of choice) but also satisfied and happy with her.

Where did the polls go? My favourite part... 😭

Acoustic piano on the Yamaha is the best. I already have Dgx 650. So, I think the RD2000 is next in the list.

Yamaha best piano, Roland best synth?

RD-2000の方が 音に円やかさと 深みがあるな

The Yamaha with headphones clearly sounds better than the Roland which has a little more of a fake sound. Apparently the Roland RD88 is slightly better sounding than the RD2000 as they improve the resonance but the Yamaha is the choice for me.

Over all Cp88 is the best!

Yamaha win.

It’s gotta be the Yamaha.

I think the yahama sounds better

Recently purchased and sent my CP88 back. There was very noticeable keybed noise on every note while playing all piano samplings (even though the piano sounds were excellent). And the Ab above the octave plinked in stead of resonating. Musicians Friend took it back right away but, all in all a bad experience. Yamaha's has developed a slap together factory mentality and to save money really low balled the Keybed. Cheap aluminum frame as well. There are many great features on it but the above mentioned issue's were a deal breaker.

야마하 승(cp88 win)

@21:09 Cringeworthy. That Leslie is awful! Hopefully it's tweakable like on the FA series.

Yamaha knows piano more than roland

Roland hands down

In my opinion, Roland can't touch Yamaha's pianos.

play each patch too long