I use a Yamaha cp300 stage piano. The best digtal hybrid I have ever played was a Yamaha avant- grand. They have different models and price points. There expensive as some used grand -pianos. I have an august forester model 190 it’s 6 foot 4 inch. It’s from the DDR
East Germany. It was made in 1980 or 1981. I can tell a difference between my AG and a Yamaha avant- grand but the avant grand is the closet I’ve ever heard to a real grand piano.
It won’t compete with a Steinway model D but it’s also not 100,000 dollars. They call the avant grand a hybrid piano. It uses a real grand piano action and they sample thier own grand piano. Can’t remember what model Yamaha they sampled. They also have a German piano they sampled I think that’s in the N3 I can’t remember it’s been awhile this was a few years back, not sure what thier doing now with the avant grands.
YAMAHA CP300 & Avantgrand
Moderator: Feg
Re: YAMAHA CP300 & Avantgrand
I’ve had the Yamaha CP300 for a while. I t sounds best when using a soft pedal when choosing a piano preset. It has midi And onboard speakers and you can run the stereo audio outputs into an external amplifier or PA. It has sliders for EQ. It also has quarter inch inputs as well for a sostenato and damper pedal. You can run audio out via the line level outs or balanced XLR outs as well. It’s also bitimbral and let’s you play two sounds at once. It offers a wide selection of presets. It has recorder of up to 16 tracks although you can not import external audio into the recorder. You can only use the existing internal presets
With the recorder. You can also route via two line level stereo inputs the audio of another synth or keyboard workstation so you can hear audio coming from that keyboard as well via the Yamaha s internal speakers.
It also has a transpose button so you can transpose to other keys. You can also play bitimbral two presets simultaneously when you playback with your recording in real time. I use the Yamaha CO300 mostly for the Rhodes electric pianos sound which have different Rhodes presets of a straight Rhodes or a Rhodes with stereo tremolo or chorus or
phaser. It also has a Wurlitzer electric piano and a Wurlitzer preset with an amp simulator. The Yamaha CO300 can also work well not only as a stage piano but as midi controller also. It would work well for gigs and solo piano gigs and there wouldn’t be any need to take an external amp being it has internal speakers. I use to use it for gigs. I believe they discontinued the CP300 . You can still find them for sale used. I think the Yamaha CP 300 is betterthan newer models they offer. . Thier smaller and lighter but don’t have as good of a keyboard feel as the CO300 although they sound alright but don’t include any internal speakers.
With the recorder. You can also route via two line level stereo inputs the audio of another synth or keyboard workstation so you can hear audio coming from that keyboard as well via the Yamaha s internal speakers.
It also has a transpose button so you can transpose to other keys. You can also play bitimbral two presets simultaneously when you playback with your recording in real time. I use the Yamaha CO300 mostly for the Rhodes electric pianos sound which have different Rhodes presets of a straight Rhodes or a Rhodes with stereo tremolo or chorus or
phaser. It also has a Wurlitzer electric piano and a Wurlitzer preset with an amp simulator. The Yamaha CO300 can also work well not only as a stage piano but as midi controller also. It would work well for gigs and solo piano gigs and there wouldn’t be any need to take an external amp being it has internal speakers. I use to use it for gigs. I believe they discontinued the CP300 . You can still find them for sale used. I think the Yamaha CP 300 is betterthan newer models they offer. . Thier smaller and lighter but don’t have as good of a keyboard feel as the CO300 although they sound alright but don’t include any internal speakers.
Re: YAMAHA CP300 & Avantgrand
I’m not sure which model replaced the CP 300.
I originally was going to get a real Rhodes suitcase
Electric piano. The Rhodes suitcase had four twelve inch speakers speakers. It also had stereo tremolo. I decided against it . Rhodes are electro mechanical and need maintenance and being that thier vintage come with the problems vintage gear usually brings .The cp300 won’t go out of tune being its sampled and you don’t have to worry about pickupsgoing out and finding parts like tines and felts etc. What I noticed about the models that replaced the CP300 wasthat the action didn’t seem as robust. I didn’t like the action on the models that replaced it. There was a 5000 dollar
model can’t remember the model that sounded good and had newer technology but didn’t sell as well because of the price point. They brought back the CP 300 due to customers asking for it.
When I purchased mine I got it for $2,100 dollars.
Not sure of the current Yamaha offerings in 2023.
I originally was going to get a real Rhodes suitcase
Electric piano. The Rhodes suitcase had four twelve inch speakers speakers. It also had stereo tremolo. I decided against it . Rhodes are electro mechanical and need maintenance and being that thier vintage come with the problems vintage gear usually brings .The cp300 won’t go out of tune being its sampled and you don’t have to worry about pickupsgoing out and finding parts like tines and felts etc. What I noticed about the models that replaced the CP300 wasthat the action didn’t seem as robust. I didn’t like the action on the models that replaced it. There was a 5000 dollar
model can’t remember the model that sounded good and had newer technology but didn’t sell as well because of the price point. They brought back the CP 300 due to customers asking for it.When I purchased mine I got it for $2,100 dollars
.Not sure of the current Yamaha offerings in 2023.