Yamaha CK88 88-key Stage Piano Reviews

In comparing this to my Nord Electro 5, although it's very similar in the way it's set up the CK 88 has very comparable sounds (if not better) and is easier to change parameters on the fly. Piano, EP and organ samples are from their more expensive instruments and sound nice. 160 user presets w/ 3 sounds per patch. (very large on board sound library) Only problem is the wheels are too far to the left. Overall this is the best stage piano I've played. I'm now using this instead of my Nord.

Affordable gigging keyboard for multi use and great sales staff. Covers a lot of situations

This is the kind of instrument that inspires you to play. I can't keep my hands off it. Beautiful pianos, Rhodes, and Organs. I will be buying Yamaha from here on our. No deep menu diving. It's immediate and easy to understand and use. I couldn't be more pleased with this purchase. Love it!

There are so many different features, functions, and reasons why people look for a keyboard. When I read a negative review on almost any Yamaha keyboard it seems to be about unmet expectations and/or a beginner player not being certain of what they were looking for. Before I buy any keyboard I spend hours watching video demos and reviews as well as making sure if at possible I can find a local store that carries it so I can actually play on and handle it ( I learned the hard way if not doing this prior). All that being said, this is an amazing keyboard overall and price point is incredible for its value. This will definitely be a keyboard I probably buy multiple of.

After owning many different Yamaha keyboards over the years, this recent purchase of the CK-88 has been one of the best. I was looking for a gigging weighted 88 with great voicings that wouldn't break my back moving it. The well designed keyboard has a ton of options and effects at a very fair price.
And of course, the service and support from Yamaha and Sweetwater only reinforces my decision.

Finaly a low weight keyboard with all that is needed for the pro keyboardist

this board has got me covered at gigs. piano's cut through beautifully and the organs are piping hot.

I I already knew the quality of the product that I was purchasing. My praises are to Sweetwater for the consistent personal contact and expedited shipping so that I may enjoy my purchase quickly.A shout out to Cody Priester.

First of all I'd like to sing the praises of Adam Chesi, my sales advisor, for all his help over the years. The personal touch is what sets Sweetwater apart from any other retailer.

The sounds available in this stage piano are fantastic, I run it through two tube amps and the sound is just beautiful. The controls are very intuitive, and I'm not sure if I'll ever have occasion to go portable but it's nice to know I can - very easily.
It's great to have a keyboard that's so light and easy to move around.

I've always been very happy with any Yamaha item.

I have never owned an electric keyboard. Wanted something I could use the MIDI function to arrange my own keyboard sheet music. Was ready to purchase a Yamaha P-515 electric keyboard, which would have been very similar to my Yamaha GH grand. Then came across the CK88. I've come across many Youtube videos that demonstrate the sounds, but very little detail on how I might make my own sounds. Then it occurred to me, that's a large part of the allure. There's enough flexibility for me to experiment and save my 'creations', but not so many dials and switches that it becomes overwhelming. So I'm ready to start exploring.

This keyboard provides great value and flexibility. It's easier to use than the Montage

Coming from the MOXF8 and not being entirely impressed with the new features the MODX series offered, I wanted Yamaha to respond to Roland's V-Combo VR series and offer a cheaper alternative to the Nord Stage/Nord Electro series with Yamaha quality sounds. This keyboard finally answers those prayers and then some. Unlike the other brands I mentioned, Yamaha's A/B/C layering allows for total flexibility and customization where you can have up to 3 sounds from the same category and they can each have their individual FX controlled and saved/preset.

The keyboard is incredibly lightweight compared to the higher end models but doesn't hold back it's easy/simple to use functionality. Everything is not more than 2-3 button presses/knob turns away giving the live performer total quick control. The organ sliders and buttons/knob controls all feel very tactile and sturdy so I know that I can be using this board for a while.

My hope is that Yamaha continues to listen to their user base and keeps offering additional sounds/samples/support for this keyboard.

Excellent medium priced unit. I love the size. The functions are set up really well. It's really easy to use on the fly which is great for a gigging musician. Nice sounds especially the choices in acoustic pianos. One of the things left off which would have made it a lot better, is "smooth transition" from one sound to the other. If your bandleader is calling out songs rather quickly and you are not off the sustain pedal with your volume up it's going to be very loud getting into the next sound. Haven't found a "pan" function yet which I miss. Over all an excellent keyboard for the money and not a back breaker at 28.8 lbs.

I'm enjoying the CK88 quite a bit. The molded plastic body feels a little cheap, but helps it stay very light (around 28lbs).

There are not a ton of built-in sounds, at least not what I'm used to on our Rolands. You can apparently get new sets from Sound Mondo, but to-date we've been unable to make that happen. The site offers no documentation on how to use it and nothing we've tried has been successful. I'll have to spend more time than expected researching how to do this.

I love the 1:1 interface -- this is what drew us the most, and it hasn't disappointed.

The built-in speakers are okay, but nothing to write home about. The demos make a big deal of the "table" setting for the speakers, but we really haven't experienced a big difference between that and the default setting.

All things considered, we're not disappointed by the purchase; we're quite enjoying it.

This is a solid value with inspiring sound and easy access and self-evident controls. You won't have to spend hours in the manual on this one. The sound quality and layers are super inspiring to play and if you're a songwriter or arranger, these sounds will provide you instant inspiration, especially at this price point.

The only cons I have with this is that the action does feel a bit "spongy" (though not as bad as some in this range) and the drawbar controls and knobs feel a bit "cheap". If this spent some decent time on the road, I could see the need to replace some of these knobs in fairly short order. With that said, the sound quality, weight (or lack thereof), and convenience of onboard speakers (that actually sound good in their own right) make this a great value at this price point. I agree with the critiques of the action IF you're only looking for a piano feel and substitute, but if you're looking for a versatile gigging keyboard that can play piano, organ, synths, I feel it's a decent compromise between the different actions (but still hefty enough to give you a decent piano feel—though it's lacking there a bit).

If you're looking for a stage piano only, you may be better off looking at the Roland lines (WAY better action), but if you're looking for a versatile gigging keyboard with lots of flexibility and incredible sound quality that's still very playable, you'll be hard pressed to find a better option in this price range.

when I first got this keyboard I was really excited and thought it was the best stage keyboard I could ever find that met all of my needs. I am very picky when it comes to keyboards as I am a professional pianist. after playing this piano for a few weeks they unfortunately have to say that the action is disappointing and not where it should be especially for a model of this price range, the Yamaha P125 has a much better action and it's half of the price of this one. The action of the ck88 eight feels plasticky and springy and it's very hard to feel like you have a grip of the keys when playing. everything else about the keyboard is great so this is really a shame it's disappointing that Yamaha would cut corners on their action for this new model.

I am a professional pianist and keyboardist and I play alot of music that is very dynamic and sensitive (mostly jazz) but also piano bar, etc. I have used rolands for the past 8 years and recently I decided to buy the CK88 and give it a shot because the built in piano sounds sounded great in video demos and the built in organ drawbars and other features and easy to set up splits/duals really impressed me (also the fact that it was under 30 pounds - when I'm on the go that is a must). But I unfortunately have to say upon using this keyboard for a few gigs now, that the action just isn't up to par. It's very platicky and springy and even when I adjust the touch velocity it still feels this way. I have studied piano technique for a very long time and this keyboard forces you at times to "dig in" in a way that is tiring on the wrists. Also when holding certain chords in rest position, it feels like some of the keys are pushing up against my fingers which should never be the case. So overall I would say it's a great idea and overall nice design that's very user friendly but the action is VERY disappointing. I unfortunately would not recommend this keyboard to professional pianists and that's a real damn shame because everything else about this keyboard is fantastic. I expected better from yamaha, seems like they cut corners and whats even more ridiculous is that the cheaper home style keyboard models they have made such as the P-125 and P-45 have MUCH BETTER action and the CK is supposed to be higher tier! Well certainly doesn't feel like it. Very dissapointing work from Yamaha.