Yamaha CP73 73-note Stage Piano Reviews

So we use this at church, it's perfect for our usage. Piano sounds are amazing! Synth and pad sounds are very rich. Clav Worly I and fantastic EP. The interface on this product gives the player a very unique experience at the flick of a switch. I compare it to a guitarist paddleboard.

I have a couple of these guys - I use them for gigs, practicing, recording, controller for logic pro (not really good for that but I like the action and can use another controller for VI/plugin controls etc). I have or have had every kind of Rhodes (Mark I 1972, Mark II 1980 ish, Mark II suitcase, Mark V), I have a Clav D6 and used to have a C, I have 2 Yamaha C7's at different locations. 73 keys is fine for most gig or studio work for me, and it's not unwieldy like an 88 note keyboard. Piano and Rhodes/Clav/Wurly sounds are very usable. Organ is crap, I use a Crumar or Nord for that. Strings/pads are fine for subtle new-agey vibe when added to Rhodes/Piano, not realistic at all like VI's. For a gig on piano or rhodes, works perfect. Relatively light (have you ever moved a real Rhodes, or a Motif or other Yamaha Dig piano, like a P-250, or for that matter, have you ever had to deal with Rhodes key-funk or clav detuning, hammer-sticking, etc etc?). Not perfect, but when I need to work, it does.
Haven't experienced any of the black-note stuff others comment on. Also the keybed on this is way more sturdy than lighter weight Casios or other Yamaha's I've used. Also I prefer it by far over the Nords I've used (Stage piano, electra 3, others - tho the organ on those is at least usable).

Not sure what keyboard some of the reviews below are playing, but I don't think it's this one :D

Sounds great, a wide variety of very usable sounds, and feels great under the fingers. What more could you want?

Great stage piano; balanced hammer action is nicer than the CP40 it replaced. I play a backlined setup frequently with a Yamaha P105 or CP40, so the balanced action is what I'm familiar with when playing/rehearsing I haven't had the trill/repeat issue with black keys, so either it is fixed, or I simply can't play that fast. Voice banks on the deck are way better to navigate than the CP4/40 series, plus all the effects as well. I need to play around with the storage of custom sounds in live sets; will take some time and effort, but the idea is solid.

Two minor comments; the 3.5mm line out on the CP4/40 was simpler to use. The USB approach now works, but required an adapter for my iPad as the USB->USB-C dedicated cable I had didn't work for some reason (ironically it works perfectly from the CP73 to Logic ProX, so...).

2 - The use of a split with 2 voices in the same bank is a little clumsy, but I'm not sure there is a better work around than how Yamaha approached it. I think it's silly that they didn't address this in the manual, but YouTube has the answer via YamahaSynths titled "Hidden Features", which sort of underscores my point... The good news is that I know have a really nice patch of Phased-Clav/OD-Rhodes for Kid Charlemagne.

So if you want a proper graded key piano, the CP73 is not it. If you want a great stage piano, with a ton of flexibility, and/or use other backlined keyboards with balanced action, the CP73 is a very good option to consider.

I always trusted Yamaha keyboards I still own a Motif XF6 and a XF7 this Yamaha CP73 is no different top of the line pro keyboard it has a pure clean powerful sound . The keyboard bed is excellent!!!!!! It is very easy to get around the keyboard settings. It is not a heavy piece in weight of equipment it will fit in a 61 key Gator keyboard case. I can't say enough how professional the Sweetwater staff takes care of your needs before and after. I have nothing but total respect for Dave Hess I have been dealing with him for many years and has always guided me in the right direction in purchasing gear he is aces in my book!!!!!!!!!

Everything is good except :
1) Black keys don't produce full sound when played fast and hard .
2) Doesn't have " Tap Delay " .

Chose to purchase the smaller CP (73) of the Yamaha lineup for recording projects and boy did I regret it...

Received and noticed some harsh mid range frequencies coming through some small monitors I plugged into, I said, "that's ok, I'll check it out on a PA later". As I kept playing, I discovered another issue when I tried adjusting velocity on the keys in control panel. No Luck, but it felt off. Did some research on how to adjust and found out this is a flaw on the CP itself, not something that can be adjusted in control panel.

Finally was able to test the CP on a nice QSC PA system at church after the pandemic was cooling down, and boy did Yamaha really add some thick mid frequencies to their patches. I kept having to use the onboard EQ to roll off the mids and that still didn't do it. This made me miss my Yamaha DGX-650.

I find myself spending too much time tweaking EQ's for these patches and struggling with the velocity on these keys when recording. After I contacted Sweetwater to see what my options were to either return or get something different, they said it was 3+ months from purchase date and they couldn't do much for me. Sweetwater if you're listening, I'm just looking to swap products...

Most overpriced instrument I've owned. Ignore the demo videos that make it seem like this Stage Piano can be used as a gigging keyboard with some sort of flexibility. This is a digital piano with a good electric piano function. That being said, why would you want a digital piano with 73 keys? So perhaps it's better to say this is a pretender Rhodes with a piano function. The sampling of the piano and Rhodes/wurly is good but there is a stunning lack of choice with only 3 grands, 2 uprights. Furthermore if you're buying this with the idea that you can plug your headphones in and not wake up the baby or the neighbours think again. The volume control and output is the weakest I've ever come a cross. It's also way to heavy for the size of the instrument. Folks, do yourself a favour and buy yourself something else. I played this at an album launch last month and was honestly embarrassed as I was asked to play an organ line - it sounded so bad.

I recommend the CP73/88 lovers to play both keys side by side to notice the black keys on CP73 produce soft sound when played fast and hard !
I checked the CP88 and found nothing wrong with the black keys .
Though all sounds on both keys are the same , you enjoy the sounds of the CP88 a lot more because of its great key action .
Pros : Great Pianos .... Great E. Pianos .... Super easy
Cons : Black Keys Key Action On CP73 .... Useless Delay (No Tab Delay) .... Not Very Impressive Sub's Sounds .
I have to thank my sales rep. Jason Filloramo for taking care of my needs at Sweetwater .