When Yamaha started the Piaggero series, they aimed to produce top-quality, affordable, and most-portable digital pianos. And with the Yamaha P-35 digital piano, the brand did rightly so, and it can even be said that they exceeded people’s expectations.
Being the first digital piano in the P-Series, the P-35 offers excellent sound quality backed with impressive playability features. Although compact, this digital piano features a fully-weighted and graded 88-keys keyboard. The P-35 blends perfectly with your playing skills, whether you are a beginner or an intermediate level pianist.
In this Yamaha P-35 digital piano review, we’ll look at its strongholds and weaknesses to give you an informed outlook of its capabilities.
Yamaha P-35 Digital Piano Overview
The Yamaha P-35 digital piano has a superb piano sound that features the AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) sampling. This sound sampling system utilizes digital technology in recording the acoustic piano’s instrument sounds.
On its keyboard, the P-35 features Yamaha’s GHS keyboard action, which we’ll discuss in the review. It also features fully-graded 88 keys, and Yamaha incorporated the black keys with a matt-finish to enhance playability.
Additionally, the P-35 also comes with 10 preset voices and four Reverb sound effects to enhance the sound quality. And with a reasonable weight, you can take the P-35 with you to any gigs.
Features of the Yamaha P-35 Digital Piano
Specifications
- 88-key Graded Hammer Standard Keyboard
- 4 Touch-Sensitivity levels
- Advanced Wave Memory (AWM) Stereo Sound Sampling
- Max. Polyphony count – 32 notes
- 10 Preset voices
- 4 types of Reverb effects
- Amplifiers – 6W x 2
- Speakers – 2 x 12cm (4.7â€)
- Modes – Dual/Layer and Duo
- 10 Piano and 10 Demo Preset Songs
- Functions – Metronome, Transpose, and Tuning
- Connectivity – MIDI IN and OUT, Phones, Sustain Pedal, DC IN 12V
- Weight – 11.5kg / 35.7lbs
- Dimensions – (W x D x H) 58.2†x 16.1†x 11.8â€
Yamaha P-35 Digital Piano Design
The Yamaha P-35 digital piano has an elegant and compact appearance, and more importantly, it has the feel of an authentic concert grand piano. As mentioned earlier, this is both a compact and lightweight digital keyboard. Therefore, it can seamlessly fit into a small apartment and offers a hassle-free experience if you choose to travel with it.
The piano’s slim, compact, and contemporary design enhances its versatility like other P-Series digital pianos. Additionally, it’s user-friendly and has a beautifully simple user interface. You can find three buttons on the left side of the P-35 for Power, Master Volume, and Grand Piano/Function. Once pressed, the latter button immediately restores the Yamaha P-35 to its best acoustic piano sound.
The P-35 features two 4.7†size speakers, i.e., one on each side of the interface, backed with an additional two 6W Amplifiers for impressive sound projection. The P-35 is only available in a black finish.
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Keyboard
Yamaha has over 5 keyboard actions that offer acoustic feel playability in their way. Some are for the novice pianists. Others are meant to be used by intermediate players, while there are still some dedicated to professionals and more advanced piano users.
Either way, this brand knows how to treat its customers, regardless of their level as pianists. The Yamaha P-35 features the brand’s Graded Standard Hammer (GHS) action, which is more suitable for beginner pianists. However, an intermediate level player would also find this action amusing.
The GHS keyboard action delivers graded and weighted piano touch similar to that in acoustic pianos. The GHS action works best in building proper finger technique, which offers more productive results as a trainer for playing acoustic pianos. Because it features a graded keyboard, the P-35’s high-end keys feel less heavy than those on its low-end, which feel heavier.
As you may know, this is the same mechanism used in traditional grand pianos, making the P-35 a worthy enough instrument when it comes to authenticity. The black keys on this keyboard have a matt-finish, which enhances your grip and promotes longer playability. Also, this piano comes with the Duo Mode, meaning that you can split the keyboard into two halves and play along together or learn with an instructor. Finally, you can also layer two sounds on the P-35 and play them simultaneously thanks to the piano’s Dual/Layer Mode.
Sound
Although a piano might have the best keyboard action, it might quickly get shunned based on its sound quality. Hence, the sound is of much importance in any digital piano, which is a significant determinant of the piano’s capabilities.
Fortunately, Yamaha seemed to understand this fully, and when they came up with the P-35, the brand certainly knew what they wanted to implement. The P-35 features an excellent piano sound called the Advanced Wave Memory (AWM).
The AWM is a sound sampling technology that records sounds from an acoustic piano. This stereo sampling technology creates more vibrant, spacious, and deeper authentic sounds. The technology does this by using the L and R waveforms, which are captured using two microphones. Additionally, the P-35 comes with 10 Preset Voices and 20 Preset Songs, with the only downside being a maximum polyphony count of 32 notes.
However, this is a keyboard meant for beginners and more or less intermediate level pianists.
Connectivity
The Yamaha P-35 digital piano offers several connection capabilities for a beginner keyboard. You can connect it with various contraptions and interchange your compositions, files, and downloads. Here are the connectivity features found on the P-35:
- MIDI IN
- MIDI OUT
- Headphones Jack
- Sustain Jack
With such capabilities, you can connect the P-35 with your PC or use downloadable Apps to improve the piano’s playing experience.
Extra Features of the Yamaha P-35 Digital Piano
ECO Operation – This feature completely shuts down the piano if left unused for more than 30 minutes. It’s an eco-friendly feature that can prevent accidents and reduce energy bills.
One-Button Function – As mentioned earlier, the P-35 features only 3 buttons on its interface. The one to the far right labeled “Grand Piano/Function†can be used to change between this piano’s voices. You only have to press the button and the key located under the voice you wish to select.
Other features include the Metronome, Transpose, and Tuning functions, which enhance your experience with the P-35 digital piano.
Benefits of Owning the Yamaha P-35 Digital Piano
1. Portability
At only 35.7lbs/11kgs, the Yamaha P-35 electric piano is very portable, meaning you can take it with you anywhere. Similarly, it’s also a compact digital piano that perfectly fits in small spaces. So, it’s convenient for studios, small apartments, and domes, among other sizeable areas.
2. Impressive Key Action
While the P-35 might be a compact and novice digital piano, it features an excellent key action. The Graded Standard Hammer action is one of the brand’s best keyboard actions. Therefore, novice players get a worthy enough instrument to solidify their foundation before progressing to the acoustic pianos.
3. Affordable
Understandably, most beginners lack the financial aid to accommodate expensive digital pianos with high-end features. Therefore, this Yamaha model offers a great alternative and a solution to the novice. The P-35’s affordability doesn’t sacrifice on essential features like most of its competition. It balances the budget and the needed elements for the beginners to shape their foundation in playing the piano adequately.
4. User-friendly Interface
Unlike most digital pianos meant for beginners, the P-35B keyboard has a straightforward and easy to use interface. With only three buttons on the left side of the interface and labeled voices, playing doesn’t get any more comfortable with the Yamaha P-35 digital piano.
5. Multiple Connectivity Features
Being the first inception of Yamaha’s P-Series, the P-35B digital piano offers comprehensive connectivity features. You can connect it with your PC or mobile App and interchange between your compositions and other files. This enhances your playability and gives you more sounds to work with.
6. Touch-Responsive Pedal
Another advantage of owning the P-35 is that it includes a responsive enough pedal/footswitch. As you may know, this accessory doesn’t usually come with more expensive models.
Reasons You Should Buy the Yamaha P-35 Digital Piano
This is an excellent digital piano for beginners who are interested in learning how to play the piano. It will set the right foundation as it features the necessary features and functions a beginner could ever need. The Split/Duo Mode ensures that any novice gets to practice with an instructor or play with a friend.
The GHS keyboard action also provides beginners with a simulated action of the grand pianos. Therefore, this is the right piano for learners who want to progress onto the acoustic piano.
Besides that, the P-35 also has impressive features that can accommodate an intermediate level pianist. They can use it in gigs or during practice sessions, and it promises to deliver on their level as well.
Included Accessories
- Music Rest
- Footswitch/Pedal
The Yamaha P-35 Manual is downloadable on the brand’s official website.
Pros
- Affordable
- Good for the novice
- GHS Keyboard Action
- Advanced Wave Memory sound sampling
- Duo/Split Mode
- User-friendly interface
Cons
- Minimum Polyphony notes
- Plastic feel keyboard
Final Thoughts
Yamaha certainly created this beauty for beginners. However, the capabilities of the Yamaha P-35 digital piano can immensely accommodate any level of pianists. The user-friendly interface ensures the novice gets a straightforward playing experience and doesn’t have to worry about mastering several buttons.
Also, the Duo Mode makes it easier to learn with an instructor or perform duets with the piano. And as for those beginners looking to advance to acoustic pianos, Yamaha’s Graded Hammer Standard action in the P-35 will set the right foundation.
