Yamaha guitar and keyboard review

We tried out the Yamaha P-125 digital piano and Yamaha Guitar Go Starter Set – and were very impressed.

It’s never too late to learn a musical instrument, especially with more time being spent at home than ever during the current pandemic.

And whether it’s your child who’s wanting to learn or yourself, taking up the guitar or keyboards is an enriching pastime. Here we tried out the P125 portable digital piano and Guitar Start Go starter kit from Yamaha.

Yamaha P-125 portable digital piano

This digital piano has the full range of touch-sensitive keys (88 in total) that you’ll find on a standard-sized piano, so is perfectly placed for those wanting the full keyboard experience. It feels lovely how the low-end keys feel heavier and the high-end ones lighter.

The P-125 takes advantage of Yamaha’s Pure CF Sound Engine, which replicates the sound of a Yamaha grand piano – to great effect for a digital piano at this affordable price point – using the two-way speaker system. It also has some four reverbs and three additional play modes: duel, spit and duet. The latter is ideal for learning along with a teacher.

There are a whopping 24 different instrument sounds (including organ, vibraphone and multiple grand pianos) as well as a selection of drum and bass tracks, from jazz to rock, which is great for helping to improve rhythm. There are also loads of preset songs available to show off just how good the P-125 sounds – and hopefully inspire you or your child to keep on learning it!

A sustain pedal and music rest are included. And though a stand is only available separately, thanks to the new Table EQ feature, the overall sound isn’t dulled even if you play it on a hard, flat surface like a table.

Being compact, it means it’s lightweight (at just 11.8kg) and so is easy to move around the family home, for example if your child wants some private bedroom practice. The piano can also be used with Yamaha’s Smart Pianist app, a functional app that will really help you improve your skills.

For any budding Chopins in the family, this is an excellent way to begin.

RRP £549 | yamahamusiclondon.com

Yamaha Guitar Go Starter Set

If you’re in the market for a beginner’s guitar then you couldn’t do much better than opting for a Yamaha six-string.

What’s more with their Guitar Go Starter Set you have a wonderful opportunity to learn this beautiful instrument with a one month free trial JamFactory Membership and one free guitar lesson at Yamaha Music School.

Included in this set is a Yamaha F310 Western Style acoustic guitar (with a two year guarantee), which has a comfortable fingerboard action and a particularly warm sound to it. Plus, the intermediate scale length is well-suited to younger players.

On top of the guitar, there’s also:

Guitar strap
Guitar stand
Soft guitar case
Spare set of guitar strings
Plectrums
Guitar tuner

Having a guitar tuner to hand is pretty much essential for learning to play the guitar, as a learner won’t be used to tuning the instrument by ear. This is a superb inclusion in an altogether bargain starter guitar pack that doesn’t compromise on quality.