Yamaha DGX505 Review

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Yamaha DGX505
4.1 stars
Average rating for this product is: 4.1 out of 5

From 3 ratings and 3 reviews

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AWG's Review of Yamaha DGX505 Keyboard

31st Mar 2005

Overall Rating

4 stars
  • Value for money
    4.5 stars
  • Appearance
    5 stars
  • Sound Quality
    3 stars
  • Reviewer's Musical Standard
    Advanced
Good Points

Good all round musical package for the money.


Bad Points

Totally uninspiring.


General Comments

Yamaha DGX505:
Oh dear, it's a Yamaha and I not only expected it to be good but I also wanted it to be good.

I had a chance to try out the new DGX505 7 octave piano based keyboard that is selling so fast. I had studied the demo. video several times and observed the demonstrator first of all plays a short passage from Fur Elise. Ok, so most kids learn to play this, so a good move by Yamaha. The piece also requires more than the average 4 or 5 octaves the average cheap keyboard can provide. The Grand Piano setting used in the demo. struck me as being lacking in tonal quality. The demonstrator's body language maybe also partially gives this away. Yes?

He then moves on to show how you can play 'Summer Holiday' with one or two fingers and have a magnificent auto backing. This progresses to 'The Muffin Man' which shows that no musical ability is needed as you can just vamp out the melody tempo with one's elbow!

My first impression of the Grand Piano setting was not good. My old Yamaha YPR-30 piano from 1990 has greater tonal quality. The organ voices reminded me of my Club playing days when one hoped to arrive to find a Hammond tonewheel instrument and cringed at the thought of a Yamaha, Baldwin etc.

Now don't get me wrong; this is a great entertainment package for families with children learning to play; or for the home pianist who prefers to spend an hour or so doing something creative rather than watch TV. I am not being a snob or elitist, - but did Yamaha intend any of the DGX series to be for more advanced or professional (ex-pro. in my case) musician? I tried all the lesser DGX models too with the same conclusion. I am almost embarrassed to admit I found exactly what I was looking for under the Casio name, in their extraordinary 'out of character' WK3500 keyboard.

I love Yamaha instruments and have a tremendous respect for them, but maybe a good way of describing the DGX is to compare it to another Japanese product, a Toyota Corolla car. Superb build quality and reliabilty, but totally lacking lustre.

I give my ratings out of years of admiration to Yamaha, but not this time I'm afraid.

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