Yamaha YPG-235 Review: Find Out Why It's Still A Top Notch 76-Key Keyboard in 2023

Last updated: Feb 27, 2023

The Yamaha YPG-235 Review At A Glance#

Yamaha YPG-235 VIEW AT AMAZON

Ease of Use

Beginner friendly

Price

Affordable at less than $300!

Rating

Highly recommended!

We like:

*Touch sensitive keys

*489 XG ​lite/GM voices

*Music database with 267 songs

*Yamaha Education Suite

*Dual and split modes available

*Light at just 16 pounds

We don't like:

*Non-weighted keys

Quick Navigation The Yamaha YPG-235 Review At A Glance ​A Short Introduction An Overview of Yamaha YPG-235 Features Advantages of Yamaha YPG-235 Disadvantages of Yamaha YPG-235 A Few Yamaha YPG-235 User Reviews Frequently Asked Questions Should you buy the Yamaha YPG-235?

A Short Introduction#

An Overview of Yamaha YPG-235 Features#

Advantages of Yamaha YPG-235#

Check out this short video highlighting some of the main features of the Yamaha YPG-235:

1) Friendly features for the creative player

The Yamaha YPG-235 has an onboard 6-track sequencer, meaning it is great for those bursts of artistic inspiration and get to work on them as soon as possible. Plus, it has this neat feature called "Easy Song Arranger" that allows you to remix MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) files so you can play around with them and concoct your own masterpiece.

You might remember reading above that this keyboard has almost 500 voices. To be specific, it has has 489 quality XGlite/GM voices for even more expressive playing.

Additionally, you can multitask with this bad boy. If you want the challenge, try using the Layer and Split modes for a better sound experience; that's right, you can actually play bass notes with your left hand and control a string section with your right!

I, myself is a fan of convenience. I want things to be done as easy as possible because why waste my time on trying to do complicated things when I can use that time to brush up my skills? Good thing with this keyboard is that once you think that you are satisfied with playing around with the sounds, and you think you have the sequence perfectly timed, you can easily save your masterpiece to your PC via USB. If you would like to take your project somewhere, just pop in a portable USB thumb drive, and you are good to go!

2) More for the player who wants to learn on their own pace

As mentioned previously, the Yamaha YPG-235 includes the self-branded Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S.), which is essentially a sort of "learn on your own" type of thing. This will give you interactive lessons to develop your piano skills and even monitors your progress. It's like having an online personal coach.

This suite includes 30 internal songs, plus you can get around 70 more on the CD. This translates to you playing around with more challenging pieces while at the same time you can practice on your own pace and not having to match up with anyone else's progress.

On top of that, its flash ROM memory will allow you to download more songs, and you can plug in a USB thumb drive to add more of your favorite MIDI songs and learn them using the Y.E.S!

Cool, huh? I think so too. I would definitely love to practice Havana by Camila Cabello on my own pace and not get intimidated by other people by comparing my progress to them since I have Y.E.S. as my "coach". I also like the fact that my options are not limited since I can download more songs.

Side note: a good website to get MIDI songs is Yamaha MusicSoft.

3) Excellent value for money

Shelling your hard-earned money can be — let's face it—tough. Even if we are spending it on something we love or as a hobby, there might be moments of hesitation like "is it worth my dollar?"

The Yamaha YPG-235 is, frankly, a digital piano that is considered as a portable grand. Yet, it is at the lower side of things, price-wise. But I cannot reiterate this enough: price is not equal to quality. The Yamaha YPG-235 might be around $250-$300 but it is a very capable machine. Its durability and functionality has been tested and proven by multiple Youtube reviews. What's more is that no matter what level of player you are, this keyboard can accommodate you. Regardless if you are a beginner, intermediate, or expert, you will enjoy playing with the Yamaha YPG-235.

Comparing it to its sister, the Yamaha YPG-535, the Yamaha YPG-235 can be called the mini-535. Put the two side by side, and you can't see much difference. Obviously the number of keys differ but hey, those 76 keys are enough for most players and a great stepping stone for beginners who are ready to upgrade from 61-key models.

The Yamaha YPG-235 is a keyboard that has the bells and whistles and features of a more expensive keyboard. For this kind of deal it's just really hard to say no.

4) Classic build and design

The YPG-235 looks straightforward. It's not cluttered with buttons, which is a plus for me because simplicity is beauty you know? I don't appreciate being confused and intimidated by the button's different functions. The keyboard's control interface does it's job enough as well because it help you navigate with ease.

And listen up, do you often see a keyboard or piano that's not black or white or even brown? I don't think so. The Yamaha YPG-235 certainly stands out because of its unique color: champagne gold! It gives a classy glossy finish and compliments the natural color of the speakers and the classic black and white keys.

Size-wise, the piano has a respectable size, with just over 46 inches, and a width of 16 inches. It weighs around 8.3 kilograms, or just over sixteen pounds. This weight is convenient enough for any player who is always on the go, and is for anyone who would like to transfer places oftentimes.

Of course, the 2-way Speaker System is one of the main features of this keyboard. Other pianos and keyboards with lower price than the YPG-235 are giving customers with less than acceptable sound quality but the YPG-235 has two sets of separate woofers and tweeters that brings out the best from the sounds on this keyboard. In addition to this, there's the Bass Boost System, which is essentially two ports on each speaker, adding a touch bass if so needed.

Disadvantages of Yamaha YPG-235#

I personally think it sucks that most retailers selling the YPG-535 doesn't come with a stand, sustain pedal, and a power adapter (you'd have to buy extra). Although it is worth noting that this should not discourage you from buying this model. There are some sites offering bundles (most notably Amazon), with World Tour Deluxe Padded Keyboard Bench, the Yamaha PA150 adapter (if you don't want to use batteries), and the Yamaha HPE-150 Stereo Headphones so you might want to look into that.

And yes, this keyboard runs on 6 D cell batteries which might not be included when you purchase this model so it will be an added expense.

Some people would also think that this keyboard is a bit heavy, although that is subjective and might not be applicable to everyone. Please check the size and the dimension of this model above to see if this will be suitable for you.

This is not a weighted keyboard so kindly take note of this if you are not impressed by its Graded Soft Touch keys.

A Few Yamaha YPG-235 User Reviews#

I gathered a few reviews for this model to help you make a decision:

This is a great digital piano. It has just about everything you would want, and decent, to amazing sounds. It is built great. It is very durable, yet light, has a bright screen, 76 key design, key pad, everything that you would need, except weighted keys. I got this because it is only around $280, but performs like a $2000 dollar machine. I use this for recording, and some live performing. It can really be used for any style, and any type of playing, whether its gigs, or recording. For the price it is unbeatable, and will not fail you. I would recommend getting the Yamaha Survival Pack, which has the power adapter, stands and stuff like that. You just can't go wrong with this if you don't want to spend a lot of money. Great investment, and I am usually very critical about stuff. Great size for me (a beginner) and good sound. Some sounds are a bit overly electrical sounding, such as natural sounds (streams, rain, cars, etc.). I would have thought they'd be better sounding. But the piano is nice. This keyboard is, hands down, the best digital piano on the market for the money. Yamaha has the best digital piano sound, and to get this alone for the price is fantastic. All the other features are just icing. I still can't believe how affordable this instrument is. It's worth twice what you'll pay. It's affordable for a reason as it is made of plastic, but it feels surprisingly solid and well built, this being the case. It's also quite aesthetically pleasing.

Frequently Asked Questions#

1) Does this keyboard have an MIDI output connector?

It has a USB-B connection, which supports the MIDI interface.

2) Is there a transpose button on the YPG-235?

It does not have a transpose "button" per se, but on the menu location that you access via the function key there is an option which allows you to transpose. Might be a better if there is a dedicated button for that though.

3) How many songs can you record? Can I delete the 30 songs that is pre-loaded to make room for my own music?

It does not have a limit on the number of songs that you can record BUT there's a limit on the number of keystrokes it can remember which is around 5,000. The 30 songs that came with the unit cannot be deleted. They are in fixed memory.

Should you buy the Yamaha YPG-235?#

Definitely, a big yes!

This 76-key keyboard is a great investment whether you're just beginning to learn how to play or you're an intermediate or even an advanced piano player. You can't be lugging your piano around (who would?!), but you certainly can carry this Yamaha YPG-235 wherever you go.

If you think 61 keys are too little for you, and you're looking for the next model up, then consider the Yamaha YPG-235. I promise you won't regret it!

Check out our other Yamaha keyboard reviews:

Our Yamaha PSR E453 Review: The Best Digital Keyboard Under $300 in 2023 Yamaha PSR-EW400 Review: Best 76-Key Digital Keyboards Under $300 in 2023 Yamaha YPG-235 Review: Find Out Why It's Still A Top Notch 76-Key Keyboard in 2023 Our Yamaha NP-32 Review: 6 Reasons Why It's The Perfect 76-Key Lightweight Portable Keyboard in 2023 Our Yamaha EZ 220 Review: Simply The Best Portable Keyboard Under $200 in 2023 Our Yamaha YPT 240 Review: 10 Reasons It's a Top Portable Keyboard To Learn Piano in 2023 Our Yamaha PSR E253 Review: 7 Reasons It's An Excellent Portable Keyboard To Learn Piano in 2023