Yamaha P125 Digital Piano Review

The Yamaha P125 is another great instrument from the Yamaha Digital Piano P line. The P-line is a special series of portable digital pianos. It was released in 2018. It succeeded its predecessor, the legendary P115 digital piano, and immediately became the favorite of many musicians. Due to its low price, great sound, and functionality, this piano is still popular.

Here you can read P 115 digital piano review.

Let’s take a closer look at the Yamaha P 125 and talk in detail about all its features.

Yamaha P125 Digital Piano Review

Yamaha P125 is a portable digital piano. Due to its relatively lightweight and small size, it is easy to carry or transport. It doesn’t take up much space.

It is perfect for a small room – you can safely put it on the table during music lessons, and then put it aside. You can use a variety of piano stands, from a portable X-stand to a furniture stand L-125.

Using a special case, it is very convenient to take it with you. This makes Yamaha P125 an excellent option for street performance.

Compared to the previous P115 piano, the new P125 has added many different features. You can read a full review of the Yamaha P115 in our article.

Yamaha P 125 Full Specification List 

• 88 Key Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) keyboard
• Matte black keytop finish
• Hard/Medium/Soft/Fixed touch sensitivity
• Yamaha Pure CF Sound Engine, with Damper Resonance and Intelligent Acoustic Control
• 192 Note Polyphony
• 24 Instrument Sounds (4 piano sounds)
• 50 preset piano songs
• 21 demo songs
• 20 rhythm styles
• 4 types of reverb
• 2-track MIDI recorder (one User Song)
• Lesson function
• Transposition function, from -6 semitones to +6
• Compact sizing: 52 inch x 6.5 inch x 11 inch
• Light weight: 11.8kg
• Functions; dual/layers, split and duo
• 2-track recording
• 2x stereo headphone input (6.25in jack)
• Connections: DC In 12V, Sustain Pedal, Pedal unit (included,) AUX OUT, and USB TO HOST
• Metronome, from 5bpm to 280bpm

You can read more about the specifications on the official Yamaha website.

Yamaha P125 Review – Pros & Cons

Yamaha P125 Review –  Design

Now let’s talk in more detail about all the properties and features of this piano. Let’s start with its design.

The design of this piano is simple and elegant. The body is made of high-quality plastic. There are no design features or elements on it, it will easily fit into any interior.

The Look

Despite the minimalistic design, Yamaha P 125 does not look cheap at all! When used as a furniture stand, it can become the center of your room.

See how beautiful it looks in a modern interior!

Colors

Piano Yamaha P 125 is represented by the Yamaha brand in two colors – black and white.

Size & Weight

Yamaha P 125 is the middle model of the P range. It has a small weight and dimensions, which makes it easy to transport.

It weighs about 11.8 kg (26 lb).

The dimensions of the piano are 132 x 31 x 17 cm (52 ​​x 12 x 7 inches).

Yamaha P 125 Review – Keyboard

The piano has a full-size keyboard with 88 keys.

Key Action

Traditionally, like most Yamaha brand pianos, it uses the popular Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) mechanism. The feel of the P 125 keyboard is very close to that of the previous P 115 model.

This instrument features an 88-key fully weighted keyboard that uses a graduated hammer key action to recreate the feel of a real piano. GHS action mechanism imitates the key action of an acoustic real piano. Lower case keys are harder to press than upper case keys.

The keyboard is pressure sensitive. The harder you press the key, the louder the sound will be. This makes it easy to use all the gradations of sound – from pianissimo to fortissimo. Key action feels like a real acoustic piano.

In addition, you can adjust the keyboard sensitivity level. The P125 has 4 levels of settings – Hard/Medium/Soft/Fixed touch sensitivity. With a fixed setting, you will not be able to change the sound volume while playing.

For daily practice, I recommend using the medium level.

Keys

Every key on the keyboard is made of plastic. They do not use the material to imitate ivory. The white keys have a glossy finish, while the black ones have a matte finish. This prevents your fingers from slipping off the black key while playing.

Yamaha P 125 Review – Sound

In terms of sound, the Yamaha P 125 has some changes from the P 115. It also uses the Pure CF sound engine, which uses samples from the world-famous Yamaha CFIIIS 9′ Concert Grand.

The main concert grand piano tone on the P-125 uses 4-layer sampling, as opposed to the 3 layers on the P-115. The R-125 has a brighter sound compared to the R-115.

The 4th layer is added in order to make the sound more dynamic and provide a smoother transition between samples. There are also some elements that make the sound more natural. These elements are damper resonance, string resonance, and key-off simulation.

It also has a new Stereophonic Optimizer feature. This adds realism to the sound.

Let’s hear how p 125 sounds.

Polyphony

The instrument has a polyphony of 192 notes, which is much higher than most pianos in this price range (typically 128 note polyphony is used). 192 notes will definitely be enough for whatever effects you want to use on the piano.

Speaker system (Speakers)

Yamaha P 125 also received an update to the acoustic speaker system. It has 4 speakers (2 on each side), which is not common on digital pianos in this price range.

These are two 12 cm full-range drivers and two 4 cm tweeters. They provide clean high frequencies. Together, the speakers deliver 14W of power. These speakers are enough for a medium-sized room, so you don’t have to use additional amplifiers. The piano sounds really good!

The P125 also has several other features that improve sound quality:

• Table EQ 
• Sound Boost
• Intelligence Acoustic Control

Table EQ – This is a special setting for adjusting the sound when the piano is resting on a table. It does not allow sound to come from down-facing speakers.

Sound Boost – This feature is designed to make the sound louder and clearer. Sound boost helps improve the sound of the piano when playing in an ensemble.

Intelligence Acoustic Control (IAC) is Yamaha’s patented technology that we’ve already seen on the P-115. This function automatically adjusts the frequency balance and makes both high and low notes clearly audible even at low volume levels.

Piano Sound

On the P 115, 14 different tones were presented, and on the Yamaha P125, 10 more were added.

The P125 piano now has 24 built-in tones. They represent 6 groups of different instruments with 4 tone variations in each of them.

The world-famous Yamaha CFIIIS 9′ Concert Grand was used to record the piano sound. In total, we have 4 piano options – Grand Piano, Live Grand, Ballad Grand, and Bright Grand.

Other Included Sounds

Other instruments include a synthesizer, organ, сlavichord /vibraphone, strings, and bass.

Effects and Reverb

The P 125 also features such sound effects as reverb. There are 4 types of reverb in total – Recital Hall, Concert Hall, Chamber, and Club. This gives you the opportunity to choose the most suitable variant of the sound of your instrument.

Yamaha P 125 Review – Features

And now let’s find out what other possibilities this wonderful musical instrument has.

Modes

There are three keyboard modes in P125 – Dual Mode, Split Mode, and Layer Mode.

Dual mode conditionally divides the keyboard in the middle into two parts. So you get like two pianos, but with a smaller pitch range. This is very convenient for practicing with beginners and for playing simple piano duets.

Split mode also splits the keyboard into two parts, but you can select two different sounds. For example, you can set an organ sound for the left hand of a pariah and a string sound for the right hand. In this way, you can get a large number of interesting sound combinations.

Layer mode allows you to combine two different sounds. For example, you can combine piano and vibraphone, synthesizer and strings, etc. Thus, any piece of music will sound as if on two instruments at once.

Music Library 

Digital piano P 125 has a built-in music library of 50 songs, including works by famous composers. You can listen to them while enjoying great music, or use them for practice.

On any track, you can turn on the left and right hands separately. You can play the right-hand part and listen to the left-hand part in the recording. This will help you train each hand well individually and develop duet and accompaniment skills.

Recording and Playback

If you are composing your own music, the midi recording function will come in very handy. On this piano, you can record any piece in midi format and transfer the data to your computer. You can record two tracks on one song, such as separate parts for each hand, or parts for two instruments.

Note! Only one song can be stored in the piano’s memory! When you record the next one, the first one will be deleted.

But this problem has a solution! You can install the Yamaha Smart Pianist app on your phone, ios device, or tablet and connect your musical instrument to it. This will give you the ability to record an unlimited number of songs.

Rhythm Section

The P125 has 20 rhythmic accompaniment options. They are presented in different styles and genres. Each rhythm contains drum and bass parts.

Unlike the accompaniment function on the P-115, you don’t need to play chords in your left hand and a melody in your right. You can freely play across the entire keyboard and the accompaniment will automatically follow you in real time. Thus, the music will sound like in a real band.

Yamaha P 125 Review – Connectivity

The new P 125 has the same ports as the P 115. These are two headphone jacks, a USB host port, Aux Out jacks, and a sustain pedal jack.

All of them are located on the back of the musical instrument. Only the headphone ports are on the front left. These are 1/4-inch stereo jacks, which give us the opportunity to connect two pairs of headphones at once.

Aux Out (Line Out). There are two 1/4″ jacks (R, L/Mono) that can be used to connect the keyboard to audio equipment.

USB host port (type B). This allows us to connect the piano to a tablet, phone, or computer. This makes it possible to transfer midi data or expand the capabilities of the piano using third-party applications. For example, GarageBand for creating music or FlowKey for learning.

The USB port can transfer not only MIDI data but also audio data. This is quite rare in this price range.

Smart Pianist App

Piano P125 can be connected to a phone or tablet using the Smart Pianist app. This app is available for both iPhone and Android.

The application has a very user-friendly interface. This gives you access to all the functions of the piano with much greater convenience.

For example, when listening to a song from the library, you can select the part of each hand separately, set the tempo, and volume, and even see the music score. You can select any song on your phone and view the chords and scores for it.

With the application, you can record your piano playing not only in MIDI format, but also in audio format (ACC or WAV). Thus, you will get a high-quality audio file.

The application also has a registration memory function. It allows you to save various settings and easily switch between them.

Below you can watch a detailed video on how to use this application.

Digital Piano Accessories

Now let’s talk about accessories. P 125 comes with only the essentials – a sheet music stand (music rest), footswitch, AC power adapter, and Instruction manual.

However, for most users, these accessories will not be enough. Let’s find out what accessories can be purchased additionally.

Stand

The P125 is designed to sound good even on a table. However, it is much more convenient to use a special stand. There are two types of piano stands – x-shaped and furniture.

The X-type stand is very light and portable. It can be adjusted in height, which is very convenient if you do not have a special adjustable bench. It can be easily folded and put aside after use, and also carried with you when needed.

It is ideal for outdoor performances or small spaces. In addition, such a stand is quite cheap. It is not possible to connect a set of three pedals to this stand, you can only use the sustain.

There is also a second option – this is a furniture stand L-85. It looks very nice in the interior, more reliable and stable. However, it costs more and takes up more space.

Note! If you want to connect a block of three pedals LP-1, you need a furniture stand.

Pedals

A footswitch (sustain pedal) is included, but I don’t recommend using it for music practice. It doesn’t look like an acoustic piano pedal at all.

You can buy one of the Yamaha FC3A or Yamaha FC4A pedals. They draw like an acoustic piano pedal, have a half-pedal feel, and feel like an acoustic piano.

There are three pedals on an acoustic piano. In this article, you can learn more about their features and how to use them. If you’re a professional musician, you’ll need the LP-1 three-pedal set. Thus, you get all the same pedaling capabilities as on an acoustic instrument. Please note that a furniture stand is also required for their installation.

Headphones

You may need headphones for practicing in the evening so as not to disturb others, or for practicing in noisy environments so that others do not disturb you. In addition, good headphones provide clear and beautiful sound.

Piano Light

Proper lighting is very important for classes, especially if you like to play in the evening. Pay attention to the lighting in your room. And if necessary, purchase a special piano lamp for a digital piano. It will provide you with good lighting, keep your eyes healthy and help you focus more easily. Here you can see the top 10 best options.

Piano Benches

Proper seating is very important for playing the piano. An ordinary chair or an office chair is absolutely not suitable for this! Every pianist needs a special bench of the correct height. In our article, you can read about how tall a piano bench should be and how to choose the right bench. And here you can see the best options.

Yamaha P 125 – Who it’s for?

Who is this digital piano suitable for? Firstly, I want to note that the P 125 is one of the best options in terms of the price-quality ratio on the market. P 125 is ideal for beginners and even for intermediate level, and for amateur musicians. But for professional music education, there are more expensive and suitable options.

Digital Pianos – Alternatives of P 125

Of course, this digital piano has other alternatives. Of the most popular options in the same price range, you can consider Kawai ES110, Roland FP-30, or Casio RH-160.

If you need a cheaper option, the Yamaha P45 is perfect. If more portable – Yamaha P-121, which has a keyboard of 73 keys.

Of the more expensive options, you can consider the Clavinova from Yamaha, Roland F701, Casio AP-470, and Kawai KDP110.

Yamaha P125 Review – Summary

Here we end our review. We talked in detail about the Yamaha P125 piano, its features, advantages, and disadvantages. I hope that you have found the answer to your question in my article and will be able to help you choose the right piano for you.

If you are considering buying an acoustic piano, I invite you to read my article and become familiar with the different types of instruments.

If you have any questions, write them in the comments, and I will be happy to answer you.

If you are just choosing a piano model, I recommend that you read our article The 10 Best Digital Pianos Under 1000$.

Best regards, your Lucy.

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