Welcome to our Yamaha YPG 235 (or DGX 230) electronic keyboard review.
First, it is worth noting that the Yamaha YPG 235 is completely identical to the DGX 230, except perhaps for the color. They even share the same manual. Thus, when shopping around, you’ll want to look at prices for the Yamaha DGX-230 as well, in case it’s cheaper. Yamaha notoriously does this with several of its keyboards (having the same keyboard under completely different model names) which sometimes leads to confusion, especially when prices between the two identical models differ drastically. You can probably blame marketing for that; the 2 models are typically sold offline at different shops targeting different consumer groups.
The Yamaha YPG 235 keyboard is a portable grand piano keyboard featuring 76 piano-sized keys with “graded soft touch” (non-weighted, but with a bit of resistance) and a wide choice of high-quality instrumental tones. If you feel that 61 keys are not quite enough for a keyboard, and you don’t require the full set of 88 piano keys, then the Yamaha keyboard YPG-235 might be an ideal choice for you, whether you’re a student or an expert pianist.
Yamaha YPG 235 review – Features at a glance
- Size (width x height x depth): 46-3/8″ x 5-3/8″ x 16-1/4″
- Weight: 18 lbs, 5 oz.
- 76 piano-sized keys with touch-response
- graded-soft touch action
- pitch-bend wheel
- 32-note polyphony
- 116 panel voices, 12 drum/SFX kits and 361 XGlite voices
- 9 reverb effects
- full keyboard mode
- Yamaha Education Suite, 30 built-in songs + 70 songs on included CD-ROM
- USB connectivity
Yamaha YPG 235 review – A cheap and portable replacement for an acoustic piano
The Yamaha YPG-235 electronic keyboard is a great, cheap alternative to the acoustic piano. Just take a look at the following review from an impressed buyer of the YPG 235 on Amazon.com:
“…I wanted something that had keys that looked like a piano, felt like a piano, and sounded like a piano but didn’t cost like a piano. The Yamaha 235 is exactly what I was looking for. It is amazing how much like a piano it feels and sounds…(continued)”
So what makes the Yamaha YPG 235 a good replacement for an acoustic piano? The main reasons are:
- full keyboard mode
- realistic sound quality
- graded soft touch action with touch-response keys
Let’s take a look at these features in more detail.
Full Keyboard Mode
With the “Full Keyboard Mode“, the YPG 235 Yamaha sets itself apart from other electronic keyboards in this price range. While many portable keyboards require you to chord only on the left (bass) side of the keyboard when using the auto-accompaniment feature, the Yamaha Portable Grand YPG-235 electronic keyboard allows you to chord on the right side and play bass notes on the left, which matches the piano playing style more closely.
Realistic sound quality
With Yamaha keyboards, you can absolutely trust in the professional quality of the sound, especially the grand piano sound. Yamaha, after all, is a professional maker of countless acoustic (and digital) pianos and understands the nuances of reproducing the sounds electronically. The YPG 235 Yamaha keyboard is no different; you can expect realistic stereo sound quality not just in the grand piano tone, but all the other instrumental tones including the drum kits!
In addition, with 5 master equalizer (Master EQ) settings, you get to control the quality of the sound as it is reproduced through the internal speakers, external speaker system, or through your headphones!
Watch the following video which showcases the strings and grand piano instrumental voices of the Yamaha YPG235/DGX230:
Graded Soft Touch Action with Touch-Response Keys
As with most keyboards in this price range, don’t expect to find realistic weighted keys that simulate the feel of a true acoustic piano keys. Instead, the Yamaha YPG-235 76-key keyboard goes a step further than most other keyboards in this price range by providing “graded soft touch” action. That means that the keys offer slight resistance, with the lower keys on the left feeling just a tad heavier than the higher keys on the right, as on an acoustic piano. This does help if you plan to migrate to an acoustic or a digital piano with fully-weighted keys in future.
With 76 touch-response keys (meaning the loudness of a note varies depending on how hard you hit a key), the Yamaha YPG 235 is a great choice if you’re looking for a less costly alternative to an acoustic or digital piano, especially if you’re of the opinion that 61 keys is too limiting and you don’t require a full set of 88 keys (and you really don’t unless you’re already a very advanced pianist).
Take a look at the following snippet of a review by another very happy owner of the Yamaha YPG 235 electronic keyboard, referencing the touch of the keyboard, taken from Amazon.com:
“…the 235 possesses piano style Graded Soft Touch (GST) keys, which are not exactly weighted but occupy that perfect gap between pure synth keys and weighted. The feel is perfect for one who is used to standard synth-style keyboard keys yet longs for a little more control without sacrificing playability…(continued)”
Yamaha YPG 235 Review – Fun learning instrument
An advantage of an electronic keyboard versus a traditional piano is the wide choice of different instrumental sounds you can have in a keyboard. The YPG 235 has 116 panel voices, 361 XGLite voices and 12 SFX/drum kits. With a pitch-bend wheel and 9 reverb effects, you can have great fun playing and hearing different instruments when practising songs on the keyboard.
The keyboard is equipped with Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S.) along with a chord dictionary.
The Y.E.S. here is actually a little different from other Yamaha keyboards. Each of the 30 built-in songs and 70 songs on the included CD-ROM is divided into left and right hand parts, and there are 3 lessons for each hand:
- “Waiting Mode“: playback stops until you press the right note
- “Your Tempo Mode“: an innovative feature where the song actually slows down when you hit too many wrong notes to match your playing speed more accurately. This is great for learning at a pace suitable for you.
- “Minus One Mode“: Choose the part of the song you want to play, and the song will play normally except for that chosen part. Listen and play along at the same time!
There’s also the “Repeat and Learn” button which moves back a song four measures from the point you pressed the button. After all, practice makes perfect, and this feature is extremely handy for beginners.
Finally, notes and chord names are displayed on the LCD screen as you play them. The chord dictionary hows you how to play the chords, which is an essential skill to have as a keyboardist or aspiring pianist, especially for learning to play by ear.
Here’s a snippet of a testimonial comparing the YPG-235 with an older Yamaha keyboard. The testimonial is from yet another satisfied buyer of the Yamaha YPG 235 grand portable keyboard, on Amazon.com:
“…I was amazed at the features that the YPG-235 had that triumphed over the older version–for instance, a jog dial and a much better quality, now LED-lit screen showed a cool, blue radiance to it along with a full version of the music staff and a full preview of the keys being played was a major step forward. It also was significantly less crowded than the previous version, offering several more features…(continued)”
Yamaha YPG 235 Electronic Keyboard Review – Bottomline
The Yamaha YPG 235 portable keyboard is a good choice for a cheap replacement to the acoustic piano with its realistic sound, full keyboard mode and graded soft touch action with touch-response keys. In addition, with its wide array of instrumental sounds, and the innovative Yamaha Education Suite, it’s a fun learning tool for students or complete beginners. If sixty-one keys are too limiting for you, then consider getting the Yamaha YPG 235.
Yamaha YPG 235 Price
A great deal for the Yamaha keyboard YPG-235 can be found on Amazon. It is currently on sale for less than $250. That’s a savings of over $200 or over 50% off the listed price! With that current sale, it is actually cheaper than the DGX-230 which is also available on Amazon.
The listing does not include the official PA150 adapter or any kind of stand, so be sure to include them in your budget. A recommended Yamaha YPG 235 stand is the Yamaha PKBS1 adjustable X-Style keyboard stand. If you prefer a more stable platform stand instead of an X-stand, take a look at the Yamaha LW-16 stand (both stands are available on Amazon).
Filed under: Yamaha YPG 235 Electronic Keyboard.
