Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

As a value shopper, I also look for products that are a good middle of the road in quality, longevity, and features. Because let's face it, no matter how cheap something is if it falls apart or doesn't do what you want it to it really wasn't worth it. Too many times have I been taken in by price to find out I paid less...for a piece of junk. That's why I really appreciate the reviews on Amazon (and other sites). It's great to have a good cross-section of thoughts and opinions. Unfortunately we still have to filter the reviews based on our preferences and even the paid reviews, but if something is not 4 stars these days, I typically will not even give it the time of day. With the Yamaha TPG-235 keyboard I am happy to say that the reviews were very helpful in making this purchase. TONS of people have purchased and reviewed this item and about 9 out of 10 people have given it either 4 or 5 stars. That's impressive. I have discovered a way to keep prices down and still get the product that I want - SHOP THE REFURBISHED AND USED SECTION OF AMAZON! Amazon Warehouse items are usually open box or returned and I have yet to receive something from there that didn't still look brand new. Prices are typically around 15 - 25% off of the new price. ON TO THE KEYBOARD....ratings are on a scale of 1-10 1. AESTHETICS ** 8 ** The Yamaha TPG-235 doesn't look so much like a toy that you will not take it seriously though it is less appealing than some brands. We have previously owned a Williams piano and it was more sleek and looked more professional. BUT the Williams piano also felt like it was made out of concrete. It was SO heavy. The YPG-235 is light as a feather AND with 12 less keys than the typical 88-key keyboard, it's shorter as well. Which means if space is an issue (which it is for us) then you will like the shorter design. And you will VERY likely NOT miss the extra keys. 2. SOUND ** 9 ** Clearly (pun intended) this is an important feature of this item. If an instrument doesn't sound great it will be a disappointment...at least eventually it will. Going from a Williams keyboard to this one seemed like a downgrade - but it wasn't. It DOES sound less like a grand piano but it makes up for it with it's full sounding speakers and TONS of voices (361 to be exact). There's give and take (especially when you are on a budget) but after owning this now for a few months I have to say that I am completely satisfied with the grand piano sound. My daughter plays the keyboard and I play guitar and they sound fantastic together. We both play somewhere in between the competent to proficient skill levels. I play a Taylor guitar so I DO understand quality when I see/hear it. 3. QUALITY ** 9 ** I would say that the build quality is perfectly acceptable. The keys feel a little cheap and they are fairly noisy when the sound is down low or someone is playing using headphones. But when the volume is set to a normal playing level the key noise is completely drowned out. Speaker quality is superb and that is a HUGE plus with this item. The item is light but it doesn't feel so light that you feel that you are compromising quality at the same time. 4. FEATURES ** 9 ** The 361 voices are a lot of fun to play with. That alone will keep you entertained with this keyboard for the first week or 2. But it's all about the piano voice for what we play - which is worship and praise music to the Lord. My daughter plays some classical music as well and in reality 99.9% of the time the grand piano voice will be used. One feature that's nice is that you can hit a single button to return you to the default voice which is grand piano. It also allows you to transpose the keyboard to different intervals/keys. This is similar to putting a capo on a guitar. Yeah, it may seem like cheating, but it's nice when you are still learning. It does NOT come with a power cord unless you buy the "Standard Pack" (which was the same price when bought open box from Amazon Warehouse). So be prepared to buy one if you get the keyboard only. Also, no pedal but Amazon has some great pedals for a decent price. We have had the M-Audio SP-2 Universal Sustain Pedal purchased from Amazon for about 2 years and it's holding up wonderfully. The "Standard Pack" also comes with a stand which is probably adequate to hold this keyboard but we already had a more heavy duty one holding up our old Williams keyboard so we just used it. 5. VALUE ** 10 ** After researching and studying and reading review after review as well as comparing pricing for anything even close to price of this one, I have to say, you will not find a better keyboard than this one for $600 or less (the Yamaha YGP-535 is just under $600 and is essentially the same product with 12 more keys and a built in base and pedals and POSSIBLY better speakers). So if you are an extremely advanced player then perhaps look elsewhere but I do not consider this to be ONLY a beginner keyboard. Sure it's great for beginners too, but I think this instrument will take you well into the pre-advanced stages as well. 6. OVERALL ** 9 ** Of course there is room for improvement for a $250 instrument but unless you are ready to jump up to $600 - $1000 your search is over. Hope this helps someone out there and feel free to ask any specific questions you may have! Col. 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.