Yamaha YC 73

[thomasmichael]

Hi everyone, I’m new to the forum, and I’m looking to get a new keyboard. I would like to get one keyboard that would fit my needs, that won’t weigh too much (back problems), and will fit into my small Toyota Yaris. I’ve seen several videos on the new Yamaha YC series, and I was particularly interested in the YC 73. I’m primarily a piano player, and I’m used to keyboards with weighted keys. I currently have a Yamaha MX88 and Yamaha P115. I was looking to get a keyboard that has a greater ability to modify the sound at live performances, and that has a better organ section with draw bars. I mostly use acoustic piano and electric piano patches, but I really wanted to work on my organ playing. I am playing in jazz and funk bands, and I’m a church musician. I read that the action on the YC 73 is similar to that of a Rhodes. I wanted to try one, so I called the Guitar Center and Sam Ash stores here in the Los Angeles area. I was told that there was no store in the LA area that had any of the YC series on their floor to be played. They said that it was mostly due to the pandemic. So, I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the YC 73 and if anyone had played one and could tell me what the action was like. I know it’s a new series, but I assume that there are a few out there.



Thank you,



thomasmichael

 

[anotherscott]

YC73 has same action as CP73, so maybe you can find that one in some store to try...?

But if by "I want to work on my organ playing" you mean you want to develop better organ technique, I'd avoid hammer actions. OTOH, non-hammer actions will not be as good for your piano work. So the best answer is to use two keyboards. You'd be better off putting a YC61 over your MX88 or P115.

 

[thomasmichael]

Thanks for your response anotherscott. Yes, that's the thing.........you really need two keyboards to get the real experience of both the organ (semi weighted waterfall key bed) and piano (weighted keys). My ideal setup would probably be a YC61 (or Nord Electro) over a Yamaha CP 88 (I'm not really crazy about the acoustic piano sounds on my MX 88). But, for now, I'm really looking to get by with just one keyboard to make for an easier set up and break down, and to go easier on my back and budget. I thought that the YC 73 would be a keyboard that's somewhere in the middle. That means that it's not ideal for organ or piano (maybe for Rhodes), but it would be a more versatile and higher quality keyboard, with more possibilities for real time sound modification, than what I have now. If I really get into playing more organ and get decent at it I would probably get a dedicated organ keyboard. For now I'm just looking for a keyboard that is multifunctional.

I didn't know that the CP 73 and the YC 73 have the same action. Because they say that the YC 73 action is somewhere in between organ and piano, I really want to try it out. Ideally it would be nice if were heavy enough that it would feel familiar for a piano player like me, but light enough to glide around on it like an organist (palm glissandos, etc.) when playing organ. I will call down to LA (live a little north) this week and see if anyone has a CP 73 on their sales floor. Thanks very much for the suggestion.

BTW, I'm also looking to get a new amp to run my keyboard through. I currently use a small PA system (2 QSC K8s and a Yamaha MG06x). The sound is very good, especially for church with the acoustic piano patch on my P115 (nice acoustic piano sound!). But, again I'm trying to simplify my setup for rehearsals and some gigs. I was looking at the Aspen Pittman Designs Center Point Stereo Spacestation V.3 280W 3D Stereo Monitor. Let me know if anyone has experience using the Aspen Pittman as a keyboard amp.

thanks again anotherscott for you help,

Tom

 

[anotherscott]

Spacestation is not the best for piano, but most stuff sounds fine, and it does give you a nice stereo spaciousness out of a single box. EQ can help a lot with the piano, to get rid of a slight midrange bump the Spacestation imparts (to my ears), but neither your P115 nor your MG06x have much in the way of EQ flexibility. My own concession to keeping things simple/compact/lightweight is to run mono rather than stereo.

I'd probably rather play piano on the YC61 keys than play organ on the YC73 keys... but if your gigs are more piano heavy and/or your piano needs exceed 61 keys, that may not be a viable option for you either.

At the moment, my favorite lightweight "one board for everything" would be the Kurzweil PC4-7. For a non-hammer action, it's suprisingly playable for pianos (including having 76 keys, which is generally enough), and the 9 sliders can also act as organ drawbars. It's very flexible, with tons of options for real-time manipulation (9 sliders, 9 knobs, 10 buttons, all with customizable functions), but you often need to set the controls up to do what you want them to do, as opposed to on a YC where there are dedicated controls for each function. If you can't find one to try, the SP6-7 should feel about the same.

 

[thomasmichael]

thanks anotherscott for your suggestions. I'll check out the Kurtzweil keyboard. Is there a single box stereo keyboard amp in the price range of the Spacestation that I mentioned that you could recommend?

 

[anotherscott]

Is there a single box stereo keyboard amp in the price range of the Spacestation that I mentioned that you could recommend?

Also worth checking out is the Motion Sound KP-408S. It's stereo spaciousness is not as impressive as the Spacestation's, and it's a bit heavier and a bit more expensive... but piano sounds better.

 

[thomasmichael]

I'll check out the Motion Sound amp. Thanks again for all of your help!

 

[Roseland67]

I too am looking for a single gigging board, 50/50 piano/organ.

Nord Electro appears to check most boxes but do not like the waterfall keys for piano on the D
and I despise the goofy pushbuttons used for organ on the HP, (I mean really, what organ played uses push buttons?).

The YC-73 appeals to me, kinda, almost, sorta nice enough keys for piano and I can live with the keys they used for organ.
Neither satisfying both needs completly, but both sufficiently enough if it means carrying/setting up 1 board as opposed to 2.

I dunno, maybe I’m just getting ornery since I got my Medicare card.

 

[anotherscott]

For 50/50 piano/organ with real drawbars and hammer action, YC73 looks like a good choice. My first choice would probably be the Dexibell S9, but it's heavier and pricier.

 

[Roseland67]

For 50/50 piano/organ with real drawbars and hammer action, YC73 looks like a good choice. My first choice would probably be the Dexibell S9, but it's heavier and pricier.

Thanks, $$ aint the problem, but Hoisting my gear is getting harder, I wanna travel light and light.

The Hammond might as we’ll be welded to the basement floor, the Leslie only move cause it has wheels.
I can’t carry the Marshall JMP 50 combo up the stairs anymore so I bought an F30 Mesa for my guitar gigs.
Getting old ain’t for sissy’s I’m here to tell you.

 

[anotherscott]

Yeah, that Dexibell is 44 lbs isn't bad for what it is, but the YC73 is under 30.

 

[Roseland67]

I ordered the Electro 6d from Sweetwater and really wanted to like it but the TP8 or whatever key they use is not to my liking,
so it went back.

 

[anotherscott]

I ordered the Electro 6d from Sweetwater and really wanted to like it but the TP8 or whatever key they use is not to my liking,
so it went back.

Yes, you mentioned how you didn't like its waterfall keys. Though that doesn't necessarily mean you want like any of the non-hammer actions (or even all other waterfalls, since they don't all feel the same either, though they feel closer to each other than they do to any hammer action board). So if you find the YC73 doesn't click for you either, there are still some other lightweight options. (As I mentioned above, I like the Kurzweil PC4-7... maybe supplemented with an iPhone/iPad app if you want to bring up its organ quality. You can also get replacement slider caps to make the faders look like drawbars.)

 

[Roseland67]

Is that one of the Medelli sets?

 

[anotherscott]

Yes, the PC4-7 is a Medeli semi-weighted. Personally, I like it better than the Medeli hammer action of the PC4.

 

[Roseland67]

I’ll look into it, think they had one at Kraft

 

[delaware dave]

Have you considered a Roland VR700?

 

[anotherscott]

VR700 is a nice piano/organ combo, if you're opening up the field to used items as well. It's got one of the nicest non-hammer actions for piano. Better action than PC4-7 both for piano and for organ. Sonically, I'd give Roland the edge on organ, Kurzweil the edge on piano. Though if it's for easy gigging, it's worth noting that the PC4-7 is about 19 lbs, the Roland is about 35.

If anyone is interested in a VR-700, I've got one I haven't used in forever, I'd sell it.

 

[Roseland67]

Yes, the PC4-7 is a Medeli semi-weighted. Personally, I like it better than the Medeli hammer action of the PC4.

Which Medeli is in the SP6? Hammer action
I think, but not sure

 

[anotherscott]

Which Medeli is in the SP6? Hammer action
I think, but not sure

SP6 and PC4 use a hammer action Medeli, in 88 keys.
SP6-7 and PC4-7 use a semi-weighted Medeli, in 76 keys.