Customer Reviews

Yamaha EZ-200 61 Full-Sized Touch Sensitive Lighted Keyboard Bundle

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Now, I have to admit that I was a bit nervous about buying a keyboard via the Internet, as I have never owned one beforehand. However, I wanted to learn how to play the piano and had heard that this was a good one to start with from several different piano teachers. Wow, this is quite the bargain. The keyboard comes with a stand, headphones (in case you don't want to run off all of your family and friends as you're learning to play), and also a power adapter. I was surprised to find out that the keyboard does not normally come with these features, (as they are traditionally sold separately), but this package comes with all of these features!

The keyboard comes with about 100 built-in songs, (a part of the Yamaha Educational Suite), which you can learn to play along with. (Personally, I have found it easier to buy the Bastien learning series books, as the songs that are included with this keyboard are in small print. This is just my experience, but since I am teaching myself to play, I have found these starter books to be a wonderful guide for an absolute beginner. I am already starting to play songs that I never dreamed possible! Wow, so cool...)

One thing that I really like about this keyboard is that it's piano voice sounds just like a high-quality grand piano. Best of all, the keyboard is very simple to use -- and not complicated.

One thing that I am disappointed in is that it does not come with a USB connection. Instead, I had to buy a MIDI-connector for $40 dollars, so I could connect it to my Mac. I wanted to record my playing, but quickly discovered that Apple's Garageband couldn't seem to work with it. Yes, I have read the instruction manual and followed its directions step-by-step, but still no results. Garageband claims that its connected, but no results.

Overall, this is a great keyboard for getting started. If you are hoping to record your music, you might want to check into a more expensive Yamaha model with a USB connector.

I read many reviews of this keyboard before I purchased it, both good and bad, and I agree with a number of the comments others have made -- I love the keyboard, hate the stand.

First, I love this keyboard and the teaching system. I have found the multiple teaching methods to be very handy and clever. You have the option of learning by following along with a demonstration while the keys light up, or you can just sit and watch and learn, or you can practice tapping out the rhythm on any key just to get the pacing right, or you can use the "wait" method, where the keys light up and the song plays along with you, but if you stop or get the wrong key, the system waits for you, holds the song at that point, lights up the correct key(s) to hit, and does not proceed until you get it right, then continues. I like that you can turn off the demonstration at any point, and you can turn off the lighted keys if you like and just play the instrument like a regular piano.

You can also learn by following the diagram of the two hands in a window just above the keys, which shows which fingers on both hands are used to play each note. If you are a slower learner and prefer to learn one hand at a time, you can program the instruction to mute the left or right hand so you can concentrate on just one.

You can also learn by looking at the staves that picture each note and where it appears on the lines or spaces, which is great if you do not read music yet and have no idea how the black and white piano keys relate to the notes on the page.

I love the feature that allows you to set the tempo, and I have learned many a difficult passage by slowing down that particular section, then using the repeat feature to automatically run through that part over and over until I tell it to stop, then returning to the next section, at either the normal tempo or continuing in a slower tempo. I love the feature that allows you to have chords automatically accompany you using just one finger of the left hand while you focus on learning the right hand melody, OR, if you want to play the keyboard like a regular piano, you can turn off the auto-accompaniment and play the full chords yourself.

There are hundreds of voices and styles and tunes to choose from, and the instruction booklet that comes with the keyboard teaches you how to use all those features. One of the most amazing aspects is how the voice called "Grand Piano" makes your electric keyboard sound like just that -- like having a baby grand in the living room. Or you can make yourself sound like a church organ or violins or brass or woodwinds and on and on. You can add drumbeats and other backgrounds in absolutely any musical style you can think of. A legend printed above the keys offers numerous short-cut suggestions for choosing the style and voice you want. A keypad lets you choose which song you would like to learn, and those numbers correspond to the songs in the songbook that comes with the keyboard, and these songs are programmed into the listen-and-learn built-in songs. My only complaint with the song book is the notes are printed so tiny I have to squint. I guess they did that to squeeze in the songs on the fewest pages to save printing costs and to keep beginners from having to turn so many pages.

I've had my keyboard a little over a month, and I am already sight-reading and playing Chopin and Beethoven pieces, but I must admit I already had some musical background on a different instrument, and that helped some. But if you want a system where you can be playing a tune the very next day after your package arrives, this is the keyboard for you.

All in all, I love this keyboard.

Now for the downer: all the bad things that other reviewers said about the stand that comes with this keyboard are true -- this stand simply DOES NOT fit this keyboard. If you put your keyboard on top of this stand, your keyboard will slide off and crash to the floor. I knew this before buying and decided I wanted the keyboard anyway. I have to set my keyboard on a separate table, but it is not really the right height for proper keyboard hand position so I have to put pillows in the chair to bring me up to the right height. That's rather pesky.

If it weren't for this ridiculously wrong stand, I would have given this product five stars. What could Yamaha be thinking when they packaged this stand with this keyboard when it CLEARLY does not fit it? I'm amazed a company with as good a reputation in the musical instruments world as Yamaha has would risk their reputation this way. Shame on them for not fixing the problem, now that they know about it. (Numerous buyers have alerted them.)

Now back to the keyboard: I also wish to point out that once I got the hang of the Yamaha lighted keyboard system, which only took a day or two, I also ordered two more things separately. I bought the book offered on Amazon called "How to Play Keyboards" by Roger Evans, and I really learned a lot from this little book (under ten dollars). I'm glad I bought it because he offers some techniques that are a bit more advanced, and he has some great tunes in his instruction book. The book is a paperback and tightly bound so it does not lie flat on the music book stand that comes with your Yamaha, but I use two bean bags to hold my pages down.

The other thing I purchased (from [...]) was Will Barrow's "Learn and Master Piano" instructional package of 14 DVDs, 5 play-along CDs, and a 100-plus page lesson book, This is one amazing instructional method. It's much more advanced than the lighted-key method, but if you want to learn piano in a more complete way, this is one fantastic system. It isn't cheap, but you get a lot for your money. Note that there are one or two spots where your 61-key keyboard will leave you a bit in the lurch, since this system assumes you will be seated in front of 88 keys, but I did not find this to be too pesky, and it did not come up that often. He doesn't start with childish tunes like so many teaching methods do; he gives you Lennon-McCartney tunes, well-known rock piano segments (Lean on Me, Louie Louie, and so on), as well as classical pieces. The video instructor, Will Barrow, comes across as pleasant, knowledgeable, highly professional, and patient (not to mention that he is painfully good-looking, but I digress).

You don't have to buy that extra system to learn to play electronic keyboard; the Yamaha book will give you enough to teach you what you need to know and have you playing tunes in no time. You DO have to practice, though, to become proficient so set aside time to work on your techniques. You can plug in the headphones that come with your Yamaha so you won't disturb other family members while you are learning.

I hope you found my review helpful, and if you get one of these keyboards, I hope you enjoy yours as much as I am enjoying mine.

This is my first real keyboard and I got it to learn to play piano. I've only had it a few days but I'm really impressed by it so far. The keyboard seems to be really good with teaching songs, not only do the keys light up but it tells you which fingers to use and it can teach one hand at a time which is nice for a beginner. I really wasn't expecting much but this thing sounds like a real piano and even the stand and headphones are pretty good quality.

For someone looking for instant gratification, this keyboard offers just that. Open the box, read the simple instructions and begin playing even classical pieces because the keyboard will tell you where to put your fingers exactly! From there you can memorize the piece yourself so you can play without needing the assistance. Great Idea

--This was purchased for my daughter to have something to practice on while taking piano lessons, and I have been teaching myself as well. Granted, this is an "electric" piano so it does not have the sound of a real piano, but neither does a $2000 Yamaha. If you want a real piano just buy one, if your testing the water or if you need something small and easy to practice on this will certainly do.
--Mine worked right out of the box and has had no problems. It comes with a song book and a detailed but easy to read instruction manual. The power supply is stamped Yamaha and contrary to other reviewers experiences I have had no problems. The stand also has worked fine for me. We have 2 large energetic dogs and they have not knocked it over yet. True, the keyboard does not snap or screw into the stand but so far it has been fine for us.
--The touch sensitivity works really well considering the price, I can count about six degrees of loudness depending on how firmly the key is played. The keys are about the right size and they play well but again they are not "weighted" and they don't feel like a real piano but they don't feel cheap or poorly made either. There are 2 Grand Piano voices and a couple others and they sound authentic at first but the more you play the more acutely you become aware of the subtle "electric" sound, especially with any sustain.
I'll update this if any major defects surface.

Good keyboard but awful, incompatible stand. The keyboard merely rests on top of the bars of this stand. There seem to be points on the keyboard where a stand could be screwed on. I researched it and found there is a dedicated Yamaha stand for this keyboard. Why Amazon sells a stand that doesn't work is beyond me. I can't return the stand by itself because it comes as a package. I recommend getting just the keyboard--sin stand.

After feeling pretty burned by buying the Casio LK-270 Premium Lighted Keyboard (Just awful...stiff, unplayable keyboard) I decided to go out and test various keyboard in the stores around my area. I came up with one constant: The Casio boards were pretty awful. They just did not feel right. The Yamaha boards were consistently great. They all felt the way an electronic keyboard should. Not Click-clacky. Good spring. Not stiff. It's great for quick runs and it's really responsive.
I purchased this keyboard for my kid who wants to learn. The lighted keys make it fun.
Right out of the box she was playing along with the included backing tracks and having lots of fun. And that's what music should be for kids. FUN. The more fun she's having the more she'll want to learn.
The sound is great. The bundle is just what you need.
Despite what other reviewers are stating about the stand, I felt it was fine. No problems. The Earphones (part of the bundle) are great. They are solid and have a great sonic range.
The box came with sheet music and easy to read instructions.
The keyboard controls are easy to navigate around. My daughter had the programming down in five minutes.
In fact... she's playing it right now.
Great buy! Bravo, Yamaha!

This keyboard was purchased for my 5 year old daughter who had just began piano lessons. We were in the process of trying to get a full-sized upright piano we were offered to our home from where its location. This proved nearly impossible due to the lack of man-power (we had 4 men). The piano was well over 1000 lbs. and proved to awkward and heavy to mount on the truck. So we skipped it. Meanwhile, my daughter had already began her first 2 piano lessons and had nothing to practice on at home. With her third piano lesson rapidly approaching we decided to find something that we could afford and was also of suitable quality to practice upon.

Enter Amazon. After reading many reviews and educating myself on the difference between an electronic keyboard and a digital piano, my pocketbook necessitated that I give the EZ-200 a serious look. It was in the price range we could afford in a hurry and was accompanied with many positive reviews by individuals who had purchased it for the purpose of a starter piano for their kids of a similar age. So it is fair to say that I was not expecting a high quality product for the price-point. My expectations were not exceeded.

The keyboard arrived on time, as it was ordered with 2-day shipping. Everything that was supposed to be in the box was there... EXCEPT the headphone jack adapter.

HEADPHONES: The included headphones have a 1/8 stereo mini-jack, yet the keyboard itself requires the standard larger 1/4 jack. The box says that the 1/8 - 1/4 adapter is included. It was not. I happen to have several of those so I simply wrote it off as no big deal. The headphones have an extremely poor sound dynamic when plugged into my stereo. The keyboard demands only a narrow range of sound at any one time, so with the headphones plugged into it they perform adequately. Keeping in mind it merely need to suit my 5 year old daughter. The headphones also feature a volume control along the cable. On the second day of use, under light tension, the cable separated in two. The part that separated was one of the 2 ends of the cable that join at the volume control. Upon inspection of the wire ends, they were not stretched or torn. It was as if they were simply "placed" inside the volume control mechanism on the cable. I decided to open the volume control mechanism on the cord and as suspected, it was apparent that that side of the wire going in to the volume mechanism was not properly soldered.
At this point the cheap price is starting to feel expensive.

The STAND: The stand itself is actually quite sturdy. It is adjustable to 5 different heights. It looks nice enough. Made of a charcoal colored metal. So yes it is a decent stand, with only one problem....... It is ridiculously obvious that the stand was not designed to fit this keyboard. It allows the keyboard to sit on top of it, but so would an ironing board. The bottom of the keyboard is not flat. It has 4 rubber feet will allow it to sit level and slip-free on a flat surface. The bottom also has 2 grooves that were definitely designed to accommodate a stand, but NOT this one. No matter which of the 5 positions this stand allows, none of them line up with the keyboard's "Stand Grooves". So it is next to impossible to center the keyboard atop the stand and have a sturdy playing surface. So when the keyboard is atop the stand, do not bump into the keyboard, as it will most likely slide off the stand.

POWER ADAPTER: This seems to work fine. It is the only accessory that accompanies this keyboard that seems to be designed for it.

KEYBOARD: The keyboard brought a smile to my daughter's face when she first saw it of course.. she's five. The keys are not "weighted" of course, but they are pressure sensitive. So hitting the keys softly or hard produces different volumes accordingly. Though I believe the volume is strictly 3 phases;loud-medium-soft. There is an option to turn the sensitivity off allowing any press of the keys to produce a loud volume. "Loud" is of course a relative term, here I use it just to distinguish between 3 volumes. The speakers on the keyboard itself are definitely NOT loud. They are sufficient. Tonally they offer a somewhat projective treble tones, but the mid to low-range sounds almost seem as though they are muted. It makes for a frustrating playing experience. The keys light up as you press them as well as when there is a preprogrammed song playing. I suppose this is a nice feature for those who are trying to learn the songs they have programmed in the machine. My daughter currently has no use for the feature. The keys themselves are a cheap plastic which makes them susceptible to misalignment and loosening if you run your fingers down the keyboard laterally, which children seem to love to do. It comes preprogrammed with 100 songs, 5 of which are contemporary, the rest are jazzed up versions of old standards such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

In summary, I suppose it will suffice until my daughter demonstrates that she is going to pursue instruction of the piano. If that is the case, we will certainly be looking into a product that is more durable, and places a premium on sound quality. If I consider this a TOY and not an instrument, I feel less burned by the purchase.

This keyboard is great! I bought it because I started taking piano lessons and it is perfect to practice on. The keys light up which help you so you know what keys are being pressed. If you don't want the keys to light up, simply turn them off with the touch of a button. The keyboard is light and doesn't take up much space. I found the assembly of the stand to be easy. I didn't have a chance to use the headphones yet because I have different headphones. I highly recommend this keyboard to anyone looking to buy a keyboard.

I am about 25 and have always wanted to learn how to play the piano. I wanted one that wouldn't be a huge investment, but would also have a great realistic piano sound and look good (so that I would actually want to play it). It sounds great, and the lighted keys make it easy to learn songs (but I'm trying to learn by reading music). Touch-sensitivity is a must, and this one sounds great. The headphones are cheap, but work. The stand works, but I think people are using it wrong -- don't slide the rubber grips on the top of the stand to the ends of the bars, but rather position them so that the keyboard rests on them (both sides and front and back). Therefore, the keyboard will sit on top of the stand and will not move/slide around unless you are really trying to move it. I would recommend this as a starter piano for people seeing if they would like to see if piano is for them before they spend $500-$10,000 on a "real" piano.