Best Yamaha Grand Pianos: CX Piano Technician Review
What are the Yamaha CX series acoustic pianos?
In recent years (2012), Yamaha came out with a new generation of Yamaha pianos of even better quality (CX pianos). Due to their century-long tradition of uncompromising care, Yamaha remains a leading choice of pianists into the second century of Yamaha piano production.
This review comes from my perspective as a piano tuner, who is responsible for top notch service for brand new pianos (the best pianos from Yamaha).
In my opinion, if you’re looking for the best grand pianos from Yamaha, you must find and take the time to play a Yamaha CX Series piano due to significant technological advances in touch and sound.
These grand pianos have rich depth of tone, exquisite responsiveness, and unmatched dynamic range. These instruments have become the industry standard among other world class concert grand pianos.
Let’s take a closer look at how the CX Series have some of the highest quality control in piano manufacturing by the engineers and skilled craftsmen at Yamaha Corporation of America. On top of that, they offer cost-saving advantages, especially for upright pianos and grand piano prices.
What do piano tuners think of Yamaha CX grand pianos?
The Yamaha reputation rests partly with the technicians who work on their instruments, which is an important role for us techs to remember!
Here are undeniable takeaways about the CX series grand pianos from a Technician’s perspective, and why they are a great choice for pianists.
Bass section: The presence of the bass section will astound you if you are accustomed to Yamaha grands. It must be played in order to truly appreciate.
Sensitive action: If you appreciate a piano that asks more of the piano player, then you will find that the instrument in front of you possesses your unrealized potential. With keys that are nearly 2 feet long, you will find a musical range not readily available in other grands.
Clarity: It is surprisingly easy to work on these instruments and get a clean and clear tone to whichever note I'm focused on. The duplex scale provides quality sympathetic tones, which doesn't interfere with tuning. Once the piano has had time to sit and ruminate to its new home environment, a “voicing” must ultimately be worked into the piano to fully acclimate the piano to its final destination.
Tune-ability: Exceptional clarity is what you can expect to hear from this piano, which makes tuning easy. There are no questions, it's an expectation.
Standardization: For better or for worse, truly, Yamaha has established itself as the most American sounding piano based on popularity and a number of artists who claim it to represent their own sound as it's the most recorded piano available today.
Competitive: Many in the piano industry know that Yamaha is capable of producing instruments in an impressively large quantity and consistent fashion.
Resonance: Feel no further than the sustain pedal when playing this piano. I am telling you that you will feel the resonance throughout this piano in comparison with earlier models that were once state-of-the-art on their own.
All of these qualities of the new acoustic pianos of the CX series Yamaha pianos add up to enhanced piano lessons, rich harmonics, and ultimately fine pianos.
Flawlessly functional sostenuto pedal: Perhaps it is just me, but I appreciate a solidly functioning Sostenuto pedal that does not require any extra labor, whether by technician or pianist. It easily surpasses the expectation of how a sostenuto pedal should function and exceeds other world class instruments.
Brand trust: Yamaha has been a popular choice for many Americans, which is why their pianos have shaped the way most people think about how a "Piano ought to sound". It is with no doubt that achieving the perfect piano is a subjective manner. However, Yamaha has played a fundamental role in shaping the framework of what a piano is meant to sound, feel, and even look like.
Ease of Service for technicians: In all my experience of servicing Yamaha grand pianos, I know that these instruments are very easy to service, which makes for better service.
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What can pianists expect with a Yamaha CX series piano?
An impressively Responsive Action & Dynamic Range for a small grand
One of the biggest selling points is its responsive action keys for greater control and dynamic range capabilities. The responsive action competitively compares with top piano brands around the world.
The wooden keys are much longer (roughly 2 feet) for an excellent touch competitive with other world class pianos.
The keys respond quickly to even subtle pressure changes from your fingertips while still providing enough resistance to enable precise control over each note played.
The bass section is prominent, and brings a tone quality not found in other small pianos.
The high treble and “melody section” make for a sound that soars, allowing one to get lost in the sound uncovered when playing the notes.
These pianos feature an impressive range of dynamics from soft to loud which allows them to capture every nuance in your playing style as well as subtleties that would be impractical to achieve with other piano brands.
The resonance in this piano can be readily felt in the pedals when pushing the sustain, which due to its improved V-pro structural support, it isn't as prominent in previous models of Yamaha grand pianos.
These instruments are easier to play and more enjoyable than ever before - no matter your level of expertise or experience - being a skilled pianist allows you to properly appreciate the small details that makes this a world class instrument.
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How do Yamaha CX series prices compare to other piano brands?
The Yamaha CX Series piano is an affordable high performance instrument that competes with other top-tier pianos.
When compared to other top-of-the-line brands such as Steinway & Sons, Bösendorfer, Fazioli, or Bechstein, the CX Series Yamaha piano comes with a surprisingly reasonable price tag making them accessible to many more people.
Keep in mind, there are several popular models of baby grands and a semi concert grand within this series that provide price range flexibility.
Additionally, it comes down to personal taste, so even different sizes are also an excellent choice.
This makes them an ideal financial investment for those looking for a high-quality instrument without spending absolute top dollar.
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What materials are used in a Yamaha CX series piano?
High-quality materials used:
Soundboard & Ribs: Spruce
Back Posts: Merkus Pine
Key Material: Seasoned spruce
White Key surfaces: Ivorite™
Black Key surfaces: Wood composite
Caster: Single-wheeled solid brass casters
Furniture: Polished Ebony Polyester
Plate: Iwata forge foundry molten iron
The CX series features the best materials like solid spruce soundboard which is common in many pianos and produces a clearer tone than other woods used for soundboards in the craft of piano manufacturing.
The hammers are made from 100% wool felt which gives them a softer touch and adds warmth to their sound.
This piano features bass strings made with high-quality German steel which helps to create a rich sound with an impressive dynamic range.
Each piano is individually given the fullest attention by Yamaha Technicians who play a fundamental role to uphold Yamaha's reputation.
Lastly, it's thoroughly checked so that all components meet specifications before leaving the factory to ensure that it meets Yamaha's high standards of excellence.
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How does the sound quality compare on a Yamaha CX series piano?
The Yamaha CX Series piano are known for their versatility with popular music as well as the signature superb sound quality of what a piano should truly sound like.
In fact, they have been praised by professional musicians, music venues and recording studios alike for their ability to produce a full range of sounds that are both nuanced and powerful.
This grand piano delivers an incredibly rich sound that is perfect for both performance venues and recording studios.
The dynamic range of these pianos allows for plenty of expression and nuance when playing them.
In addition, the bass strings on these pianos are longer than those on other models from Yamaha combined with a massive soundboard resulting in fuller sound with unquestionable depth.
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All in all, if you’re looking for an excellent quality piano that offers superior sound quality and performance at an affordable price point, then it’s hard to beat the CX Series line of acoustic instruments combined with Yamaha's global reputation.
Whether you’re just starting out or you’re an experienced professional looking for an upgrade; it doesn't get much better than this!
All things considered, if you want the best possible piano for your money then investing in a Yamaha CX Series grand or baby grand piano is definitely worth considering.
Are the CX Series Yamaha's worth it?
The bottom line – if you want to make the right choice in choosing from the finest pianos with unparalleled performance that will last for generations to come while providing competitive pricing – consider the CX series grands.
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