Yamaha CK Series - first look

Justin Takes a look at the brand new Yamaha CK Series with help from Yamaha Artist Luke Juby.
Luke takes us through operation and some of the various sounds that are on this fantastic instrument.

[@Noeman2009]

I agree...CK73 with piano action could be our favorite choice (lighter, more compact for a small room but adequate for gigs.

[@etpslick100]

Just having the built-in speakers is a PLUS! The sounds are great! I’m getting the 88 for my living room to write and practice on. Giving my xf8 a break. Can’t get any simpler than that! Love Yamaha’s stuff! Can’t wait to see what they’ll release @ the NAMM.😀🎹🎶❤️👍🏾

[@ginises83]

It’s possible to connect a pedal switch to switch Live set or activate each parts ? 😊

[@genosman9014]

brilliant sound on the CK Range

[@islandtony5009]

Hey there - are the keys on the 61 "true" full size? (same octave width as the 88); alot of the synth action boards say "full size" but they're a narrower octave width by about 5 mm

[@musicfabiano]

We need a Ck73 piano action.

[@Wang_jyuan]

Why isn’t 76key

[@pianistjustforfun]

@@Wang_jyuan Agree, 76 is much better.

[@Echochamber79]

People never happy with anything.

[@syncopio]

Hi. Congratulations. Help me please. Splitting my ck88 in 3 parts, how it had to be possible to setup the right octave for each sound????Thanks bye. 😊

[@AlexFlavell]

I’ve wondered: is there a way to adjust the range of the zones? If I only wanted the pad on part B to go from A0 - C5, is there a way to do that?

[@lukejuby]

Yes. There are 3 zones that are completely flexible. You could have A, B or C on a single note if you wanted. Regarding A0 - C5 of course, but as it splits in order ABC you might have to put that sound on A. 👍🏼

[@jhn1987]

I was seriously considering buying a YC73. I would’ve preferred the 88 key but I wanted to keep the weight to 30lbs. With the new firmware update, the YC got an amazing Leslie simulation, excellent electric and acoustic pianos. Does the CK have the same organs, Leslie sim, acoustic, and electric pianos that the YC61/73/88 has. If they are all the same sound engines then why is it half the price of the YC series? I guess what I’m asking does the CK give you everything the YC series does? What are the differences between the CK and YC series?

[@achamilton]

Hi! The CK is offering some seriously good features and sound for little money. The build quality is not the same as YC as the YC has a solid metal chassis and higher quality keys/ drawbars etc. the CK88 keys for example use the lower end GHS action vs the Montage 8 balanced action on the YC73 or the Natural Wood action on the YC88. So there is a saving there on price. I can pretty much guarantee the converters internally will not be the same quality, but, they are really very very good. The sound quality is great! The CK88/ 61 have some features that YC does not in terms of accessibility as well so in some ways may be better for some people. For example something as simple as changing an octave is harder on the CK vs the YC. But accessing parts easily and changing them feels better on the CK. Bear in mind the YC has a true FM sound engine which offers a super rich sound and extra features so the FM stuff does sound superior. The CK is all AWM2 (AWM on the flutes). I think the way to look at it is the CK is a more budget product, but pound for pound it is quite immense. If you want a more premium, more solid and better feeling machine spend the extra on the YC.

[@jhn1987]

@@achamilton Thanks for that detailed comparison. It was very informative and helpful.

[@AlexFlavell]

@@jhn1987 One final note: the YC88 and the CP88 are both 41lbs, while the CK is 28lbs. Definitely worth considering if you’re looking to be portable…

[@MrPianodueler1]

One other consideration The CK has built in speakers, and runs on batteries.

[@erdolevi]

Can anyone tell me if ck88 is better than dgx670? I cannot find a single comparisonto these two digital pianos.

[@bryanroos6681]

I haven't made the purchase yet, but I have decided on the CK88 over the DGX670 and I looked at them both carefully. The DGX670 is more affordable but it is not really portable despite being called a portable grand and it has limited connectivity so I don't see it as being useful for either gigs or home studio. It does sound very good (I played it at a local music store) and has quite a few more sounds than the CK88, but the MIDI connectivity of the CK88 gives you the option of using virtual instruments to add more voices. I saw a video on the CK61 from someone who also owns a DGX670 and his opinion was the DGX670 possibly had slightly better piano sounds but in every other category the CK was equal or better. From what I can tell the CK88 does not support using a traditional piano triple pedal, but it does have two independent pedal inputs. I would say if you're only looking for a digital piano to play at home, the DGX670 would be the way to go. If you want to do anything else in addition to that the CK88 is a clear winner.

[@erdolevi]

@@bryanroos6681 Thanks for the info, it is very usefull. I don't gig, just home use. For me the sound is the most important and than the keyaction. Is there any difference regarding this aspect? Both the ck88 and the dgx670 have the same keybad?

[@bryanroos6681]

@@erdolevi Glad it helped! They are each described as having GHS (Graded Hammer Standard) key action with hammer weighted keys but the DGX670 specs also mention "matte black keytops." I saw a video on the DGX670 which pointed out it did not have wooden keys which the reviewer would have preferred, but he said it's still a good keyboard. I am not sure if the CK88 has wooden keys or not. For my purposes I'm willing to accept they are functionally the same based on good reviews for each. A Yamaha distributor could probably answer for sure.

[@erdolevi]

@@bryanroos6681 Well, no GHS keybed has wooden keys. This part is where Yamaha can cut the production costs. Wooden keys are premium category at Yamaha (sadly). GHS is not bad, but far from being high end. All cheaper P series have GHS, like P45, 125, etc.

[@areolaman]

Can the CK record your playing like the P515?

[@achamilton]

Hi, there is no built in record feature but the USB does act as a 2in/ 2 out audio interface to record to computer/ software

[@rpstate9974]

What does it mean? 2 in 2 out audio interface?

[@BladeJones]

10:00 So this has sampling capability?

[@lukejuby]

Not really sampling... as in you can't repitch etc. But you can play audio files, and one shot them like here.

[@LouPezza]

Sounds good - like a cheap Nord …. Shame no 73 keys

[@dougie6897]

I hate when a salesman refers to musical instrument as a PRODUCT….piano , keyboard or instrument always sounds better than PRODUCT to my ears

[@shinymetalvids]

Anything we produce is a product, this reply is a product of my ingenuity. This instrument a product of Yamaha’s love, care and design. Just pointing out “product” isn’t always a “dirty” word, hope that might help ease it for you. We all need a little less “hate” in our lives, especially while enjoying our passions.

[@dougie6897]

@@shinymetalvids you’re absolutely correct and hate was a poor choice of word from me .. I concede that. The word product conjures up images of CLEANING PRODUCTS… mr Muscle, household bleach and fairy liquid etc etc So exquisite piano/ instrument would be a far better description for me .

[@shinymetalvids]

@@dougie6897 haha, no worries at all! Have a great rest of the weekend

[@shinymetalvids]

@@dougie6897 and I understand your meaning

[@dougie6897]

@@shinymetalvids PS just one other observation… the next time Sotheby’s or Christie’s are auctioning a Stradivarius violin I’d be super surprised if they refer to it as a “product “ Have a good week also 😊