Yamaha CP-30 1977~78

A quick view of a classic 70's style electric piano. Built by Yamaha, it had a dual tone generator system that could be panned and detuned for a beautiful chorus. Early touch sensitive keyboard. This thing weighed nearly 120 pounds!

[@kapitanaavantura4187]

Love the fact you can detune it slightly, gives it so much character, and the fact its wood-effect and the weight means it doubles up nicely as a coffee table (forget I said that!)

[@jimjamz7393]

I’ve loved the sound of the CP30 ever since I heard Christine McVie using one on the Tusk and Mirage albums! I want to pick up one of these gems some day.

[@ThomasSielaff]

I had one of these. Still have a video of me playing it in the early 80's. Very cool!

[@michaeldavis5106]

I played one of these at a music store near me sevral years ago, and I thought it was quite interesting.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

It’s easy to imagine purchasing and playing one of these in the late 70s if I were around back then. It would’ve likely been perfectly suited for stacking (something like) an OBXa on top of it if I were still playing it in 1981. I obsess constantly about keyboards with stackable chassis, having owned and parted with a Wurlitzer 200A, a Rhodes Suitcase, a pair of Baldwin electric spinets, a Yamaha CP70 and a Hammond E organ (that my mentor refused to let me mount another keyboard or synthesizer over top of).

[@geoelectro]

Stacking keyboards in the 70's and 80's meant tons of weight! You find out real quick who your friends are🙂

[@infinitewindow164]

This sounds dope.

[@geoelectro]

I like the two tone generators that can be detuned.

[@FleetwoodMask]

So cool! We just picked one up for our Fleetwood Mac show. Can't wait to use it!

[@wjniemi]

I logged a few thousands of hours on one of those. I bought it as a step up from the Wurlitzer that I played to death. It wasn't actually a step up from the Wurlitzer, mainly because of the action. It was a beast to carry and I twisted my back pretty good one time carrying it back to the truck. I have recordings of it where it worked pretty well in the mix but I wouldn't call it a pianist's piano by any means. Thanks for the video trip down memory lane.

[@davedave5787]

Brings back all the cocaine fun filled playing??

[@wjniemi]

@@davedave5787 I couldn't afford that, I was a musician, not a drug dealer.

[@KCJazzKeys]

Allan Zavod used one of these on many of Jean Luc Ponty's albums in the mid to late 70s. Layered with an acoustic piano it was a great sound. I'd love someone to make a sample set of this instrument.

[@MikeyLikey95]

I'd love to have one of these someday.

[@karlhelm875]

my brother's got one. he bought it in dallas.

[@edjefferson9175]

A bandmate bought one of these new along with a pair of Yamaha powered 4115H speakers. I think he still has the set.

[@combustion3232]

Exactly that was my set

[@johnfleming4276]

Nice ‘Morning Has Broken’ intro, when you played that. I like the tone of the thing, without any amplitude tremelo, or detuning turned on. I like the bright harpsichord setting especially. Has nice ‘fuzzy’ harmonics.

[@ShawnBarnesbass]

Allan Zavod used the CP-30 in Jean Luc Ponty's band. It is an integral part of the keyboard sound on albums like 'Cosmic Messenger' & 'A Taste for Passion' and it's sound is instantly recognizable on the intro to 'Mystical Adventures'.

[@KCJazzKeys]

I just figured that out watching this video. I always wondered what keyboard it was. Now I need to look through all my Roland Integra sounds to see if I have it as I love playing JLP tunes and would love to get that sound dialed in!

[@LEEFORDJAGG]

I remember back then (1984),I was torn between a Fender Rhodes or a Yamaha CP30. I opted for the latter. I had mine until 1993. It was hard finding a person to repair it,but luckily I found an ‘old school’ white coat gentleman who was very accommodating and local.

[@geoelectro]

That's awesome! I had the Rhodes...😎

[@LEEFORDJAGG]

@@geoelectro before I sold the CP30, I did record each of the notes, onto a DAT tape, with a view to sampling the Keyboard via another Keyboard. I never followed through on that though. What keyboard would you recommend I use to bring my CP30 back to life?

[@geoelectro]

@@LEEFORDJAGGAny sampler, hardware or software. I used to sample a lot with EMU gear. Now I have A Korg Kronos which can sample. There are software alternatives as well like Kontack from Native Instruments. You have to load the audio into a sampler, map the waves to the keys, loop each wave and save. Newer samplers will likely have the benefit of adding FX's to the sound that the original didn't have. Good luck!

[@CyberattackWorld]

oh man I want one of these

[@osvalrodriguez8791]

Me recuerda mucho a los pianos que se logran en un DX7❤

[@mhoroky]

This was used for the opening keyboard riff for Hall and Oates' "You Make My Dreams". Very distinctive sound. I'm surprised you didn't play that riff in your demo video.

[@geoelectro]

I learned this info from comments here. Didn't know that!

[@japoople]

Greg Hawkes from The Cars used one of these back in the 70s and 80s, so it'd be nice to hear some Cars riffs played on one

[@geoelectro]

Oh man, a great band. We played a number of cars songs back in the 80’s. I had an ARP Odyssey and a Mini Moog. Fun times!

[@lucasvidalia6705]

Daryl Hall used it to. The riff on « you make my dreams » is pretty cool imo

[@terryschwartzwalder7902]

Also a thing that fascinates me about Yamaha on their Montage and MODX keyboards.....of all of the sampled electronic keyboard sounds on those keyboards (Rhodes, Wurlitzer, etc.)......they have NO sampled sounds for their own CP25, 30, 35 series!! Why??

[@dare2win215]

Great demo. Man, it's too bad these were pre MIDI, because they are one of the most substantial FEELING instruments I've EVER touched.

[@geoelectro]

Yes, probably one of the earliest touch sensitive electronic keyboards.

[@willdatsun]

Just picked one up, it works *just* but all the notes are sounding continuously like a drone noise, any ideas what to look at?

[@nicholascarroll7239]

Hey I just got one of these and it sounds like someone is holding down all of the keys at once no matter what mode I have it in. Is this normal? If not do you have any suggestions on what to look at?

[@GC-rt2nq]

how do you raise the lid? is do you have to undo the screw from the handle or does it just pop off?

[@jessewalker2760]

Did you ever figure out how? I've taken the 4 screws out on the bottom but it still won't open. About to resort to brute force and ignorance

[@cristosanto815]

I'm about to purchase one of those for 80 € .. but regarding this video this piano as to much back noise. What do you think?

[@geoelectro]

I agree. Older electronics tend to have more of that than current products.

[@jacksonpalm0806]

What was that riff you played at 4:49 and 5:04? It sounds so familiar but I can’t think of what it is…

[@geoelectro]

Riders on the Storm by The Doors.

[@terryschwartzwalder7902]

You didn't demonstrate the decay circuit......

[@Klaw_]

Is that a divide-down tone generation?

[@geoelectro]

It uses a divider/keyer custom chip. A number of them all running off master clocks. Surprisingly the service manual doesn't go into any detail of operation. The key at rest has the contact sitting on a voltage. When you press the key, that voltage begins to discharge until it hits the second contact. So if you hit it hard, less time for discharge which equals a louder waveform from the keyer. If you hit it soft, more time goes by allowing the voltage to discharge before hitting the second contact. So a completely analog method of achieving velocity.

[@axel_fagerberg]

@@geoelectro veeeery cool!

[@lucasc5622]

@@geoelectro is the velocity handled in the chip? I have the chance to buy one if these and dont want it to be game over if one of the proprietary chips is dead

[@geoelectro]

@@lucasc5622 A YM-252 and YM-253 handle the keying and note generation. There is one each on each generator board. There are 7 generator boards total. So yeah, a bad chip could be a problem. If there are random velocity problems it also could just be contacts that need to be cleaned, or bad capacitors that could be easily replaced.

[@mushyk96]

Ive really wanted a yamaha cp30 but they always expensive

[@blakekennemer1166]

is 350 a good deal for one?

[@mushyk96]

@@blakekennemer1166 that's still outta my budget 😢

[@blakekennemer1166]

@@mushyk96 I just came across one in my town for that price. I didn’t know anything about it and now i’m trying to resist the impulse purchase

[@walterkersting6238]

There’s one in Gilbert for $75.00

[@kingofallwhites]

Early version of an electric piano? They’d already been around for decades when these were made.