YC61 61-Key, Organ Focused Stage Keyboard

I have owned and played the Yamaha CP4 for a few years and really loved it. However, when I saw that Yamaha came out with this new keyboard I just wanted it. At the time my keyboard needed a few keys repaired. I had not practiced with my band members for over a year. We stopped playing during COVID. I didn’t have time to get my CP4 fixed at the time. So, I ordered this keyboard from Amazon. The CP4 is an excellent stage piano. But, the quality of the sound coming out of this keyboard was noticeably better. It was definitely worth the money. I am so so so happy with this keyboard.

This versatile stage keyboard has surpassed all of my expectations. It is easy to operate and exciting to explore. It is full of features that I have not yet discovered. There are also many helpful tutorials available online to get you started. Great sounds! Ready to play right out of the box!

FEEL: I bought the YC61 instead of a Nord Electro since I already own a Nord Stage 4 HP. I needed semi-weighted keys specifically for organ playing, and the YC61 delivers. The keys are easy to play and have that familiar Yamaha build quality. That said, they're a bit softer than the Hammond XK series or Nord’s waterfall action. The rounded edges make glissandos especially comfortable. SOUNDS: I got this mainly for the B3 sounds. After Yamaha’s recent update improving the rotary speaker simulation, the organ is now on par with the Nord Electro’s. For live performance, I have no complaints—it works great. The pianos are just okay, nothing special. I suspect the issue lies in the outputs. Compared to my Montage M6, which uses Yamaha’s Pure Analog Circuit (PAC) outputs that sound full and powerful, the YC61 feels underpowered. I have to set the output level to +7dB, and even then, it doesn’t really "kick in" until the volume is at about 80%. The taper doesn’t feel linear. As for the other sounds—pads, brass, guitar, etc.—they're decent, but nothing standout. Still, the YC61 serves its purpose as a solid complement to my Montage and Stage 4.

You can program up to 80 live set songs, each tailored to the song, including multiple sounds simultaneously using the split mode. Piano sounds are amazing and additional effects are so precise. And the organ feature is simply mind blowing! Excellent feel, though a little stiff for me, I'll happily adjust. XLR outputs are nice too. I think they thought of every possible playing scenario when they designed this board. It is very pricey, but worth every dime, IMO.

Organ and drawbars are AMAZING on this board. The sound quality is top tier and the effects seem endless. I’m just getting back into playing piano (gospel and r&b) after taking some years off and I’m completely addicted to this keyboard. Worth every penny.

Its a high end Yamaha.. love the sounds... great keybed.. easy to learn. Lots of great resources online to learn how to use it.

Just my opinion, but this was without a doubt the most convoluted and confusing keyboard I have ever attempted to use. Heaven help you if you have to dig through the completely disorganized---not to mention extremely long---list of instruments as you search for the few included "pianos". Don't even get me started on the rest of the instrument's "layout". Be prepared for a bewildering array of two letter codes which you will need to commit to memory if you want to use this keyboard effectively. The YC-88 is not for the feint of heart and they should award you a PhD for successfully decoding all of Yamaha's two character coding abbreviations. If you are the type that thinks they are just going to sit down and enjoy playing a keyboard with an intuitive and simply layout, I would highly recommend actually finding one of these at your local music store before you go through the agony of discovering just how painfully difficult this instrument is to navigate. The advantage of ordering from Amazon is that this keyboard is actually sold by Amazon (so it can be returned with a prepaid shipping label) and is protected by their "multi-device protection" if the device fails. The YC-88 weighs 41 lbs meaning that while it is lighter than my Roland Fantom 8 (61 lbs) it is still a handful for one person and very expensive to ship. The YC-88 "natural wood with triple-sensor action" keyboard is not bad but not as good as the one on my Roland Fantom 8 in my opinion. Overall, the YC-88 is definitely not designed for anyone that is not prepared to carefully read the 76 page owner's manual from cover to cover and then spend hours fiddling with the settings trying to find something that sounds decent. One last thing---don't expect to call "Yamaha tech support" if you have problems figuring out how to use the YC-88. Yamaha, like almost every manufacturer these days has no phone tech support that I could find...

Quality of this keyboard is amazing