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YC Series Stage Keyboards
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I just received my Montage 6 and I used to have the Genos with FSX.
The feel and action on the Montage 6 is far superior to the very expensive YC61.
I love the waterfall shape & feel but the action is toy-ish, jerky, stiff and noisy unfortunately compared to the FSX.
I'm not sure Yamaha didn't step backwards on this one. Why not keep the best going forward?
After playing on the Montage I don't like touching the YC. There's a big difference here.
Perhaps being brand new they will improve a little but the FSX is astonishingly good.
When I press the FSX keys they want to go down & so smoothly.
When I press the YC keys they have to overcome a curve of initial resistance or they do not want to go down & then it's jerky & not smooth.
I have to say for now the YC keys are a little disappointing. Even the black keys do the same jerky thing.
Why devolve here when you already make the best key action?
I don't buy the Montage is a flagship argument because a stage board is made to be played so it should have the best action as well.
I can midi it over to the Montage so I'm good but players will notice this anyway.
Perhaps the issue is not that the YC is bothersome but that the FSX is that much better.
Posted : 02/07/2020 12:44 am
I wasn't quite sure how the YC61 keyboard would feel, but I like it!
It certainly feels different from the Montage 6 FSX (which I don't own, but I have tried) and certainly different from my 'cheaper' MOX keybed.
I liked the FSX better than the MOX for synth work - it's certainly smoother and feels more 'luxurious' - for want of a better word.
I think I prefer what Yamaha has done on the YC61 for organ work though.
It doesn't feel quite like a Hammond waterfall - but then I can't imagine playing APs or EPs on a traditional Hammond keybed, whereas the YC61 seems to be quite 'playable' for both organ or piano.
I would find the FSX a bit too 'soft' for organ I think....
Posted : 02/07/2020 9:41 pm
Have to say I'm with arjay on this. Compared to the Nord Electro 4, for me the YC is like heaven. The keys have just enough fight to allow expressive piano playing and they land soft, but not squishy. I also like the slightly smaller key size. Of course started my keyboard trek as a child playing the accordion so varying key sizes is part of my root experience. While a few years ago I would have said there is no way I could ever live without a weighted action keyboard in my set-up, I've changed my mind. I actually find playing the YC much less fatiguing on my wrists and fingers...which is a good thing as a move into my later years.
Posted : 02/07/2020 10:10 pm
The feel and action on the Montage 6 is far superior to the very expensive YC61.
While you clearly feel this way about the action overall, I'm curious as to whether you feel this way when it comes to the playability of specific types of sounds.
Do you find the Montage action better for organ playing in particular? Including organ-specific techniques like palm smears, and quick same-note "machine gun" repetitions?
Do you find the Montage action better for piano playing in particular? Including dynamic expressivity (pp to ff)?
I love the waterfall shape & feel but the action is toy-ish, jerky, stiff and noisy unfortunately compared to the FSX.
I'm surprised you find it noisy, based on 2:40 to 3:05 of the video below. I wonder if it could be something about your unit. Or maybe he just wasn't hitting them hard enough to hear what you're hearing?
ETA: A user at http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/3073015/re-new-vox-continental-some-thoughts#Post3073015 said, "The action on the YC is as quiet as any I've played, while the Vox is maybe the noisiest." Hmmm! As it happens, I've played the Vox, I thought it was a very nice action and didn't notice it being noisy. Though he was talking about the reactions of others in the house, and sometimes these kinds of sounds are more apparent to others than to the player. Especially if you're playing with headphones. 😉
Posted : 07/12/2020 12:57 pm
The feel and action on the Montage 6 is far superior to the very expensive YC61.
While you clearly feel this way about the action overall, I'm curious as to whether you feel this way when it comes to the playability of specific types of sounds.
Do you find the Montage action better for organ playing in particular? Including organ-specific techniques like palm smears, and quick same-note "machine gun" repetitions?
Do you find the Montage action better for piano playing in particular? Including dynamic expressivity (pp to ff)?
I love the waterfall shape & feel but the action is toy-ish, jerky, stiff and noisy unfortunately compared to the FSX.
I'm surprised you find it noisy, based on 2:40 to 3:05 of the video below. I wonder if it could be something about your unit. Or maybe he just wasn't hitting them hard enough to hear what you're hearing?
ETA: A user at http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/3073015/re-new-vox-continental-some-thoughts#Post3073015 said, "The action on the YC is as quiet as any I've played, while the Vox is maybe the noisiest." Hmmm! As it happens, I've played the Vox, I thought it was a very nice action and didn't notice it being noisy. Though he was talking about the reactions of others in the house, and sometimes these kinds of sounds are more apparent to others than to the player. Especially if you're playing with headphones. 😉
ETA: Another user there also happen to have commented on its "Smooth and quiet keys" -- http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/3073099/re-yamaha-yc61-announced#Post3073099 - so I'm wondering more about your being noisy. It would be interesting if you could post a video.
Posted : 07/12/2020 2:13 pm
