UPDATED REVIEW – Feb 1, 2024 – Yamaha Clavinova CLP-735, Yamaha CLP-745, Yamaha CLP-765GP Digital Pianos – | LOWER PRICE HERE on top brands.
The top 3 Clavinova digital pianos under $6000 include the CLP-735, CLP-745, and CLP-765GP. They all have some impressive improvements and upgrades beyond the previous CLP-600 series and definitely are impressive in many ways. They still have have a few shared features with the previous series such as the LCD user interface, many of the instrument sounds, the recording features, and a few other useful things from the previous models. There are a few advancements from the previous series which certainly are nice, but the focus of these new CLP-700 models is that they are noticeably more authentic for piano sound, piano key action response, and the ability of the internal speaker systems to project that sound in a more natural way as compared to previous models.
The reason I am reviewing and comparing these 3 specific models together is because their price ranges are by far the most popular for the more advanced furniture cabinet model digital pianos. The CLP-735 is $2899 in the matte finishes and $3399 in the polished ebony finish. The CLP-745 is $3799 in the matte finishes including black, rosewood, dark walnut, and the all new snow white. Yamaha also produces the CLP-735 and 745 in a new light “ash” color which you can see in the image above but that color is not available in the US but only available in other countries. The elegant polished ebony finish for the CLP-745 is
priced at $4299 which is actually pretty reasonable for that upgraded cabinet finish. The baby grand cabinet model CLP-765GP is $5999 in the polished ebony finish and $6799 in the polished white finish. All models come with a matching padded bench and the furniture stand and triple pedal unit are always included in the vertical upright models. Speaking of price ranges, Yamaha did raise their prices from the older CLP-600 series to the CLP-700 series but the pianos have also been improved so they are definitely worth the price in that way.
YAMAHA KEY ACTION
In digital pianos the key action and the the way it moves and responds to finger touch is considered to be the most important part of any digital piano and when you get into these prices ranges then it is even more important. In the previous CLP-600 models, the key actions were good and for most people enjoyable to play, but there were still a few drawbacks to them. When your fingers played towards the backs of the keys as opposed to playing more towards the fronts of the keys with your fingers on a digital piano, it typically takes more finger force to press down the keys. On a regular acoustic upright piano it is very similar and also takes more finger force to press down the keys towards the back of them (especially when playing flats & sharps) as compared with moving the fingers towards the tips of the keys.
That’s one of the reasons why you’ll rarely see an advanced or accomplished piano player wanting to play on an acoustic upright piano as compared to a grand piano…because upright key actions can throw off your playing technique a bit because those keys are more somewhat unbalanced as compared to a grand piano with much longer keys.
The key action movement has been redesigned on the CLP-735, CLP-745, and CLP-765GP so that the keys will be more balanced and move more smoothly and quickly with less difference in front to back of key balance than on prior models from the CLP-600 series. This key action change (called the Grand Touch-S (with escapement) helps beginner through advanced piano players be able to play their music more evenly and naturally with a better musical outcome…and that is a very good thing.
“marketing” terminology in trying to promote these new pianos as the “perfect” digital pianos…and although they are not perfect….the upgrades to the key action are very noticeable when it comes to replicating the playing experience of a real acoustic piano.
static down-weight and up-weight being noticeably reduced to improve playability and faster key movement. I really enjoyed playing this model and the key movement felt very natural to me and much more so than I have ever felt on any previous Yamaha Clavinova model.
Please be aware there is a website blog out there which says that the CLP-735 key action has wooden keys.
It does not have wooden keys (neither white or black) and obviously this site does not know what they are talking about when it comes to this instrument. The CLP-745 has wooden content white keys but not black keys. If you want to know who the site is then ask me. It is sad that there are so many “so-called” reviewers on-line that pretend to know what they are talking about but they don’t because they don’t really play the piano and don’t actually know much about digital pianos. They likely have little experience with these pianos or with acoustic pianos and many of them have not actually played these models at all. I call theses sites “fake reviews” who give out false info because I believe they are mainly out there just to get you to buy off affiliate linked sites so they can earn a “commission” on the sale.playing them and a classier look as well.
They feel great and also help absorb sweat from the fingers. Escapement is a term used to signify the noticeable hesitation or physical “bump” or notch that is felt when you press down the key lightly on a grand piano right before the keys hits bottom. This “escapement” (aka: letoff) feeling allows the player to feel where they are in the key travel as youpress down the key towards the bottom and this function/feature is normally only felt on a grand piano as opposed to an upright piano. Yamaha has had this feature before on their previous models but in reality it was a poor representation of the real thing and I did not like it and said so in my reviews of those models.
PIANO SOUND SAMPLES
The piano sounds consist of 2 separate piano reproductions just like on the previous models which includes a Yamaha concert grand piano from Japan called the CFX and a European Bosendorfer Grand piano from Vienna, Austria. These 2 piano sound reproductions are done with a combination of Sampling and Physical Modeling technology to create a better and more natural piano sound with more nuanced expression. These 2 world famous grand piano sounds were in the previous models but have been improved even further to sound noticeably more natural and organic than in the previous models. Yamaha did not change their overall approach to the piano sounds they have chosen in these models but they did use newer and better technology to capture those piano sounds in a more organic way. The polyphony ability of the pianos is the same as before at 256-note maximum polyphony power which is more than enough for most musical applications and playing styles.
When it comes to piano piano sound itself, the Japanese Yamaha grand piano tone is great for all types of music but especially for pop, jazz, Latin, country, and even classical. It is more metallic and a bolder sound The European Bosendorfer grand piano sound is lighter and more mellow with that “classical” tone that many people love and generally is better for classical music, ballads, romantic songs, and music that you want to be a bit more mellow but yet full of bass and well rounded in tone. Let’s face it…technology changes and improves over a few years of time so you can bet that the Yamaha piano
sound will be improved in newer models and that is the case here…it just sounds more real, better articulation, more resonate, more organic elements are heard and you can definitely tell the difference from previous models, especially if you are a more advanced player.
a way pianos are today and therefore had a distinctly different sound, moire percussive, brighter, and even a big twangy. The 2 historical pianos that Yamaha actually sampled/recorded and put into the new 700 series pianos include the Mozart grand piano and the Chopin grand piano.
BINAURAL HEADPHONE EXPERIENCE
When listening to these pianos through stereo headphones it’s certainly good to get the best stereo sound reproduction you can get in your ears so that it will sound like a full grand piano in your head! Yamaha has a special “circuit” or technology that is called Binaural Sampling and this technology is a separate feature which give both acoustic pianos sounds (Yamaha & Bosendorfer) extra added realism when listening through a good pair of stereo headphones. In the previous models this technology was only available for the Yamaha grand piano sound. But in the new 700 series it also applies to the Bosendorfer grand piano sound. In fact, I was very disappointed that this technology was not available in the previous models for the Bosendorfer piano sound and I mentioned it in my previous review of those models.
INTERNAL SPEAKER SYSTEM
On the previous CLP-600 series models the internal speaker systems were good, but they were still a bit weak, especially the CLP-635 at just 60 watts of total power going through 2 amplifiers and 2 speakers. On the 3 new 700 series models the internal speaker power has been improved except for the CLP-735 which remains the same as in the previous CLP-635. Even though you can get the CLP-735 to be loud enough, it just does not sound as rich and bassy as I would have liked to see. For $2899 I think they could have done better in terms of audio power, but it is still good…just not where it should be in my opinion. However, on the new CLP-745 Yamaha did upgrade that internal speaker system in a big way going from 100 watts of total power to 200 watts of total power with 4 amplifiers and 4 speakers. The CLP-745 now has the kind of sound and headroom it should have in this price range.
CLP-745 upper speakers (there are 2 of them) are also each mounted separately inside enclosed speaker boxes which gives provides those extra speakers more bass response and more “punch” and it really helps that big sound come out in a very noticeable way, just like on real acoustic pianos. With Yamaha’s experience building home and prop audio products it makes sense that they would utilize these ingenious designs to further enhance the piano playing experience.
the difference in price over the CLP-735, plus…it has a few other feature upgrades over the CLP-735 that I will mention later. But…it is $800 more than the CLP-735 so there would be a hefty price jump to get into the CLP-745 over the CLP-735. The CLP-765GP mini grand piano speaker system has also been upgraded over the previous model and has gone from just 70 watts of total power in the previous CLP-665GP to a huge 184 watts of total power going into 4 amplifiers and 4 speakers. This is a big improvement and really gives this digital “grand piano” the kind of volume, power, and tone it needs to feel like it is really putting out sound worthy of this type of instrument. The speakers and their positioning inside the piano have also been improved and upgraded. With this new CLP-765GP mini grand model being in the same price as the previous CLP-665GP, it’s a no-brainer when it come to buying it…and this time it’s definitely worth it and you won’t be disappointed in this price range.
PEDALS
Pedaling can be an overlooked aspect of any piano but yet it is extremely important to get a realistic pedal function experience when playing any type of music especially if you know how to play piano. There are 3 pedals on most every acoustic piano out there and most digital pianos also have 3 pedals which includes the sustain/damper pedal, the sostenuto pedal, and finally the soft pedal. On a real grand piano the soft pedal is also called by a more classical name which is “una-corda” pedal. Of the 3 pedals the sustain (damper) pedal is most important because it holds out the piano sound and sustains it over a period of time when playing a note and holding down the right (sustain) pedal. Without good sustain quality the music can sound choppy, uneven, and uninteresting.
To play the sustain pedal correctly takes time and practice but once you have learned out to do it properly you cannot live without it when it comes to playing beautiful music. To get a quality sustained piano tone, not only do you need to have the right pedaling technique, but the instrument needs to have a large piano tonal range with natural string vibrations, resonances, and overtones that can be easily heard as the piano sound is being sustained over time. That piano tone can either sound simple and plain or it can sound colorful and complex because of all the natural organic elements being heard while that piano sound is being sustained over time and decaying naturally as that sound fades out.
REAL GRAND EXPRESSION
With this being said, Yamaha uses a newer technology (physical modeling) which Yamaha called “Grand Expression” and it helps to reproduce those complex natural organic piano tones that are normally reserved for real acoustic grand pianos. It’s all that natural detail of harmonics and resonances which occur in “real-time” on a real piano that Yamaha has reproduced in a convincing way on its new CLP-735, CLP-745, and CLP-765GP. In other words this new resonating technology is in all 3 of these new models whether you are hearing the piano through its internal speakers or listening through headphones. It’s very impressive and makes the piano sound more realistic than ever before. Is it exactly the same as a real grand piano…no, but it comes close. It will fool most people, especially those who do not have lots of playing experience on real high quality grand pianos…and that’s most people. This Grand Expression technology is effective whether you are playing fast, slow, hard, soft, using sustain pedal, or playing more staccato.
RHYTHM & TIMING FUNCTIONS
So, what else makes these new digital pianos worth considering and are there any more new upgrades and features these models have that the previous models did not have? All 3 models had 20 fun and entertaining drum rhythm patterns in their previous models including jazz, swing, rock, Latin, waltz, country, etc and those drum patterns could be played at any tempo and you could play along with them to give yourself the feeling that you were playing with a live drummer. In the new models Yamaha still has this cool feature but now they have added a bass player to the “band” so that if you play a chord on the left hand, the piano will figure out the
chord your are playing and put an appropriate bass line in that chord.
BLUETOOTH WIRELESS
The CLP-745 and CLP765GP have Bluetooth audio wireless connectivity like they did on the previous models. However, they now include Bluetooth wireless “MIDI” connectivity which allows you to connect a computer or tablet (iPad) or other external device without the need of a USB/MIDI cable so that you can use computer music software or apps and not have to worry about connecting cables anymore which makes for a “cleaner look” on the piano too. Unfortunately, the CLP-735 does not have any Bluetooth technology so that’s another advantage of the CLP-745 along with the CLP-765GP mini grand. These are definitely features worth having because you can also wirelessly stream live recorded music through the piano speakers systems and play along live with that music. It makes for a lot of fun and allows to interact with your favorite songs and you can even do that using headphones while practicing in privacy.
USER INTERFACE & EXTRA FEATURES
There are many features which these new pianos have which were also in the previous models because they are “standard” Yamaha features which really round out these models. These functions and features are accessed by Yamaha’s user interface with buttons that are fairly easy to use although they definitely take a bit of time to get used to them and learn the navigation of those functions. These extra built-in features include special effects (reverb, chorus, etc), wav file audio recording with USB flash drive slot for playing and saving your recorded music and giving it the “live recorded sound that you would hear if playing a CD recording,
a 16-track MIDI recorder so that you can compose and arrange music using up to 16 separate instrument sounds played and recorded one at a time and then played back simultaneously (fun!).
YAMAHA SMART PIANIST APP
Yamaha also has a proprietary app for iPad called “Smart Pianist” which allows you to control the various function of the piano directly from the color touch screen of your iPad. It’s easy, intuitive, and fun to use and the app looks great and is engaging especially when it comes to using features on the piano that you otherwise may not have used as much without this app. I have personally used and worked with the Smart Pianist app many times and it is amazing as far as what it can do and it also does things that are extra features that are not already on the piano itself. “Smart Pianist” displays actual sheet music to the built-in piano songs so that you can read the music and play along with the pre-recorded song all at the same time. You can change tempo of the music,
change key, add orchestration, and really become musically more involved and learn things about music you may not have known before.
EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL CONNECTIVITY
As far as “connectivity” goes, Yamaha has all the connections you will need including audio outputs, audio input, USB to host, USB flash drive input, regular MIDI ports, and dual stereo headphone jacks, and this is on all 3 models…and as I mentioned before, Bluetooth audio and MIDI wireless on the CLP-745 and CLP-765GP are also included, but not on the CLP-735. In addition to the connectivity in these pianos, the LCD user interface is also impressive and laid out intuitively overall. The interface is not a touch screen and instead uses buttons that are well designed and work good in navigating where you want to go when comes to
accessing various functions and features. It’s the same interface Yamaha had on its previous 600 series models so that’s a good thing and it’s been a dependable interface system. Also on the previous models, when you powered up the pianos there was a red LED dot on the left front of the piano when the power was on.
CABINET DESIGN & COLORS
The piano cabinets on all 3 models are very attractive, and for the 2 upright models CLP-735 and CLP-745 they are available in matte black, matte rosewood, matte white, matte dark walnut, and for more money the polished ebony finish is also available in the CLP-735 and 745. The CLP-765GP mini grand piano is available by default in polished polyester finishes although the polished white finish in the CLP-765GP is considerably more money than the polished ebony finish. The cabinets are well built, have a sliding key cover, nicely positioned music rack with built-in music clips to hold the music, and a matching bench comes with each model. The matte white cabinet color in the CLP-735 and CLP-745 is a brand new cabinet color for Yamaha this year. The matte white color has not been available in past models but because of a trend lately for lighter colors including white, Yamaha decided to include it in this new series here is the US.
FACTORY WARRANTY
The Yamaha factory warranty is 5 years parts & labor against any factory defects with in-home service which is a very good warranty. Yamaha products over the years have been very reliable and I have personally owned many Yamaha music products including acoustic and digital pianos, keyboards, guitars, band instruments, recording gear and lots of other Yamaha stuff. I just happen to like their products and they have been reliable for me for many years. I do like other brands and models of digital pianos including Kawai, Casio, Korg, and a few others but when it comes to cutting edge technology and a great piano playing experienced all contained in an attractive cabinet, it’s really difficult to beat Yamaha for what they are offering now in these new models.
FINAL THOUGHTS AND AVAILABILITY
The bottom line is…these newer models are definitely improved in a few important ways. There are still shortages in availability for these Clavinova CLP-735, CLP-745, and CLP-765GP digital pianos right now because of the big demand for them and lingering factory production and computer chip issues from the Covid pandemic. The CLP-700 series are definitely superior instruments that will last for many, many years based on the reliability of previous Clavinova models over the years.
By the way, Yamaha produces 3 upper price range Clavinova CLP digital pianos for home and a variety of venues and those models are called CLP-775, CLP-785, and CLP-795 which go up to just past $8000. These 3 models are also impressive and a great for people who have the extra disposable income and want the best CLP Clavinova they can get which offers an even more authentic piano playing experience along with many more “bells & whistles” in the top 2 models. As with many of the Clavinova models, the demand is big this year but supply is still very low in some cases so don’t be surprise if there is a “wait time” to get one. You just need to be patient and put in your order right away so you do not have to wait an even longer period of time for the one you want. Take a look at my review of these top of the line Clavinova CLP digital pianos at the following link and learn more about them: Yamaha CLP-775, CLP-785, CLP-795 Review
AN IMPRESSIVE DIGITAL PIANO OPTION –
CASIO-BECHSTEIN GRAND HYBRID GP-310 & GP-510
A great alternative option for a high quality digital piano in my opinion is the newer Casio Grand Hybrid GP-310 and GP-510 – When you are considering a new digital piano and looking in the approx $4000 to $6000 price range and higher, in my opinion it’s always good to weigh your options and do your homework when you are in this higher price range. One of those digital piano options that is definitely worth consideration is one you may not know about and it is called the Casio-Bechstein Grand Hybrid GP-310 at $4299. This unique and impressive digital piano is produced by the Casio digital piano company of Japan in conjunction with the Bechstein Grand Piano company of Germany.
Casio is famous for many years in producing digital technology products (as everyone knows) including very popular digital pianos. Bechstein Grand piano company is an internationally known European acoustic piano company producing handmade acoustic grand pianos for over 150 years. Casio went into a joint venture with Bechstein and produced a new digital piano with actual Bechstein all wood, extra length grand piano keys for both black and white keys combined with a new moving hammer system made of resin instead of wood (for a longer life) to simulate the counter-weight movement of real hammers.
I have played these pianos and they are impressive when it comes to the “piano playing experience.” They are available in both matte black and matte white with matching height adjustable bench. There is also another higher priced model called the GP-510 at $6299 which is very impressive, but it is the GP-310 I am focusing on here especially as compared to the Yamaha CLP-745. Please read about this new piano in my review at the following link and let me know what you think: Casio GP-310/GP-510 Review.
If you want more info on new digital pianos and LOWER PRICES than internet discounts, please email me at tim@azpianowholesale.com or call direct at 602-571-1864.
Nice!
I would like to see a 775/785/795 review!!
Hi,
Since the Grandtouch-S action is quite new, could you let us know how it feels to play? In particular:
– does the weighting feel appropriate? (not too heavy)
– do the graded key weights feel natural or artificial / blocky?
– do you easily prefer the action on the 745 versus the 645 (the latter seemed pretty good already), or is it more of a toss-up?
I already mentioned my findings about the key action in my review. If you read this review then you will get your answers
working on it now
I'm considering buying the 795 in white. Can you talk a bit about the finishes as they relate to staying clean, what shows when dinged by accident, etc. I'm really asking if someone maintains general cleaning and also if I use a piano cover, will it actually stay beautifully white? I know this might be a difficult question to answer without owning one for awhile, but do you have any reason to believe the black keeps its luster any longer than the white model would? Thanks ~Joey
I read on other forum that the 735 and 745 have plastic vs wood key and the key weight is different. Can you please tell us if it's true?
My 745 arrived last week after a six month wait (COVID-19 related delay?) and I love it, with one exception.
All the marketing material and even this review refer to Bluetooth audio. Caveat emptor, this does not mean you can use Bluetooth headphones. You cannot me need those pesky wires tangling in your arms while you play.
For all the bluster about Bluetooth I would much rather have the iPad connect by wires (and maybe keep charge too) than have it sitting pretty on the music stand while I wallow in wires.
A shame as wireless headphones are so mature – and yet this simple feature directly adjacent to other Bluetooth functions is missing.
Mark, the "caveat" with not including current Bluetooth headphone technology on a digital piano is the problem with "latency" or delay. When streaming pre-recorded music via Bluetooth wireless audio through Bluetooth speakers, "latency" or delay is irrelevant. You hear the music when you hear it and it is independent of anything else so you do not notice any problems. With a digital piano, if you had Bluetooth wireless headphones and the piano could stream to those headphones, when you play piano notes on the Yamaha (or any other brand) you would not hear those notes in your Bluetooth headphones until a fraction of a second later after striking the keys on the piano. In other words, there would be a slight delay between the time you played a note (or notes) on the piano until the time you actually heard those notes in the Bluetooth wireless headphones. Imagine that situation between what your fingers are doing and what (and when) your ears are hearing! It's a noticeable delay that will throw you off musically speaking. That is why digital piano manufacturers (all of them) are not using Bluetooth for headphone output…because it cannot keep up with your fingers playing in real time. So in reality you are benefitting from not having a Bluetooth headphone connection because otherwise it would drive you "musically crazy" if you did have it. Someday when the "latency" issue is resolved with future wireless technology then we will see wireless headphone technology in digital pianos…but not until then. Enjoy using a good set of wired stereo headphones. You can count on them to work well and deliver the sound as intended and expected.
yes, this is true
hey, I am from India. I have been doing RnD since 3 weeks now to get the best DP for myself. I have brought it down to CLP735 and CA49. CLP 745 is not available anywhere in India. I am used to playing Clavinova but as you and other experts suggested Kawai has a better action. I haven't personally played any Kawai DP before. What would u suggest out of the two?
Fantastic review on CLP-745 at a much needed time. Thank you. I decided to buy it before reading your review, and I am even more excited now. Also, you explained each feature in good detail. Being a beginner, it's much appreciated.
Do you know about the CLP 725?
Yes, I do know about it. It has the same improved key action of the CLP-735 along with a few other improvements, and it is the same price as the previous model CLP-625. If you cannot go up to the CLP-735 then the CLP-725 would be a good choice.
One noticable improvement on the 700 series you forgot to mention is the Binural Sampling. At least with the 795 specifically. I owned the 695 for over a year, and was super disappointed with the supposed binural sampling. I never even ended up wearing the headphones as the sound was not emersive enough to give the effect it should have given. I should add , my first experience using binural was on a N3X and it simply blew me away. I could not believe I had headphones on and could have swore the sound was coming from the cabinet. It was simply mind blowing! The 695 could not hold a candle to this and I even went through a few different headphones thinking that may be the issue. Now to my point- I had a chance to sample the 795 a few months ago and the first thing I wanted to hear was the headphone sampling. Huge improvement this time around . I actually was able to hear the effect and could get lost in the playing as if the headphones were not even there. I am a little bit of a sound nut, and can without a doubt say this has been improved greatly. I also agree that the Tone and touch is a tad bit more realistic than that of the 600 series, but I have not had the chance to play enough to determine for sure. I will be receiving my 795gp in a few weeks and will have more time to find out what is better and/or worse than the previous model, specifically 695. Just wanted to give some quick input on the binural part for anybody that looking for more in depth info . It was really the only dissapointment on the older series.
Thanks Tim!
Still patiëntly waiting for your review esspecialy for the clp-785
I am not the only to notice the vastly underwhelming speaker of the CLP735. Felt like the P515 sounded fuller than the CLP735.
Do you have any recommendation on what sort of "Piano Room" setting you would recommend.
hello, please help me make a decision about buying a digital piano. I can't make up my mind between the Yamaha CLP 745 and the Kawai AC 59. Which of the two is better – for your – action and tone? Greetings from Poland – Paweł
Hi Tim.
CVP701 vs CLP745 which is better? Thanks.
Hi Tim,
thanks for your great advices. I'm too torn between the CLP745 and the CA59 for my daughter who's studiyng piano for 3 years.
Which one is better investment from your kind point of view ?
Cheers from Italy
I am also considering the Kawaii CA59 and wonder if the CLP 745 Yamaha is worth the extra bucks.
These are surprisingly similar but keyboard actions are a bit different. CLP a bit more Steinwayesque. Try each, I found the Yamaha sound quality slightly more to my liking.