Everything You Need to Know About Yamaha Reface Cp

If you've ever admired the warm, buttery tone of a classic electric piano and wondered whether you could own something similar without hiring a removals van, the Yamaha Reface CP is well worth your attention. Released in 2015, it distils six beloved vintage keyboard sounds into an instrument that weighs just 1.9 kg and runs on batteries. This guide walks through everything you need to know — what it is, how it sounds, what it connects to, and who it suits best.

What Is the Yamaha Reface CP?

The Yamaha Reface CP is a compact, 37-key digital keyboard built around the sounds of historic electric pianos. It belongs to Yamaha's Reface family — a series of small, single-purpose instruments each dedicated to a particular type of keyboard sound. The CP part of the name nods to Yamaha's own CP electric-grand heritage, particularly the CP70 and CP80 electric grands that became familiar sights on stages in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Unlike a general-purpose digital piano, the Reface CP makes no attempt to cover acoustic-piano territory. Instead, it focuses purely on the electric-piano and vintage-keyboard sounds most associated with soul, jazz, funk, R&B and classic pop — and it does so with a directness and simplicity that is rather refreshing.

The Six Keyboard Voices

The heart of this instrument is its six carefully chosen voices. A simple selector knob steps between them:

• RdI — a rounder, warmer Rhodes-style electric-piano tone, perfect for ballads and jazz chords.
• RdII — a brighter, more cutting Rhodes-style voice with pronounced upper harmonics; sits well in a busy mix.
• Wr — a reed-based Wurlitzer-style sound with that characteristic midrange bark; MusicTech describes it as evoking a mellower 1960s character.
• Clv — a Clavinet-style keyboard voice, short and percussive, excellent for funk rhythms and staccato lines.
• Toy — an intentionally bright, slightly brittle toy-piano tone; more unusual, but genuinely useful for certain textures.
• CP — based on the Yamaha CP80 electric grand, this has a fuller, more piano-like quality with a distinctive metallic attack.

Six voices may sound limiting compared with the enormous preset libraries found on modern workstations, but the philosophy here is focus rather than breadth. Each voice is well chosen and genuinely usable.

The Effects Section

One of the most appealing things about the Reface CP is its front-panel effects section. Rather than burying everything in menus, Yamaha gives you physical sliders and knobs for five effect stages:

• Drive — adds warmth and harmonic coloration, from gentle overdrive to a grittier tone.
• Tremolo / Wah — a modulation effect whose character varies depending on the selected voice.
• Chorus / Phaser — adds width and movement; a chorus deepens the electric-piano shimmer beautifully.
• Delay — available in digital and analogue-type configurations.
• Reverb — adds space and ambience.

These controls mean you can dial in a performance sound directly on the instrument, without routing through external pedals or software. For a rehearsal, a quick recording session or a small venue, that convenience is genuinely valuable.

Keyboard Feel and Polyphony

The Reface CP uses Yamaha's 37-key HQ Mini keyboard. The keys are velocity-sensitive, so your playing dynamics translate into the sound — press lightly and you get a gentle tone; press firmly and the voice responds accordingly. What the keyboard does not offer is aftertouch (the ability to add expression by pressing further into the key once it is down) or a weighted action like that of an acoustic piano.

For electric-piano parts, synth-style riffs and portable songwriting, the compact keyboard works well. If you need a full 88-key weighted action for classical repertoire or serious piano technique work, the Reface CP is simply designed for a different purpose.

Polyphony stands at a generous 128 notes, meaning you won't run into the dropped notes that can mar instruments with lower polyphony when sustain is used freely.

Connectivity

For such a compact instrument, this keyboard is surprisingly well connected:

• Left and right ¼-inch stereo line outputs — for connecting to an amplifier, mixer or audio interface.
• ¼-inch stereo headphone output.
• 3.5 mm auxiliary input — for playing backing tracks from a phone or tablet.
• MIDI input and output via a supplied breakout cable.
• USB — for MIDI communication with a computer or DAW.
• Sustain-pedal connection.

The auxiliary input is a particularly practical touch for practice and rehearsal — plug in your phone, set a backing track going and play along through the Reface CP's own built-in speakers.

Power and Portability

Built-in stereo speakers mean no external amplification is needed for casual use. It can be powered by the included AC adapter or by six AA batteries, with approximately five hours of battery life reported under normal conditions. At around 1.9 kg and 530 mm wide, it slips easily into a gig bag or the overhead locker of a train.

This combination of self-contained speakers, battery power and light weight makes it one of the most genuinely portable electric-piano instruments available — something that has kept it relevant years after its 2015 launch.

Who Is the Yamaha Reface CP For?

The Reface CP suits players who want classic electric-piano sounds in a compact, road-ready form. It is a natural companion for:

• Songwriters who want vintage keyboard colour in a small footprint.
• Live players who need a portable electric-piano voice without the expense or weight of a full stage piano.
• Studio and home-recording musicians looking for an immediate, direct keyboard sound source.
• Teachers and students who want to explore electric-piano tones beyond standard acoustic-piano emulation.

It is not, however, a replacement for a full acoustic or digital piano. Its 37 mini keys and six-voice architecture are tools for a specific job, done well.

The Reface Family Context

The Reface CP sits alongside three sibling instruments in Yamaha's Reface range: the Reface CS virtual analogue synthesiser, the Reface DX FM synthesiser and the Reface YC organ instrument. All four share the same compact form factor and philosophy of doing one thing very well rather than attempting to cover everything.

Summing Up

The Yamaha Reface CP earns its place through clarity of purpose. Six carefully voiced electric-piano and vintage-keyboard sounds, a practical effects section, solid connectivity and genuine portability add up to an instrument that is easy to pick up and take anywhere. If those sounds are the sounds you need — and for many players of soul, jazz, funk and classic pop, they are — it remains one of the smartest compact keyboards you can buy.

If you're thinking about buying one, have a look at our Reface CP buyer's guide for detailed purchasing advice. New players can also head to our Reface CP beginner's guide to get started with confidence.

Frequently Asked Questions