The Yamaha YC88 packs all the character of vintage combo organs and more into a gig-friendly, compact 88-key stage piano. Using Yamaha’s proprietary Virtual Circuit Modeling, the YC88 is one of the most lifelike-sounding analog organ emulations on the market, and it comes stocked with a large selection of additional instrument voices and killer onboard effects. Designed to please discerning pianists, the YC88 is ideal for today’s performing keyboardists who prefer to run the show from one fully weighted piano keyboard. The YC88’s triple-sensor hammer-action keybed and physical drawbars are highly responsive and rewarding to play and manipulate. While the YC88 is vintage in character, it boasts all the functionality and reliability of a modern digital instrument, with vast customization options and computer audio integration for audio recording, playback, and MIDI control. Keyboardists at Music Experience are blown away by the YC88. A compelling drawbar organ packed with great sounds and performance features, the YC88 has the right stuff to be the top-tier keyboard in your live and studio rigs.

Endless sonic possibilities

The YC88 is brimming with the signature tones of Yamaha’s classic line of combo organs — super-fat low end, thick organ swells, mellow emanations, and biting leads, along with the inimitable sound of a rotary speaker. With its drawbar controls, the YC88 presents a sizable sonic palette with tons of tweakability. Layer up a fat organ pad. Pull back the bars for a focused sound. Dial up the percussion. Beyond the incredible organ sound, Yamaha’s updated Stage OS and the YC88’s Dual Keys section give you control over a slew of instrument voices, including acoustic and electric pianos, FM synth, strings, and brass. And, the YC88’s nine onboard effects, such as vibrato/chorus, reverb, delay, and drive, make for endless musical possibilities.

Stellar feel and playability

The experience of playing a drawbar organ is visceral and interactive, and the YC88 provides a great feel to inspire expressive performances. The physical drawbars and intuitive control surface make it easy to shape sounds on the fly without getting bogged down in programming patches. Yamaha’s Seamless Sound Switching lets you change patches while holding notes without the sound cutting off. Designed for musicians accustomed to playing all types of instruments on a fully weighted piano keyboard, the YC88’s 88-note, triple-sensor hammer-action keybed with synthetic ebony and ivory keytops is certain to delight even the most demanding pianists.

Proprietary Virtual Circuit Modeling

The foundation of the YC88’s rich and detailed sound is Yamaha’s Virtual Circuit Modeling (VCM), which digitally emulates analog circuits down to the individual component level. Yamaha has been working with physical modeling since the development of their VL1 Virtual Acoustic Synthesizer, which was released in 1993. Over the ensuing decades, they have continually refined their proprietary modeling technology and incorporated it into iconic, cutting-edge products that deliver stunningly realistic digital emulations of traditional instruments. The YC88’s VCM organ engine mimics the analog topology of Yamaha’s classic organs for astonishingly accurate tone, vibe, behavior, and realistic rotary speaker sounds that will transport you to a blissful vintage dreamland with all the benefits of digital sound processing.

What Yamaha Says...

Designed for gigging keyboardists, the YC Series features a newly designed Virtual Circuitry Modeling (VCM) Organ engine with physical drawbars, extensive real-time control and authentic Acoustic/Electric Piano and FM synth sound. With three models to choose from, there’s a YC stage keyboard for every stage and every player.

Sound

When it comes to versatility, YC is a virtuoso. Featuring premium keyboard sound with more possibilities than ever. Choose from authentic Yamaha grand/upright pianos, electric pianos and keyboards to a tonewheel organ with rotary speaker, synths, acoustic sounds and more. Our proprietary VCM recreates the circuits of vintage analog EQs, compressors and phasers right down to the transistors and resistors to capture the subtleties other digital simulations can’t. It’s like having an incredible sounding keyboard with everything, to go.

VCM Organ

How do you reproduce the warm, authentic sound of an organ in a stage keyboard? You build an organ engine the Yamaha way, from the ground up. Yamaha puts your favorite classic organ sounds in one powerful, stage keyboard. YC models three organ vintages - just out of the box, well-traveled and character-rich vintage. Need more? Go under the hood to adjust key click, leakage, rotary speaker speed and more to get the one-of-a-kind organ tone you've been searching for.

VCM Rotary Speaker

YC brings you the authentic sounds of classic rotary speakers with no maintenance required. Choose from two faithfully modeled rotary speaker profiles - warm and full or dirty and aggressive - and adjust top or bottom rotor speed for total control.

VCM Effects

VCM re-creates the sound and behavior of vintage effects and high-end studio signal processors by modeling the circuits down to the original analog component level.

FM Organ 

In 1983, Yamaha introduced the iconic sounds of FM (Frequency Modulation) synthesis to the world with the launch of the synthesizer DX7. Now YC brings FM synthesis to the organ for a new generation of players. Simply switch to FM Organ and your drawbars control 8 FM Operators that send a pure sound with massive low end. Add rotary speaker or amp sim effects for character and vibe. Intuitive controls make it easy to discover new sounds. Or recreate classic transistor organ tones from warm to reedy to buzzy by choosing one of three popular FM Organ modes.

Touch

At Yamaha, we put everything we’ve learned over the last 100 years into everything you touch. Whether you prefer the natural feel of a graded acoustic piano, the balanced touch of an electric piano or a waterfall keyboard with authentic organ action, there’s a YC that’s right for you. It’s no wonder more players reach for Yamaha keyboards than any other.

YC88 Natural Wood With Triple Sensor Action

The natural wood keys and graded action of the YC88 reproduce the weight and response of a grand piano right down to the feel of the heavy or light hammers in the low and high ends. YC88 also features a triple sensor action for pianists accustomed to the response and speed of grand pianos. You get the touch of a Yamaha acoustic piano with the unmatched versatility of the YC.

Design

YC Keyboards aren’t just designed to be played. They’re made to be bumped, jostled, scratched, crammed in a van, stuffed in an overhead bin and adored by players and fans, gig after gig. In short, they’re built to last, like the company that stands behind them.

Drawbars

The nine drawbars on the YC have the footages and ratcheting you expect in an organ. But there’s more to our drawbars than meets the eye. See-through drawbar stops with customizable LED light color make it easy to see differences between simulated upper and lower configurations and play in split mode. It’s like having a virtual set of drawbars to give you more sounds, more flexibility and more choices than you ever thought possible in a stage keyboard.

Direct, immediate and total sound control

YC is made for long jams, not long menus. The intuitive interface gives you fast and easy splits, layers and sound-shaping directly from the front panel. Proving that versatility doesn’t have to be complex.

Weight

YC88 comes in at an incredible 41 lb, 0 oz (18.6 kg). Which makes it compact and light enough for you to be your own roadie. But with a sound that players who can afford roadies will appreciate.

Softcase

Before you rock, roll. Every YC is available with a premium soft case (sold separately) featuring zippered compartments for storing pedals and other accessories.

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