Detailed Description
A grand beyond measure
From the legendary Kakegawa factory in Japan comes a grand piano that brings Yamaha’s celebrated touch, tone and craftsmanship into more homes, more lives and more moments than ever before. Compact in scale yet expansive in voice, the GCB delivers the depth, balance and expressive character that have defined Yamaha grand pianos for over a century.
Unlimited expression
The Yamaha grand experience begins with the GCB, but the possibilities are endless. Built upon the same principles that guide Yamaha’s world-renowned C Series grands, the GCB reveals a level of resonance, balance and projection that reaches far beyond its sleek, sophisticated footprint. The result is remarkable presence, depth and nuance, giving players the freedom to explore every shade of expression with extraordinary precision.
The spirit of Kakegawa in every note
Every Yamaha grand piano, from the flagship CFX to the most compact GCB, is crafted by artisans in our acclaimed Kakegawa factory in Japan. More than sharing a philosophy, these instruments are shaped by the same expert hands, eyes and ears that have refined Yamaha grand pianos for generations, blending the latest innovations with the intuitive wisdom of master craftsmen to reveal the full character of each instrument.
The dream comes home
More compact in size, yet unmistakably grand in character, the GCB carries forward everything Yamaha has learnt about the art of piano making and reimagines it to fit your life, without surrendering an ounce of sound. It’s a remarkable instrument that brings the beauty of a Yamaha grand to homes and players everywhere, opening the door to a lifetime of musical expression.
SILENT Piano™
SILENT piano™s are genuine acoustic pianos equipped with Yamaha’s advanced silencing technology. When the keys are played in SILENT Mode, the hammers are stopped immediately before striking the strings so that the piano itself generates no sound. Sensors installed below the keys decipher how the keys are played and relay the data to the digital tone generator, which generates sampled sounds that can be heard through a pair of headphones. By allowing players to play a true acoustic piano sound under normal circumstances, or to put on headphones and play in SILENT Mode to avoid disturbing others, SILENT Piano™ makes any time a good time to sit down at the piano.
Simply Play Your Acoustic Piano
At its heart, the SILENT Piano™ is a genuine acoustic instrument. For more than a century, Yamaha has crafted pianos that inspire players to develop and express themselves, mirroring their thoughts and feelings with rich sound and reliable quality.
Play Silently With Headphones
SILENT pianos are also equipped with SILENT Mode, where you can plug in headphones to enjoy realistic sounds any time without disturbing others—or others disturbing you.
Download The Smart Pianist App
SILENT pianos are equipped with Bluetooth® MIDI. Download the Smart Pianist app on your smart device and connect wirelessly to your SILENT Piano™ to enjoy simple, intuitive control of your instrument’s features.
Articulation Sensor System
Both TransAcoustic™ and SILENT pianos feature Yamaha’s newly developed Articulation Sensor System, which accurately interprets how actual pianos respond to the movements of pianists’ fingers, which are relayed from the keys through the action, causing the hammers to strike the strings. With Yamaha’s proprietary algorithm, the system delivers high-precision simulations of the movements of the hammers at the moment they strike the strings, reproducing every piano sound exactly the way the player intended. These sensors are non-contact, so they do not impact the feel of the piano.
Grand pianos feature sensors on the hammers for more accurately detecting and deciphering a wider range of key motion (e.g., slow keystrokes, quick trills) when the hammers actually strike the strings. Like the key sensors, the hammer sensors are non-contact, so they do not impact the touch of the piano.
Grand Expression Modeling
Grand Expression Modelling is a new feature that faithfully reproduces the tonal variation originating from the inner workings of the piano, such as the way the hammers strike and the dampers contact the strings in response to the player’s touch. This feature detects the force and acceleration of the keystrokes and changes the audio output accordingly in real time, providing the player with the ability to explore subtle tonal nuances, even in TransAcoustic™ or SILENT mode.
Virtual Resonance Modeling
One of the great allures of the grand piano is the sympathetic resonance created by the vibration of the entire instrument. Yamaha’s further advanced Virtual Resonance Modeling technology elaborately reproduces this rich sympathetic resonance*. This technology makes it possible to create richly varied tones by adding sympathetic tones that correspond to the timing and intensity of keystrokes and pedaling to the complex, varied sympathetic tones created when the vibrations of the strings are propagated to other strings and the soundboard. Virtual Resonance Modeling even replicates the sounds the dampers make when they are lifted off the strings, along with the resonance of the aliquot stringing, strings, soundboard, and case. Experience the deep, dynamic resonance that originates from the case of the piano.
*Only when the instrument is in Quiet Mode.
Voices Of Yamaha And Bösendorfer Grands
Introducing two newly sampled concert grand piano voices from Yamaha and Bösendorfer, both popular choices in concert halls around the world. First is the CFX, Yamaha’s flagship concert grand piano, which has earned high acclaim among the world’s most renowned pianists for its robust, resplendent, richly expressive tone. Second is the Imperial from Bösendorfer, a time-honored Viennese piano brand with a passionate following. The Imperial is known for its abundance of color and natural, warm feeling. Yamaha faithfully reproduces the unique characteristics of these concert grand pianos by carefully recording the entire tonal range of each of the 88 keys, making minute adjustments to capture the most harmonious tones each piano has to offer. These two world-renowned concert grand pianos are joined by a long list of other voices, including Classic Fortepiano*, Electric Piano, Harpsichord, and Organ.
*Featured on the TA3 and SH3
Binaural Sampling
Binaural sampling creates the ambience and full, natural resonance of acoustic pianos*, making pianists feel as though they are sitting at a grand piano. Binaural sampling is a method of sampling in which special microphones are placed on a mannequin’s head in the same positions as the pianist’s ears to capture piano sounds the way that they are experienced in reality. Sounds based on binaural sampling deliver an experience so natural that pianists forget they are wearing headphones, no matter how long they continue to play. On these pianos, binaural sampling was used for the Bösendorfer Imperial as well as the Yamaha CFX.
*Only when the instrument is in Quiet Mode.
Quick Escape System
Each TA3, SH3 and SC3 grand piano model is equipped with Yamaha’s Quick Escape System to fully preserve the excellent playability and musical expressiveness demanded of grand pianos, even when playing in TransAcoustic™ or SILENT mode. When the hammers strike the strings, the system optimizes the distance between the hammers and strings to deliver the best feel, whether the piano is in acoustic mode, or one of the other modes.
Add Pizazz To Your Playing
Equipped with 20 different rhythm types that provide automatic accompaniment with percussion and bass.
Two Recording Functions
[Built-in recording function for checking immediately after playing]
Equipped with a built-in recording function for recording at the touch of a button.
[USB flash drive recording to data for computer playback]
A function for recording to a USB flash drive. This function creates audio files that can be saved or played back on computers or burned onto CDs. Recordings are saved in WAV format.
Learn the piano with Yamaha and Flowkey
The popular Flowkey app is an exciting and intuitive way to learn how to play the piano or further advance your playing skills. It comes with an extensive selection of interactive songs, tutorials and courses. Select a song and start playing with immediate feedback for more playing and learning support.
Register your new Yamaha piano and gain premium access to the app free of charge for three months!
Generous Part Exchanges Available
Get in touch with us if you have an existing digital or acoustic piano that you’d like to part exchange with us, and we’d be happy to let you know how much it could be worth.
Reviews
