I wanted a small keyboard for messing around with, but, as a guitarist, I did not want to spend too much on my second instrument, so I did a little bit of research and ended up ordering the Yamaha PSS-F30. My first impressions were just as I had anticipated: the keyboard is light and made out of cheap-feeling plastic, but the general build quality is perfectly acceptable for such an inexpensive instrument. I did not notice any defects. Since the keyboard has been designed with small children in mind, it took some time for me to get used to the size of the keys, but, in a couple of hours, I was able to play without accidentally hitting the wrong keys. The sound is mono, since there is only one speaker, but it is possible to plug in a pair of headphones. There is a varied selection of sounds, each of which inspired me to play differently and even write interesting new pieces, but, as usual at this price level, none of them are accurate representations of the real instruments. Interestingly, probably the most convincing sound (at least, to my ears) is not a piano but rather the flute! The controls are easy to figure out without referencing the user manual, and it does not take long to find the sound that you want. If I was a child, I would be absolutely fascinated by such a keyboard and would spend many hours glued to it. Even as an adult, I found it hard to put down sometimes! Who would have thought that such an inexpensive instrument could be so much fun! I have discovered that sitting down on the floor with the PSS-F30 on my lap and jamming on it is one of the most effective ways to relax and take my mind off all my troubles. The only feature I wish it had is the ability to use it as a MIDI controller. But for learning or simply fooling around, this keyboard is great!
