This page about Yamaha YC-45D is a stub. You can help improve it:
Pricing and availability
* Product prices and availability are updated by Equipboard every 24hrs and are subject to change. Equipboard may receive compensation for purchases made at participating retailers linked on this site. This compensation does not affect what products or prices are displayed, or the order of prices listed. For more information, please refer to our affiliate disclosure.
Description
The Yamaha YC-45D is a classic organ that combines vintage charm with modern reliability, making it a beloved choice among organ enthusiasts and professional musicians alike. This instrument captures the essence of Yamaha's dedication to quality sound and build, offering a rich auditory experience that harkens back to the golden age of organ music. With its dual manual keyboards, the YC-45D provides a versatile range of tonal possibilities, allowing musicians to explore everything from soulful jazz riffs to psychedelic rock interludes.
Equipped with a variety of tone colors and a robust set of drawbars, this iconic organ delivers an authentic sound that can be tailored to suit any musical style. The percussion effects add a dynamic layer to your performance, while the bass pedalboard enhances your musical depth. The Yamaha YC-45D's design is both intuitive and durable, ensuring that it withstands the rigors of both studio sessions and live performances.
Whether you're diving into complex compositions or layering simple melodies, the Yamaha YC-45D offers a dependable and immersive playing experience. Its legendary sound and robust functionality make it a timeless addition to any musician's collection.
Key Features:
- Dual manual keyboards for versatile performance
- Authentic tone colors with customizable drawbars
- Percussion effects for dynamic sound layering
- Bass pedalboard for enhanced musical depth
- Durable construction suited for live and studio use
Videos
Dan Baker
Yamaha YC-45D demo
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Yamaha YC-45D.
Setup and maintenance
-
A common issue is loose leads on the input jack; re-soldering can resolve audio output problems.
Source -
A 24V 5W lamp is specified for replacing the touch vibrato and mute circuit bulb; a suitable mini lamp can be an 1818 T3.25 bulb with a BA9s base.
Source -
Owners recommend testing the circuit by shining a torch on the photoresistor to confirm bulb failure before ordering a replacement.
Source -
A persistent oscillating tone in the 8' and 4' drawbars might be linked to the sustain circuit; checking diodes and transistors can help diagnose the issue.
Source
Features and functionality
-
The YC-45D utilizes a "master oscillator per top note" style, offering subtle detuning and warmth compared to single master oscillator designs.
Source -
The organ includes a pitch ribbon and keys that move sideways for vibrato, adding unique expressive capabilities.
Source -
The touch vibrato and mute are activated by a light bulb and light-sensitive resistor; a burned-out bulb can disable both features.
Source -
The YC-45D sometimes experiences sustain issues where notes continue after release, potentially due to faulty diodes affecting the sustain function.
Source
Use cases and applications
Comparisons
-
Compared to cheaper organs like Lowrey, the YC-45D's multiple oscillators provide a more dynamic sound.
Source
User experience
Based on 0 Reviews and 0 Ratings
Artist usage
Add artist
According to roadie Steve Parrish, Jerry Garcia played this Yamaha YC-45D organ on his first solo album, Garcia. The organ was up for auction by Sotheby's in 2021.
Chick Corea can be seen playing the Yamaha YC-45D Combo Organ with Return To Forever in the very first seconds of this video. Can be seen more clearly at 4:36.
This clip is from their 1976 performance on the Old Grey Whistle Test program on BBC.
In this photo, Miles Davis can be seen playing a Yamaha YC-45D organ on stage at Avery Fisher Hall in New York on July 1, 1975.
Seen in this YouTube video being played by Philip Glass. This was posted on Youtube in October 2020 and the video is from the the South Bank Show (S10, E12) which aired on January 18th, 1987. This means that this interview/music was initially taped in late '86 or early January '87. Skip to 17min, 38 seconds to view the dual-manual Yamaha YC-45D behemoth being played.
Another source has the Yamaha YC-45D being played on the PG's "Glass: Dance Pieces" album: http://philipglass.com/glassnotes/dance-notes-by-michael-riesman/
Michael Riesman (Philip Glass Ensemble's Music Director) notes "The three sections of "Dance" that were restored and are now being performed are Dance I, Dance IV, and Dance III. These are the only sections for which film was made. In the original production, Dance II and Dance V were performed without film. In recent years, Childs has presented the work with film sections only, with Dance IV replacing Dance II as a middle movement, and renamed "Dance II".
The restoration involved both image and sound. The image was transferred to digital along with the audio from the film. Since this audio was of relatively poor quality, due both to its optical format and to film deterioration, I was approached by the people involved in the restoration to find out if it could be improved. I went back to the original source materials and, using time-adjustment tools to synchronize with the film audio, replaced the entire audio track.
The album "Dance" was mixed from the same source tapes as the film track for Dances I and III. However, on the album, Dances II and IV were re-recorded. The re-recording of Dance IV was done without reference to the original and thus could not be synchronized with the film because the tempos are too different.
On the original recording for Dance IV the organ was a Yamaha YC45D dual manual electric organ, which was also used on the album for Dance II. On the album, pipe organ samples were used for Dance IV. As far as I know, no chords were changed in album version, but the use of samples, which are less aggressive than the electronic original, would have softened the dissonances."
In this video of Talking Heads live at The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1978, you can see Jerry using a Yamaha YC45D with a Yamaha CP80 underneath, you can see the YC45D at 0:54
Seen in this image pulled from a YouTube video, Terry Riley is clearly using a Yamaha YC-45D dual-manual organ. While Philip Glass also has used this model of combo organ for compositions (Glass: Dance Pieces and Einstein on the Beach mostly), it is Riley who had his Yamaha detuned with alternative tunings. This is possible because the YC-45D (and most "vintage" analog combo organs) have individual circuit boards per note and this could be accomplished by an electronics technician tweaking the voice coils / pots.
In the interview linked below, Mr. Riley states that his YC-45D was put into just-intonation and modified to output sound stereophonically:
"Around 1970, the Vox was replaced with a Yamaha YC-45D, 2-manual organ that my technical assistant, Chester Wood, modified to output stereophonically. He also added a tuning function that made playing in just intonation possible. Chet built one of the first digital delays fashioned out of an old 1950's computer we purchased from Don Buchla. This new digital delay dubbed "the shadow" made possible live performance in quadraphonic sound. The last phase of this organ performance period came in 1980, when I finally made the move to synthesizers and started using 2 Prophet V synthesizers stacked like a two manual organ in tandem with a polyphonic sequencer."
https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/48888/At-the-Royal-Majestic--Terry-Riley/
In the X account of Gentle Giant, Kerry Minnear's workplace is shown. It includes a Yamaha YC-45D on the left. This organ is also shown in the YouTube video "Gentle Giant - Live at BBC Sight & Sound 1978" (https://youtu.be/9z5IPrO9vjM?si=lq9dKsjl4UpoC257).
Seen while Micheal was a member of Tangerine Dream & is pictured in his Equipboard profile photo.
In the video in which Moonlight Matters is taking Future Music Magazine on a tour of his studio, at 1:06:46 he says "Next, this is the Yamaha YC-45D. It's actually an organ, a really basic organ".
In the YouTube video titled "Dixie Dregs - Punk Sandwich (Live 1979)" uploaded by Ajone Rousey, a Yamaha YC-45D can be seen in the background at 1:48 during T Lavitz's keyboard solo. This organ is also prominent on the live album "Radio Travel Tunes (Remastered) [Live At the Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia, PA, June 17Th 1979]," where it can be heard clearly in the left ear on "Country House Shuffle" at 0:30. Additionally, it can be heard faintly on "I'm Freaking Out" between 2:16 and 2:30, playing the lead line.
Album Usage
The Yamaha YC-45D has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Yamaha YC-45D, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
More Yamaha Organs
Community setups
Similar
Most Popular Organs
Most Popular Brands
-
Added to Equipboard on by
empty1235Gear IQ 1433
-