Keyboard Reviews

I am a pro writer in Nashville. I needed some sort of highly portable keyboard to have access to in the trunk of my car, etc. for writing dates. It needed to be light, have it's own speakers, I wanted it to have a way of recording what I was playing, preferably have the option of battery operation and, most importantly, have a good piano sound. My final criteria was that I wanted 76 keys instead of the normal 61 key that are found on smaller keyboards (ala the Yamaha PSR series). I had decided that - for the money - the only contender was the Yamaha DGX series. What a surprise when several keyboard players recommended I check this unit out. I have to admit total bias against the casio name. But I tried it and it sounds great. The piano, organ and electric piano sounds are wonderful. It is a bit larger and heavier than the 61 key PSR series by Yamaha but the sounds really beat the DGX until you get to the top of that line (or certainly the top of the PSR line). One word of caution, the only audio output on this keyboard is the headphone output. So if you plan on playing it live you'll want to get a cable that goes from 1/4" TRS to Left and Right outputs. I can't believe what $300 can buy in a keyboard. Casio has really shocked me with this one.

One word describes the WK-3000: amazing! I thought Casio was not all that great until I got this. It boasts over 300 different voices, almost any kind of rhythm you can think of, a SmartMedia memory card slot, drawbar organ, SMF player and much more.
You can also record your own song with up to 6 instruments. So you can sound like a ear-blasting rock band or a full-size orchestra.
I tried the SmartMedia card slot. It worked great, but I thought it was for putting your songs on the computer and burning them to a CD. Turns out it was for expanding your keyboard's memory.
Haven't tried the SMF player yet, but like all the other features on the keyboard, it should be great!
Advice: Buy if you love music.

After having being away from playing music for almost three years, I was curious as to what would portable keyboards be up to. As it was my habit (having owned three previous Yamaha Portasound keyboards) I went for the latest release in Yamaha's portable lineup, only to be dissapointed at the lack of versatility and mostly at the lack of power in the keyboard's output. Since I am up for portability (not wanting or being able to hook it up to a whole bunch of external gear to make it sound good), this was a major deal breaker for me... for the first time in my life, I turned Yamaha down.

Then, I turned around (I literally turned around, since I was in a Sam Ash store!) and I glanced at this baby. "A Casio!" -I said to myself... Wasn't thrilled at the prospects, I must admit, because I remember Casio's cheesy-sounding tones of ole. It's almost like I wanted to forget them: oh, how much I hated the tones that the Casio keyboards came with. But I gave it a shot, and today I am happy that I did. This keyboard, even today, almost two months after I bought it, comes with far more options than I think I will ever come up with uses for!

It comes pre-loaded with far more high-quality tones than you will ever need, with a wide array of pianos, electric pianos and organs, opening the line-up. Are you a synthesis freak? No problem! You can play with a bunch of parameters within all the tones and save up as many as 100 of your newly created tones,. and if you want more, you can download more tones and rhythms from the Casio music or elsewhere in the Web, ad nauseam, since you can expand the memory with an standard SmartMedia card.

As for rhythms, there's plenty of those too (you can also make different drum kits play different rhythms than those they're programmed for, for an array of very interesting combinations), and you can save quite a few of your songs for playback, as well as keyboard configurations, or split the keyboard, or mix two sounds to be played, with awesome control over volume of each, etc. I mean, with the Casio WK-3000 Professional Series 76 Key Digital Recording Studio Styled Keyboard by Casio (now, THAT's one deserved mouthful) you really have it all.

OK, I haven't tried the Casios that some rave about, but I do know this...the keyboard does offer an adequate volume level (particularly how I play). If you want more volume: 1-Try turning the touch response off. 2-Go into the function menu and turn the M.Volume control UP. I'm certain that the naysayers didn't read into the manual. I admit that there's not a ton of additional sound, but it's set at "104" from the factory and can go to "127" if you choose to. That's because Yamaha has given the unit some "play" so you can raise or lower the sound to match other built-in settings. Also when a "song" is playing there's extra sounds like bass, cymbal etc., so how much can you expect of 12watts, total? 3-Go to radio shack, get the right adapter and plug it in to you stereo (or I've read about some adding inexpensive PC speakers for $30-$60). One or all of the above will do the trick.

It's got a great range of voices. The piano sounds great as well as others like guitar, church organ, etc. There's 600 to choose from. I advise the 202 model which will include a sustain pedal, AC power adapter, some 'phones and an extended warranty.

It is a beautiful product. I've loved it since i got it on the very first day. Eventhough i am a beginner, i can play the music with happiness all the time.

I have plyed piano professionally and have a degree in music. i have a very expensive Yamaha Clavinova (as well as a real piano)
i bought this thinking of it as a toy for my 22 year old who suddenly wants to play. it has a fabulous piano sound (better than the expensive triton). the built in piano lessons are really helpful. my favorite part is when i taught piano, i could never get kids to practice one hand at a time. this keyboard will play the left hand for you as you play the right and vice versa. my daughter loved that it would record and play back what she had just played.

i always discoraged parents from having their kids practice on keyboards but the touch of these keys is very realistic. i would recommend it to someone starting out in piano not wanting to make that huge investment until they were sure they would continue.

but, as a keyboard (not a tiny piano) there are enough sounds and gimics for a beginner in keyboards but not for someone who really is into all the synthesizer effects.

But, what is this? no power cord? and no sustain pedal. the pedal i can understand but no power cord - that is just too cheap. they should at least put a huge notice on the front of the box that you're going to have to buy one separately.

still, i was shocked at the quality considering the price.

great quality sound. i love connecting it to my computer and sharing my midi files with my friends.

I started keyboard lessons this past summer and this specific keyboard really makes beginners sound great! I am ordering a duplicate for my mother for her upcoming 80th birthday.

Along with the PSR280 I have this one for home i love this one because it has a 3.5 floppy disk drive and because of the music database. I enjoy playing frank sinatra songs and many others. I sit for hours playing this keyboard and listen to the songs i sent to disk through the computer. I take the psr 350 data disk to my aunt's or uncle's house and impress them. The great thing is that you don't have to bring the whole keyboard to someones house, only the disk. I also love all of the expanded voices, great accompanent styles and the sound. This keyboard is worth its price

I own this keyboard, and I only have nice things to say about it. The keys have just the right firmness with that click that veteran computer users will appreciate. I really hate the soft feel that some keyboards (Dell, Compaq/HP) provede. This is keyboard feels like a vintage IBM in the best way. Also all the keys are the right size and in the right place, that means full size backspace key and the \ is right where God and IBM intended to put it. And another thing, this keyboard is USB, so it will work with your PS2 as well, so you can save money by not buying a dedicated PS2 keyboard.

i do not own this keyboard, but all 98' keyboards are compatible with newer models,
thank you

I was looking an ergonomic keyboard because of ongoing wrist pain. I wanted a black keyboard that would match my mouse, monitor, and ThinkPad laptop. The only one I found that met both requirements was the Black Ergoboard by Belkin. I was surprised by the reasonable price and pleased with the "proper" key layout (unlike some other ergonomic keyboards). Although the keyboard looks a bit strange in the Amazon picture, it looks much more conventional when sitting on a desk in front of a monitor.

I was a bit surprised by the fact that it tilts by raising the edge of the keyboard closest to me because every keyboard I'd seen tilted by raising the side closest to the monitor. I gave the tilt feature a try anyway and was very pleased. As it turns out, the reverse tilt places much less strain on your wrists, especially in the carpel tunnel area, because your wrists are not bent at all when typing. The wrist supports are very solid and the keyboard is well constructed overall.

After using this keyboard everyday at work for about 3 weeks, the pain along the outside edge of right wrist completely disappeared! I've now been using this keyboard for over a year with no pain at all. If you require a USB connection, buy this keyboard use a PS2 to USB adapter instead of looking for a different keyboard. This is an outstanding product!

This keyboard has everything a person could want, with a good feel, the ergo design and a good price, if you need a new keyboard you should get this.

I have had mine for about 4 months and overall I love them. The mouse is very comfortable and the scroll wheel is addicting. I have not had to replace the batteries in the keyboard, but I have been through about a half dozen sets in the mouse.So far, though, this is my only complaint.

Having purchased a cordless mouse a few months earlier and really enjoying the freedom it provided, I picked up this cordless keyboard about 8 or 9 months ago. It has proven itself to be one of the best investments I've made in a long time.

I've been nothing but impressed with its range. The six foot range advertised is nothing for this keyboard...actually, just fot the heck of it, I'm sitting across the room right now to type this review--around 10 feet away--and the keyboard is picking up every stroke (I think I should move closer...my eyes are starting to get strained!).

I've also been extremely impressed with the durability of this product. Being cordless, this keyboard tends to get picked up and moved a lot, and, as a result, dropped. I've dropped this one several times and there really isn't even a scratch on it. Also, it's running on its original batteries--2 AAA's--which I think is pretty impressive, considering how much I type.

The layout is also really nice. I've never quite gotten used to the Logitech Pro or the Microsoft Natural keyboard layout...this one is classic, and suits me fine. The CD player controls on the keyboard are also a nice touch, as are the "favorites" buttons, that will take you to a specified web site or launch a particular program.

This keyboard is worth the investment. I'm thinking about getting the mouse, too.

well right now this very second, i am use it to write this on my webtv. the mounse i can only use with the computer. but its the kewboard is very adaptable. i can not work with out this keyboard!

this is a good way for anyone to get started with piano lessons.

I purchased this keyboard based on the other reviews on Amazon, and they were very accurate. The keyboard has very good tone, and the lesson feature is quite helpful.

This keyboard was purchased as a gift for my fiancee. SHe's ecstatic over it; the sound is MUCH better than expected. The lesson feature helped her get back into playing after a 20-year break within a matter of days. The MIDI interface capability means she'll be able to compose on it when combined with a MIDI composition program, which means she won't outgrow it quickly. And at the price, it comes out less expensive than the competing, lower-quality brands WITHOUT the stand and adapter...which adds another forty bucks to the value of the package. Two weeks of comparison shopping led me here...this is the one for a beginning or hobby player.

i am a 16 piano lover, and i am lucky enough to own a beautiful piano. yet, that piano happens to be in the center of the house, much to my family's dislike. As i said, i love piano, and tend to practice a lot. This keyboard was perfect for those times when my dad had a headache, or my mom was trying to watch tv, of my sister was sleeping. The sound is beautiful, it's easy to use, and the headphones i bought in addition are wonderful. this keyboard has many additional aspects to it, although i haven't quiet figured them out...lol. the ones i use are the recording, where you can even store songs you've recorded (great for finding your trouble spots and wrong notes in pieces), and i also use the metronome. Also, it's a lot of fun to play around with the different sounds you can use, there's some really great ones. The display is very clear and displays the intrument largely.
BUY THIS!!!

This keyboard is phenomenal for the money!
I recently bought a Yamaha DGX-202, (a comparable unit), returned it then bought the Casio.
Casio blows the doors off the Yamaha.
The sound is phenomenal. (Much better than the Yamaha's)
The fuctionality is excellent.
The styling is beautiful.
And for the street price ($...) it's an incredible deal.
Get one immediately!

This is a surprisingly [inexpensive] piece of equipment for the kind of power it contains. With 232 tones, (32 which you can create yourself) some excellent demo songs to showcase it's power, and over 100 rythms (20 which you can create yourself) this is a powerful piano impersonator. I've things like this that were basically ... batteries. Expensive, bulky, meek, weak etc., you get the idea. This masterful musician's amigo is only 200 something dollars and is EXTREMELY poweful. To get the best out of this equipment, get the computer Music starter pack (or some kinda name like that) from cakewalk to create bigger, easier to compose songs. I'm only 14 and I can make I own music easily with this dynamic digitizer. You won't regret it.

This is the best keyboard. It's quiet and comfortable. Kinda makes typing fun. Highly recommended.

I've owned a lot of Logitech stuff, from mice, to speakers, and beyond. Logitech is really one of the BEST peripheral device manufacturers. Except for joysticks, Microsoft's Precision Pro or Force Feedback models blow Logitech's joysticks away. But everything else Logitech rules!

I got this particular product because I accidentally spilled some juice on my old keyboard, and then, panic captured, I blow dryed it. WARNING! HEAT SHRINKS COMPUTER COMPONENTS! I learned this after the fact of course. Fortunately, I picked the Logitech keyboard to replace it. It has an excellent design, and relatively soft-sounding keys. My only problem is that the multimedia buttons do NOT work with Winamp the almighty MP3 playback tool! Boohoo! Hopefully Logitech realizes their gigantic error in not supporting Winamp, and fixes it ASAP!

All I can say is:

I hope I don't spill juice on this one...

After years of killing inexpensive keyboards at a rate of 2-3 per year, I finally decided to spring for what looked like a real, even if slightly more costly, solution -- and it has been exactly that. (Well, more real than costly, actually, because I was later surprised to find a manufacturer's rebate in effect at the time I made the purchase.) To echo the previous reviewer, this keyboard has a firm, precise touch that allows me to speed type without extraneous letters or spaces. Of course, we all have our own opinions about what constitutes an ideal touch; all I can say is that this one works extremely well for me. In addition, that touch isn't so 'touchy' that it ruins me for other keyboards on which I'm obliged to work (thanks!). Other very useful features: (1) no extended, hard wrist rest -- I need a soft gel wrist pad, and this keyboard generously gives me that option; (2) the low-power USB ports come in handy, since I have already filled up a 7-port USB hub. No problems yet with USB devices (including optical mouse and PC video cam) attached through the keyboard; (3) quick, easy installation, at least for the joint USB/serial option; (4) a wonderfully linear and well-written product booklet and instructions; and (5) it's sleek and nice to look at. I've written this after a full four months of hard use, so you can believe it.

you should but this if you are just starting out but if your experined guitartist then liik for a more advandced guitar

Ymaha is instrumental makers in Hamamatsu Japan. The makers make a lot of musical instruments in addition to classical guitar, violin, bass , electric or folk guitar, torumpet, accordion..... That is to say, Ymaha make all the musical instruments. Especially the most famouse instruments are pianos, grand pianos.
The most famouse pianos over the world may be Stanway piano, but the concert piano of Yamaha's the highest grade was used by pianists in[Chopin international piano competetion].

The popularlity to classical guitars may be inferior to Yamaha piano. But the cost performance is great. Ymaha is the company that can make great things like C40 in low price in addtion to the high quality instruments like concert pianos. Even if it is low price guitar, makers do not compromise to make that. That is the result that the company is the most famouse in Japan and have many confidences from Japanese.

In Yamaha classical guitar lineup, C series(about100$-600$) is the lowest price series, but if you want higher performance guitars, there are GC concerts guitar series(about600$-10000$).

You may think that 10000$guitars is very high! But the truth is that, Ymaha have high quality skill that can make such guitars, can transfer the skill to low price guitars. GC is used solid woods, and is made by hand-made without machines mainly.

Even if it is the cheap guitar about100$, the instrumental system is gualanteed.

Thank you for reading poor English.

I bought this guitar for my son and I love it just as much as he does. It play's great and sounds great too.