All Posts by Jaime Echagüe

Digital Piano Casio CTK 2200 Full Review. Is It worth it?

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The Casio CTK 2200 is a keyboard for beginners with a very cheap price. Less than 150 € but is characterized by having the basics to make it very useful. It has sustain pedal input, 61 keys and USB MIDI connection for use as a MIDI controller

Nowadays it is out of print but we make this article because it is a very present keyboard in the second-hand market. If you want to buy it first hand you have to buy the Casio CTK 3500, which is also for less than 150 €. We recommend that option to you without any doubt. The Casio CTK 3500 is also better. Update: The new version of the Casio CTK 3200 has been released and you can see it in our review of the new Casio CTK 3500.

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The Casio CTK 2200 has a polyphony of 48 voices. That number of notes that can sound at once. This includes the accompaniments while you play on top. You have enough for an initial and intermediate level.

These types of keyboards usually bring a lot of sounds so you have a lot of sonic possibilities. Sounds to other instruments, electric keyboards,… All this for your amusement. You have to bear in mind that because of their low price they are sounds of limited quality. It has more than 400 different sounds, which is more than enough.

It has 61 keys, which is more than enough to play any piece of music. Although it has neither a sensitive keyboard nor Hammer Action. The sensitive keyboard serves to level if the note sounds louder or looser. The Hammer Action is the weight sensation on the key.

If you want to learn piano better buy the current model, the Casio CTK 3200 does have a sensitive keyboard.

Where to buy this keyboard?

What is good is that the Casio CTK 2200 has sustain pedal input. The sustain pedal is used to keep the note playing even if you don’t press the key. It is a basic expressive resource for playing the piano. It’s not included, though.

We’ll leave you a video so you can hear what it sounds like. The article follows later:

https://youtu.be/zrsmplQwBIg

Can we learn piano with this keyboard?

It doesn’t have a sensitive keyboard but it has a sustain pedal so that can be a problem because we can’t do the dynamics of forte or piano. Although if we have very little budget and we sell it second hand with a pedal for 80 € or less can be worth to see if we like the piano or not. Although the professor will ask us for a certain sensitivity after a few months.

If you want to study piano we recommend the Casio CTK 3200 named above for little more money or the Yamaha PSR E353 (has also come out its new model in 2018 the Yamaha PSR E363) Which have some sensitivity on the keyboard.

Portability

Very good with 3.4 kg weight. It can run on 6 AA batteries making it a great keyboard for acoustic testing in other people’s homes.

It is a very useful keyboard for composing and rehearsing with other people. In addition to having MIDI is very good to work with the computer and write music sheet with programs such as Sibelius.

It has two 2 W speakers. They are not very powerful but enough to rehearse with a guitar or similar.

For a similar price you have the following pianos and keyboards:

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Digital Piano Yamaha PSR E253 Full Review. Is it a good purchase?

The Yamaha PSR E253 is a Yamaha keyboard from the PSR series. It is a keyboard designed for fun at a very low price.

It must be said that the new model has already come out and you can see it in our selection of cheap keyboards. It is the Yamaha PSR E263 and in our selection, you can also see where to find it at the best price. They are practically the same but below we compare it with the new one and we tell you where you can buy them.

Where to buy it?

The Yamaha PSR-E253 is an electronic keyboard with a great variety of sounds. In total 372 voices + 13 sets of drums. It also comes with accompaniments (presets so you can play on top).It has enough sounds to make electronic music. This keyboard has a polyphony of 32 voices that are the number of musical notes that can sound at a time. Including the accompaniments while you play on them

It is a keyboard that can be good to start with because it has sustain pedal input (not included), necessary to keep the note in time. But it has the limitation of having neither a touch-sensitive keyboard nor a MIDI output. Which limits it quite a bit, even if it costs very little.

It’s got reverb, metronome and you can record what you’re playing with it. That’s a point in your favor.

It has 2.5 W speakers that can be used for small rehearsals with other acoustic instruments but it is not a stage piano. Well, there’s line audio output.

Yamaha PSR E253 vs Yamaha PSR E263

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The Yamaha PSR E263 brings it back:

  • Master EQ (6 types)
  • 12 new instrument sounds and 3 new percussion kits.
  • 30 new preset styles.10 new songs (preset songs)
  • A pity but it doesn’t bring MIDI either (although then the Yamaha PSR E363 wouldn’t make sense)

At the same price, the new one is obviously the best choice.

Is this keyboard good enough for the conservatory?

​This keyboard is not the ideal place to start studying classical music.

It can be used to get started on the keyboard with a private teacher or in a more relaxed school. For a keyboard to be optimal for studying classical it must have the Hammer Action keyboard. This that imitates the weight of the keys of a real piano. This is important when playing and progressing.

On the other hand, it is important that you have a keyboard with various sensitivities and the Yamaha PSR E253 does not. So you can adjust the volume at which a musical note sounds depending on how loudly you press the key.

What the Yamaha PSR E-253 does have is sustain pedal input, which serves to hold the note playing over time even if you don’t press the key. Something that is vital in piano performance.

Already with this clear information, we can point out that the Yamaha PSR E253 is not ideal to start at the conservatory. But it can be valid for the first year or two years in a more relaxed teaching model. Below we propose other keyboard models with similar prices and more features.

However, remember that any Yamaha keyboard comes with a three-month subscription to the Flowkey music learning app. This is a very interesting option to learn the piano interactively.

Portability

Very good, weighs about 4kg, so you can take it anywhere and supports batteries. The mains charger is included.

yamaha-psr-e253-review-small

Limitations

Thanks to the sustain pedal input you can be valid for the first year of learning. But then you’ll only use it as a secondary piano to see chords and compose. In this respect the MIDI connection to be able to work with the keyboard in the computer is vital.

The lack of MIDI connection makes us opt for other better keyboards at similar prices. They also have a MIDI connection and a sensitive keyboard. That is also another vital factor for the keyboard to be useful for a long time.

In the same price range, you should look at the Yamaha PSR E353 (it is the new model of the Yamaha PSR E363) which although more expensive has MIDI and sensitive keyboard. And above all take a look at the CASIO CTK 3200 keyboard (best it’s the new 2018 model of the Casio CTK 3500). Which is cheaper and also has MIDI for a lower price.

Where to buy the Yamaha PSR E253?

As it is out of stock we will put the links of the new Yamaha PSR E263. For this type of keyboard, we recommend buying them in-store with a full warranty on shipping. Online you can find the best prices. For this range, the best is Amazon in the USA and worldwide although if you buy a complete pack with chair and others you can get the best price in Thomann in Europe

Amazon

  • Free Shipping and the possibility of shipping in one day with Amazon Premium.
  • Full Guarantee but they are no experts in music equipment
  • A leader in fast shipments.
  • The price change a lot daily.
  • The best option in USA and worldwide

Thomann

  • Free Shipping si le añades algo más al set que te enlazamos como un pedal (pedido mínimo de 199 euros para gastos de envío gratis).
  • Full warranty. If you have any problems, they take care of everything.
  • 100% reliable payment.
  • A leader in trouble-free shipping.
  • Usually the best price.
  • Best Reputation: They are the leading online store in Europe and have the best catalog and information.

These keyboards are good to start with and as secondary musical keyboards. We recommend that you take a look at our selection of the best digital pianos at value for money. I’m sure it helps you make up your mind. Or also the following post:

For a similar price you have the following pianos and keyboards:

 

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Digital Piano Yamaha P105 Full Review. Is It Worth it?

The Yamaha P105 is a digital piano that sets an authentic event. At a balanced price, Yamaha offered a portable digital piano with Hammer Action quality and a very acceptable piano sound. All at an unbeatable price.

yamaha-p105-review

Where to Buy?

Today you have to know that Yamaha has released two new versions, the Yamaha P115 later and currently the Yamaha P125 which is cheaper first hand, so really this review makes sense for people who seek it second hand. But it’s really better to buy the P125, it’s even more perfect and balanced for that price. Here you have a complete review on the Yamaha P115 and another on the latest 2018 model the Yamaha P125. Also at the end of the article, we give you the best purchase option for the latest Yamaha P125 model.

Hammer Action Keys

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The Yamaha P105 is a portable digital piano with 88 keys and Yamaha’s Hammer Action GHS system. Graded Hammer Standard. The Hammer Action is the feeling of weight on the keys. Apart from that, the keyboard is sensitive and has 4 sensitivities that regulate the force with which the note sounds. This is what defines a keyboard as a piano.

Sound

It has a Grand piano sound recorded with Yamaha’s Pure CF technology which was a milestone in the way we recorded the original piano sound.

It has 14 high-quality sounds that include various types of piano. It also brings reverb and damper resonance effects. It’s got an organ and an electric piano. We like those sounds a lot.

It has a polyphony of 128 voices that are the number of notes that can sound at a time. When you play with an accompaniment those notes also consume polyphony. He’s got a very acceptable polyphony. You won’t have any limitations with it.

You have 50 preset songs that you can use to play over or as an accompaniment.

Extra

The Yamaha P105 is the perfect piano keyboard for the piano student in all its phases. Both in the elementary and the superior conservatories. Of course, there are better pianos but for people on a low budget, it is a possibility even at the higher level conservatory.

With sustain pedal included. What is basic to hold the note even if we stop pressing the note key. In addition, it admits a triple pedal that can be a necessary element for certain works of the conservatory.

It has USB MIDI to Host. A very important basic as it allows you to connect the piano to your computer and record MIDI tracks that can then be exported to score with a single click. Or write music sheets in real-time with programs like Sibelius. Very powerful.

It also brings metronome and the possibility to record what you’re playing. Up to 2 tracks and you have the possibility of splitting the keyboard with 2 central DO so that they can play teacher and student at the same time.

It has headphone output and also line output, so you can connect it to any PA or mixer to play live without the need for an injection box.

Portability

Very good, it only weighs 11.7 kg and also comes with 7 W amplifiers that can be used to play in a small restaurant without extra amplification.

The power supply is included, but batteries are not supported.

¿What is Yamaha P105B?

The B only indicates the color in black, the truth is that it would be good if the stores specified it because it confuses people a lot.

Yamaha P105 vs Yamaha P115

There’s no point in comparing them. The Yamaha P115 has the same and more, for example, the polyphony is 192 notes of the P115 versus 128 of the P105. Polyphony is the number of notes that can sound at once. This includes accompaniments with which you can play over which also consume polyphony.

We leave you a video of the Yamaha P115.

Yamaha P115 vs Yamaha P125

Obviously you’ll also want to know the differences between these two models. Basically the Yamaha P115 brings 10 piano sounds and the Yamaha P125 now brings 24 at the same price. This is an important improvement because it brings very attractive sounds. You can see it in the following video:

Is this piano good for everything?

Yamaha P105, Yamaha P115, and Yamaha P125 are both pianos designed to imitate an acoustic piano. Both to study and to play live. But its objective is to give you few sounds, but of quality and similar to that of an acoustic piano.

If you want lots of sounds and even quality electronic music you have to look at more keyboards like the Yamaha PSR S770 with 61 keys that are sensitive but not weighted. But a lot of good sounds and real-time controls to create live electronic music. It has a price similar to the piano in this review.

We leave you a video that although it is in English as everything we have commented you will understand more or less. So you can hear their sounds more than anything.

Where to buy the Yamaha P105 and its new model?

As it is no longer possible to find new the Yamaha P105 we put you as reference the Yamaha P125 that you will find it at the same price that had the Yamaha P105. The most reliable stores in the USA and worldwide is Amazon but in Europe is worth it to have a look to Thomann:

Amazon

  • Free Shipping and the possibility of shipping in one day with Amazon Premium.
  • Full Guarantee but they are no experts in music equipment
  • A leader in fast shipments.
  • The price change a lot daily.
  • The best option in USA and worldwide

Thomann

  • Free Shipping
  • Full warranty. If you have any problems, they take care of everything.
  • 100% reliable payment.
  • Leader in trouble-free shipping.
  • Usually best price.
  • Best Reputation: They are the leading online store in Europe and have the best catalog and information.

For a similar price you have the following pianos and keyboards:

 

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