Casio CTK-3500 61-Key Touch Sensitive Portable Piano Keyboard with Power Supply

I bought this item for a very specific purpose and it works quite well for that. I wanted to be able to practice piano at times when it might be disruptive to my wife. I had an old keyboard which was ok except it had narrower than standard keys and only had a range of 4 octaves. I play mostly 18th century music and many of the works I want to play need 4 1/5 octaves. So I bought this. They keyboard is standard dimensions and extends to f in the third octave above middle c, so it covers the range I need. It came with some headphones but all I need to do is turn the volume down low and I can play to my hearts content late at night or other times when my regular piano would be disruptive. The keys are not touch sensitive and you can only change the volume by means of up or down buttons, so dynamics as a means of expression is out. Not a big deal for me, as this was by and large true of most keyboard instruments during the 18th century. I don’t know if you can hook up some sort of volume pedal directly or not, but you could always connect the headphone jack to an external amp or speaker via a volume pedal. There is provision for plugging in a sustain pedal, if you need one. Again for me, this is not an issue as sustain pedals were not used much in the 18th century.There are a number of sounds available and I tend to use the “harpsichord “ sound. No one is going to confuse this with a real harpsichord, but for practice and informal playing, it works. There are various other keyboard sounds, both piano and organ; plus a range of other instruments available. Again, nobody is going to confuse the “trumpet” with real brass, but it can be fun to try this out from time to time. The various electric organ sounds are probably the closest to real (this after is really a variety of electronic organ).The included stand is nice however there is no provision to secure the keyboard to the stand, so there is perhaps some danger of it falling off. If you have kids or large dogs or the like running around you might be worried about this: I don’t so for me it is not a big problem. The music rack is just a piece of bent wire. It works for the paper back musicbooks I have, which aren’t too heavy, but might not work if you’re playing out of a volume of the Bach Geschellschaft.In short, this works fine as an instrument for practice and informal playing. It has its limitations but if your intended use falls within it capacities it is fine.

Casio CTK-2550 PPK 61-Key Premium Keyboard Pack:If you're a beginning pianist looking for a great keyboard, here is an option for you. I recently bought the Casio CTK-2550 PPK 61-Key Premium Keyboard Pack with Stand, Headphones & Power Supply and I am truly pleased. I use to take piano lessons as a kid until I was in the 5th grade when I quit, due to people making fun of me saying it wasn't cool. Looking back, I wish I would have never quit. This keyboard however has re-sparked my love for music and I have begun to play again. If you are looking for a keyboard to learn how to play, this is the one! When I first started looking for a keyboard I knew I needed something affordable and compact since I am currently a college student, but I also did not want to sacrifice quality due to price. After looking and talking with my past music teachers, I narrowed it down to this Casio product.Cost Effective:If you want to get the most bang for your buck, but also need something that would benefit you as a beginner level pianist. The Casio CTK-2550 keyboard package is definitely the right choice for you, only costing $125! It is great that it comes with a quality set of headphones because you can play late at night and not disturb others. It's very beneficial by allowing you to set a beat in the background like a metronome to practice along with your sheet music. After having it for a few months I have begun to realize how great of a purchase it was. It was very affordable and produces quality sound with so many different options while you play. For example, you can select over 400 built-in tones to play with, as well as 100 auto-accompanied rhythms.Beginner Goals:This is truly the ideal product for a beginner because it is the perfect size which makes it easy to take on the go and set up anywhere to practice. As a beginner, it is truly important to practice and practice a lot! Since it is such a compacted keyboard it is extremely easy to pack up and travel with. This has been huge for me since I travel a lot between college and home. Being able to pack it up and fit it in my trunk to take home and practice is great. The piano itself is also very durable and has a very beneficial screen in the middle for beginners. The screen itself shows you what note you are playing and in which key. This is a huge asset to a beginner pianist as you learn notes and how they correlate to sheet music. Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase and would gladly buy again.