Since we all agree that no matter who you are if you’re beginning to learn to play a musical instrument you need to start with a model of that instrument that is affordable and designed for beginners. Casio CDP-130 is one of those keyboards that are made specifically for beginners and fit their budget.
Although you may have enough budget to buy an expensive piano, for a beginner doing so will not be a wise choice. Since a lot of beginners are not sure about their piano learning endeavors or becoming a professional piano player, they quit as their passion dies out and they move to something else. By then the money they have spent on the gear is all lost and so the more expensive the gear the more the loss.
So, it’s wise to start with an affordable Keyboard and one of these affordable keyboards is the Casio CDP-130. To help you understand the nuts and bolts of the CDP-130 and see if this is the right one for you, we have decided to do a Casio CDP-130 review for you.
Quick Navigation
Features Of Casio CDP-130:
Although we have informed you about the demographics this keyboard is made for, we have to let you know that your expectations from the CDP-130 should be lower. Otherwise, you’ll be severely disappointed, and you’ll want to skip this one, which will be a big mistake. Therefore, keep your expectations accordingly and conclude only once you’ve gone through the whole review.
Aesthetics
Now, expecting a very shining and acoustic piano looking keyboard at this price is a fool’s errand. However, the Casio CDP is a simple and elegant looking keyboard. It doesn’t seem like a cheap piano from its aesthetics.
It has the least number of buttons and knobs keyboards usually have. A beginner will never get confused or overwhelmed rather he or she will find it quite easy to navigate. It comes in two colors black and silver.
It covers an area of 52.05″ x 11.26″ and weighs only 25 lbs. which shows that this is a lightweight, portable, and compact digital piano. So, carrying it regularly and finding spots for placing it won’t be an issue.
Therefore, judging its aesthetics according to its price we’ll give the Casio CDP-130 a passing grade.
Sound quality
We were also impressed by the sound quality that the Casio CDP-130 has to offer. Beginners starting will have no problem with this quality. Being equipped with Casio’s Proprietary AiR sound technology, the CDP-130 sounds good enough for beginners to get going.
However, the problem we found is with sound memory. The Casio CDP-130 provides only 48 notes of polyphony. Polyphony is the maximum number of notes that can be layered one on top of the other and it will take no time to reach the maximum limit of 48 notes. Casio could have done better without affecting their cost price, but it seems like they want to keep their users limited for the price they are paying.
Moreover, the Casio CDP-130 has been equipped with 10 instrument sounds which are enough for beginners, and more than with other keyboards of this price range have to offer. It does offer Octave and metronome effects.
The Casio CDP-130 also has 10 reverb levels, a hall mode, and a dual-mode. All these features make the CDP-130 seem like it’s being sold for cheaper than it should be.
Key Sensitivity
By just being a full-sized 88-key digital piano, the Casio CDP-130 had won our admiration but we were surprised to know that the keys of this keyboard were also fully weighted. The keyboards feature Casio’s tri-sensor technology which replicated the intensity of touch with the intensity of volume on three levels.
Furthermore, the keys are also graded, meaning that the higher notes will offer less resistance while the lower notes will offer more resistance. This is the same as in acoustic pianos and while we were not expecting graded keys in a keyboard that is so affordable having found it in the CDP-130 we are impressed.
You’ll feel the benefit of this key sensitivity when you’ve progressed in your skillset enough to move on to an acoustic piano.
More features
The Casio CDP-130 is also jam-packed with side features that are although not essential for playing the keyboard, but they do make a player’s life easier.
One of such features is having a MIDI output and a USB port, which are both provided in the Casio CDP-130. This allows better connectivity with your computer and if you do want to take full advantage of its connectivity, we would suggest you use Sibelius on your computer.
The two speakers equipped in this keyboard are of 8 watts each and they produce a sound good enough for a small room. Although this volume of sound is enough for beginners you might want more on different occasions. You can then plug in external speakers.
There’s a jack for plugging in headphones, so in case you want to practice at night but don’t want to wake up your family, you can take practice with your headphones.
The Casio CDP-130 at its most affordable price neither comes with a stand nor a sustain pedal. However, a sustain pedal and stand are included in a package that does not cost enough to break a bank and therefore you can easily afford them.
Casio CDP-130 Overview:
Pros and Cons Of Casio CDP-130:
So now its time to simplify the above-mentioned features into short pros and cons so that pulling the trigger becomes easier.
Pros
- Affordable
- Compact and portable
- Simple and elegant looking
- Good sound quality
- Includes all the essential sound effects
- Weighted and graded keys
- Tri-sensor technology
- MIDI and USB connectivity
- A headphone jack
Cons
- Offers only 48 notes polyphony
- Speakers are not loud enough
- Sustain pedal and stand are not included
Conclusion
As you can see that the pros of the Casio CDP-130 are a lot more than its cons but we do admit Casio could have overcome these cons even if it required increasing the price a bit. Anyways, It is what it is and since we provide honest reviews, we hope this Casio CDP-130 review has been beneficial for you.