Digital Piano Review: Casio CDP-100

Review of Casio Model CDP-100 | 88-Key Digital Piano

View Keyboard at Casio's Site

Review Summary

A great option for musicians on a budget. This is one of the least costly digital pianos with a full-length and graded hammer-action keyboard. And, it comes with some nice features to boot.

Features

• Keys: 88
• Polyphony: 32-note
• Touch Sensitivity: 3 velocity settings, or off
• Reverb/Chorus: 4 reverb settings; 4 chorus
• Metronome: No
• Available Colors: Black

Price

$300 - $500

Pros

• 88 full-sized, weighted keys
• Graded keyboard
• 3 options for customized touch-sensitivity
• May be transposed by one octave (may be a con; some models offer a greater range)

Cons

• No metronome
• No pre-made rhythms
• No recording capabilities
• Keyboard stand not included – extra $115 - $150 (see Accessories)
• Sustain pedal sometimes not included

Keys & “Action”

At this price, you’ll be hard-pressed to find another keyboard with “graded hammer action,” a feature which provides a heavier feel in the bass octaves than in the higher registers (like an acoustic piano). The keys are full-sized with a nice feel, but made a wee bit of noise upon release. For this reason, you may want to test-drive this model at a local retailer as this might not occur on every keyboard.

Voices & Tones

There are 5 available voices which may be split (two different voices played at either end of the keyboard) and dual-layered (one key can sound two tones simultaneously). The grand pianos sound great, especially for this price-range.

Although the sound library is small, you can still take advantage of the large libraries found in music editing software by connecting this model to a computer via MIDI.

Available tones are:

• 2 Grand pianos; one full and one bright
• Electric piano
• Harpsichord
• Strings

Touch-sensitivity may be adjusted with 3 preset velocity curves. This feature can also be turned off if you happen to require a strict and effortless uniformity of volume.

Preset Songs

There are 5 (mostly classical) demo songs: one per voice. These are not complete musical arrangements; they’re there to preview each of the five voices.

Keyboard Speakers & Quality

This may explain the price. The two integrated 8W speakers could be clearer; they sound ever so slightly muffled. If you prefer private practice this should not be a concern as the sound quality is fine when headphones are used.

External speakers or an amplifier can be connected through the headphone input, at which point the integrated speakers will be muted automatically. This seemed to solve the muffling problem for me, so there simply may have been a problem with my particular instrument. If possible, try to test out the speakers on this model before purchasing to avoid any potential issues.

Included Accessories

The CDP-100 should include a basic sustain pedal, but some retailers I contacted did not include it in the package; inquire before purchasing. 12V AC adapter included.

Optional accessories may be purchased separately, and include:

• Matching black keyboard stand, (model # ) – $115-150
• Sustain pedal, if not included (model # ) – $25-35

Back Panel

○ headphones/OUT, 1/8"
○ MIDI in/out
○ Sustain pedal input, 1/4"