Casio PX3 Reviews

“The Sound quality did what I wanted in that respect and it did it very well”

I’d been trawling the internet checking out various reviews on stage pianos for some
weeks but had to bring my sights down due to budget limitations. The Roland RD700GX I
longed for will have to wait a while longer I’m afraid. Such is life.

I would never have thought that I would even consider buying a Casio keyboard and I’m
hoping I won’t regret it.
But hey, if after three to five years down the line I fancy a change, then I haven’t
spent a massive amount in the first place.

After downloading a free e-magazine from a Christian Worship site last week, it featured
a review of the latest Casio PX3 which I must admit I hadn’t even heard of until then. I
simply had to do further research and was surprised to see how many positive comments
were being made regarding this keyboard. As this is an American based site, ‘WOW!’ and
‘Best Bang for the Buck!’ were terms being mentioned. Not only that, but the price was
below£700. So I sourced one in J G Windows in Newcastle upon Tyne and sat for over an
hour trying a display model out, accompanied by a very patient sales assistant who kindly
got the user manual out and helped me get to grips with the menu set up to reveal some of
the more advanced features of the piano.

I was at the same time as all this was happening, rather cheekily keeping an eye on a
mint Roland RD300 GX which had been sitting at£450 for a few days on Ebay right up to
the last 2 minutes! It was very tempting. So at the last minute I entered my username and
password to place a bid only to find that it had shot up to£650 with a minimum bid of
£670 to secure a chance of winning it. PAH!
So with hopes dashed, I thought, play it safe John, you’ve managed to get an excellent
deal on a brand new Casio PX3 limited edition stage piano, including a double braced
stand and gig bag, all for£675 and once my purchase is registered with Casio, the
warrantly will automatically be extended to 3 years.
A bit of a no brainer.

What really concerned me before I got my hands on the piano were the following:

1.Weight.
Weighing in at less than 24lbs, is this keyboard going to feel like a lightweight home
keyboard or is it going to feel like a proper grown up serious workhorse.
Well, if you can look beyond the lightweight understated plastic casing, you may be just
blown away by the feel and the weight of the action on this piano.  I doubted whether it
would be possible to make it feel as good as something a£1000 more expensive but I was
very pleasantly surprised. Well done to the Casio engineers. Also as I am no spring
chicken (51), which my younger band members constantly remind me, I didn’t really want
the problem of lugging around a traditional 25KG stage piano with hardcase adding even
more weight and bulk to a very dead weight. Been there, done that, got the knackered back
to constantly remind me! The PX3 is something that you could possibly sling under one arm
and carry quite easily. One major box firmly ticked!

2. Sound quality.
Well as I rarely venture beyond piano, EP’s and smooth string sounds. It did what I
wanted in that respect and it did it very well. Most of the other sounds are pretty much
redundant because I’ve got a band who play the other sounds for me (sickeningly well, I
might add), so it’s not an issue for me.
After a bit of experimentation, tweaking the EQ here and there, slight de-tuning and
layering up with my favoured trusty warm strings sound, this can cut it with a lot more
expensive pianos. It will be ideal in a contemporary church worship setting where you
need to be sensitive to the congregation and the dynamics of the songs. I’m going to so
enjoy playing this piano. Again a resounding yes.

3. Build Quality.
What can I say. It’s very……plastic. No getting away from it. If you’re wanting to
show off to your audience and are image conscious, then buy a Korg SV1, they look fab and
very retro. They also sound very nice but again, you would need to find another£900. Not
an option in my case….sadly. Will the PX3 stand up to the rigours of stage use remains
to be seen. It is very light, so the chances of you falling over and dropping it because
you’ve overbalanced, are fairly remote. I’m not one who flings my gear around, I look
after things and am careful with expensive toys which I work hard to afford and
eventually spend serious amounts of money on. So will it be an issue for me? Probably not.

Since getting the piano home, I’ve been spending every spare few minutes eagerly fiddling
around with the various user presets and experimenting with combinations of sounds which
will work with the worship band I play in. I have also been enjoying what I missed out on
for the past 10 years with the XP80, those extra keys. Ah man! It’s sooo good to get my
hands on a proper weighted 88 note piano keyboard again. Feeling the sound of those lower
register notes hitting you in the chest and lingering. It might sound soft to you guys
out there but it’s a very personal and quite emotional thing and something I find quite
moving.

The guys in the band can now relax and enjoy the fact that I won’t be whinging about
trying to find a new keyboard anymore and that we can get down to creating some great
music together.

Sadly, I will now have to sell my faithful Roland XP80 which I have enjoyed playing for
over the last 10 years and it’s never let me down.
But very briefly, coming back to the PX3, just having those few extra keys at the bottom
end makes an awful lot of difference to the depth and richness of tones which I will now
be able to kick out with the band. It’s maiden practice voyage with the band is Monday
night and I can’t wait to rattle those ivory effect keys. Oh yes. Bring it on.

Review by: John Gillender, Newcastle, UK

 

“These are customer reviews from actual owners of this piano.
The most recent review is at the top of this page “, Graham Howard, Piano Advisor

Send me an email if you have any questions or need advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
Or call 020 8367 5107