Casio CTK-3500 EPA 61-Key Premium Keyboard Pack with Stand, Headphones, Power Supply, USB Cable & eMedia Instructional Software

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.

I love it! I got this for my two kids who just began piano lessons at school. It was purchased as a temporary way to practice before committing to a digital piano once I know that my kids are committed to the instrument, but I've got to say that I can definitely see us using this for several years to come. The keys are touch sensitive which is a big plus and ensures that they can transition well from keyboard to digital or acoustic piano. It has many great features- much more than we need, but they help liven up daily practice time. The stand is very sturdy and was easy to assemble- the keyboard doesn't attach to it- it just rests on top but the two bars it rests on have rubber grippers that keep it from moving around too much. Personally, I am very strict with my kids about roughhousing around it- if they can't act responsibly around it they practice on a cheap plastic one so the stand hasn't been an issue. Some people have complained that their headphones didn't work, but I didn't have that issue- mine came with the little adaptor thingy and work great. They are comfortable and adjustable and great for when kids have to practice and parents want to watch TV in the same room. The music holder thing is the only thing I have really had a minor problem with- it's really just a metal bar which works well for holding music books, but not at all for the single page handouts the teacher sends home to practice-not too big a deal though, I just stick the sheet on a clipboard and THEN put it on the music stand. Nice crisp sound, the keys feel nice as well. All in all, I am quite happy with my purchase. Definitely recommended for anyone with beginner pianists, this should serve you well the first few years if you aren't quite ready to commit to a digital or acoustic piano.

I bought this keyboard to teach my 10 year old grandson piano. Amazon tends to mix reviews for different models so be sure you are reading one for the right product. The CTK 2550 is a very similar product but with one big difference: It is not "touch sensitive" so you cannot vary the volume (velocity) of the sound by key press pressure. The CTK 3500 I purchased IS touch sensitive so you can vary the volume by the amount of pressure on the keyboard, similar to a real piano. Although the keys are not weighted, touch sensitivity will make it easier for a student to eventually transition to a real piano. I was surprised that at this price, it even has a level 1 MIDI jack (USB A-B type) so you can use it with MIDI software on a PC. I have Cakewalk MIDI sequencing software installed on my PC that I use for my other keyboards, but have not yet tried the MIDI function for this keyboard, but nice to know its there for future use. Although my grandson will mainly be using the piano tone for his lessons, I did try out a few of the other features and tones and is what you would expect for this price, and adds a little fun. For the price, it is a great keyboard to learn on. It also has a decent collection of built-in songs that you can use for lessons and the display even shows fingering to use for those songs, which is very important to learn correctly in the beginning. Notes are also displayed on a staff in real time as the songs play. The package deal comes with headphones and a keyboard stand. I would also recommend purchasing a piano bench/stool and a sustain pedal to complete the package (be sure the sustain pedal is compatible with Casio keyboards or at least has a 'polarity' changeable switch if not specified for Casio). I would highly recommend this for anyone wanting to learn piano, or instructing beginning piano lessons.