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Starting a new thread since we have a few buyers here.

Please post your reactions when your DPs arrive.

Rec'd my PX 130 last night and have only set it up, so I can only say so far it looks great! I ended up buying the "Stage Essentials" package from Kraft Music, which includes the double-X stand, sustain pedal (to replace the cheap switch pedal that comes with the 130) and a Privia carrying case.

Just an fyi, it came with the AC adaptor, sustain switch pedal and song book with the music for the 60 songs built into the demo. The DP offers the option to cut out the left or right hand of the demo music, so I'm looking forward to learning those pieces one hand at a time!

Another piece of software I'm looking at is the Mac iLife '09 version of GarageBand which now offers downable Piano Lessons for free (looks like there are about 10 lessons in total, starting out easy and ending up with how to play the Blues!), and then for a price, you can also download lessons from artists on how to play songs they made famous (Norah Jones, Ryan Tedder of One Republic, Sara Bareilles, etc.)

This feature was also in the PX-120 and I found it wonderful, especially when I was trying to learn one of the Bach inventions and could hear how the hands fit together even as I was learning each hand separately.

Correct me if I'm wrong kcostell, bu the PX-120 DIDN'T allow you to choose a bass tone and another tone (other than piano), am I wrong? Anyway, The speakers in the PX-130 still aren't great, but plugged into my Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's, has a LOT better sound than the 120 IMO. OH so cOOAL!

(Mine arrived today. And I camped out for it. Stand an all. YAY!)

Edit: BTW, a relatively nice improvement is that these AC adaptors don't get hot if you leave them plugged in like the 120 and below. That was a huge pain having to unplug after turning off (just a tiiiny thing, but tedious) It actually feels cool to the touch.

Oh well, back to my newbie songs. xD

I bought a Casio CTK 591 about 5 years ago for my daughter ($149) and it has the same neat separate hand training, with a big built in songbook (including a Bach invention), and 3 training levels, and other neat educational stuff. One reason I decided I could live without that on the 330. It doesn't have good touch or sound, but for the muscle memory part and learning the piece it's great. It also has a voice that calls out the fingers, 2 hand graphics on the display, and a keyboard graphic...just not the score.

Well i just got mine today so I'll give some initial reactions. I got the PX330 by the way but so far have just tried the main piano sound for the most part. It sounds good, like a real piano to my ears but i can see where someone here the other day described it as a bit harsh. I have been playing on a non-weighted yamaha DGX-300 that's about 3 years old and the yamaha sounds pretty nice itself, perhaps not as good as the casio (newer technology in the casio after all) but perhaps also without that touch of harshness the poster mentioned here a couple of days ago in another thread.

OK so i'm not used to weighted keys so take that with a grain of salt but I'm almost getting the clumping sound already almost as if i'm hearing or feeling a drum beat when i hit the key; I'm not hitting overly hard, or don't think i am and again when i compare the casio to my non-weighted yamaha dgx-300 the yamaha does not have this clump but of course the keys on it are not weighted so maybe this is a natural occuance because of the weighted keys.

One smaller detail that is bothering me a bit on the casio is the top of the keys seem to be a plate that is glued onto the main body of the key, so to speak, and there is a little overhang as there also is on my yamaha and i suppose on all piano keys. The top 'plate' of the key on the Casio however is somewhat sharp on it's underside, the little lip where it protrudes over a bit from the main body of the key, and although i probably have no business grazing my thumb against this underside of the 'lip' when am stretching (i was playing fur elise as the example) my thumb will brush up against this underside a bit and feel the sharp edge of it. The yamaha dgx-300 has a nicely finished 'lip' to the top plate of the key and without taking a flashlight to it it's not even that obvious that it's a seperate plate; on the casio it's kind of obvious which wouldn't be so bad if it were not for it being a tad on the sharp side.

OK I don't want to sound like i'm totally bashing the casio because i'm not so likely to list a bunch of things that i do like about it; that is the little things that are striking me as downsides will show themselves first; so perhaps assume to some degree that other than that everything seems quite nice about it.

I have to admit i'm probably going to try and do a side by side comparison with the yamaha P-155 and see if the clumping is something the casio has or if it's also evident with the yamaha and just something that occurs because of the weighted keys in general. Just a caveat that my observations on this with the casio is not based on alot of experience with pianos in general. i also don't think it's the 'lack of felt' clumping issue that some have mentioned with the casios but like i said i'd like to compare now that i have a better frame of reference to see if the Yamaha also has this percussive clump effect I'm noticing with the casio.

A couple of things that Geoffk mentioned in the other 130/330 thread the other day was that the casio has a somewhat sluggish syrupy feel to the keys....I just played a little of the Linus and lucy bassline and had to agree that it did seem a little....sluggish and syrupy.... Also Geoffk said that the 'response to volume change from ppp to mf is a little jumpy and not as smooth and intuitive as it should be' and I'd have to agree with that too...now again I'm a beginner, only played for the better part of a year, taught myself to read music and learned a dozen of so simple pieces like Fur elise and bach's prelude in C and stopped for a year and a half for the most part (although played alot of fiddle, banjo and classical guitar in that time) and then got back into it a few months ago....so my opinions may be partly due to my own inexperience and even ignorance. But like i said i'm going to have to try the yamaha155 to compare what I've noticed about the casio px330.

Some of these things, not sure about the thudding of the keys, would not be necessarily deal-breakers but may be a matter of you're not going to be able to expect perfection for about
$400. Would it be worth it for me to spend about twice as much to get the yamaha even if it clears up some of these relatively small issues? (if the clumping thing is not apparent on the yamaha p155 then maybe not so small) It well might.

@limavady

I know what you mean with the sharp top plate. I had the DGX 630 and I know that the keys have a nice finish.

But I was surprised after I visit a friend who has a real piano, and these keys also have this sharp underside

So this is in my opinion just a nice feature from the DGX series.

I compared the DGX-630 to the PX-320 and the keys from the DGX where much more louder. After I read that the PX 330 has better sound and keys I decided to wait till the 330 is released.

You cannot compare a non weighted key keyboard with a hammer weighted keyboard, this is like comparing apples with pears It is also not usual to compare a $699 model vs. a $1199 model. There is always a piano which has better features for more dollars

I agree and actually edited my 'review' with the last paragraph about the same time you posted to acknowledge what you are saying mainly your last paragraph. (but before i'd read it) Like i'd mentioned I'm going to have to go and compare. I'm probably tending to focus on potential problems and should say that the casio also plays and sounds very nice. Might be a matter of good/better/best and I'm being a little picky. Maybe though i would be willing to pay twice as much for just that extra step up in quality.

Limavady, hope you have a good return policy there, because I think it takes at least a few weeks to adjust.

My YPG has that thudding thing also, not noticeable at all on headphones, and not when I'm playing louder voices, but on the grand piano if it's not at full volume it's kind of annoying.

One of the reasons I picked MUSIC 123 was the 45 day return policy (made that mistake on the YPG with B&H which has only 15 days).

My keyboard is weighted and so it will be interesting to have a leisurely side by side comparison to decide what the difference is.

I find the keys kind of hurt my fingers compared to an acoustic! I don't know why that is, except that an acoustic is so much more responsive and so much louder I tend to play really quietly.

I've resigned myself that my "now" DP is going to be lower cost and have drawbacks. I really don't want to pay $1500 (or in the case of the CVPs many thousands) for a sampled piano that is going to just be a quantitative upgrade....I really want something like the Roland V...a qualitative upgrade...otherwise, I'll rent an acoustic.

Limavady
Are the keys making a thumping sound when you push them down? What I was complaining about was the sound they were making when returning to their rests (clacking). All digital pianos make noise when the keys are pushed down--the hammers strike a piece of felt or something like that simulating a hammer striking a string. This is what gives the weighted feel. Some people who have Roland FP 7's complain about how the keys bottom out suddenly. These are $1800 pianos. I think you will find the Yamaha touch feels lighter than the Casio.

I played a PX-130 again a couple nights ago and noted the sound does sound a bit harsh. Was listening through some cheap ear bud headphones. Don't have a good pair of phones with an eigth inch jack. It sounded better through the on board speakers although I was wondering if the harsh sound is distortion. The 130 I was playing did play loud and even through the on board speakers, turning up the volume seems to overdrive the speakers. This might be amp distortion. Would need a good pair of headphones to accurately assess.

Casio does seem to use hard plastic on their keys and yes the edges can be sharp. Keep in mind all DP's are a replica of a real piano. None is going to be perfect. They all have their quirks.

I have some good Bose headphones with the smaller jack, I really don't get why Casio puts that wee output on there.

I have some good Bose headphones with the smaller jack, I really don't get why Casio puts that wee output on there.

It seems that they went to the 1/8" jack starting last year on the PX-120/320. My PX-575 has standard 1/4" for headphone, but no line outs. They must be using smaller speakers in those newer painos since the cases are smaller.

galaxy4t, well it is the thud they, they keys, make when pushed down which i realize may be normal as well as my not being used to weighted keys. Good point about the quirks each brand may well have; Like i'd mentioned i'm probably not necessarily looking for things to complain about but yes looking for the sore spots that stick out. I will try and compare the casio with the yamaha p155 especially now that i have a point of reference with the casio. Some of these things, the sound being good but not perfect for instance, other people have pointed out in their opinions of the casios and i can't expect perfection for about $400 or for $1000 for that matter. Just going to have to compare now and decide if the yamaha is better enough to warrant the difference in price.

Nikalette, thanks, no sweat on the return. MF also has the 45 day and i've bought quite a bit from them and returned very little so they shouldn't make me feel too guilty....but right now i'd still say there's a 50% i'll keep it. ....and 50% i won't!

Well I went to Sam Ash in search of a PX330, but they did not have one set up so I sat down and played the Yamaha P-155 and the PX130. I played the P-155 for longer than the 130 and came away feeling that the PX-130 stacks up well in the piano sound. I would say the 130 is reasonably close to the P-155 in the piano sound. Some of the samples seem to ring on both models in the middle C register. The other sounds are different on both models. The Yamaha has better strings and better electric pianos IMO. Action is lighter and springier on the P-155. No question, the Casio is stiffer. I wouldn't call it like syrup as nothing sticks; it just has more resistance. If your fingers are not used to stiff action, you will have to build up your strength. The PX-130 I played did not have any distortion like the one I played at Guitar Center. The piano did not sound harsh to my ears. The sustain in the higher registers was also better. Seems to be an indication of quality control on this model. The keys felt solid with no sign of clacking. I am interested in seeing how the action feels in about 6 or 7 months of music store pounding. Considering the price, it is definately worth consideration for anyone shopping for a DP, especially entry level.

Wear some good closed headphones and listen as u play on the higher register.

The thud is also in the sounds emulated.
Woo fun!

One of the reasons I didn't buy the PX 120 when I was shopping was the heavier action. Yet when I got my YPG home,the action seemed heavier than I remembered. I thought the action on the PX 130 at GC was much lighter than the PX 120.

I found out something that I didn't know through all this: Guitar Center owns Musicians Friend who owns Music 123!

Got mine last weekend from local Samash store for $499.99 + tax, used the email coupon for a free electric guitar + amplifier + goodies (even guitar stand) and could not resist. My other keyboard is the ypg-635.
Sound is good, have not tried it with amplifier. I am happy with the limited set of sounds (if I need variety I go to my yamaha). I think that this keyboard in a sense is a step back from the px120, they took out the rythms. But I like the consistent sound accross the keyboard (no strange pitch changes). Note: mine came with the music plastic stand (the one you slide on top of the keyboard) broken, I discovered it after a couple of days , had no problem exchanging it at the store.
Very happy with it as a second and portable keyboard.
But if I had to keep one only I would keep the ypg-635 for the sound, touch and features.
I think that pricewise this is the best weighted keyboard you can buy.
End of my two cents.

Did you get the Casio for portability?

I have the YPG also and I may end up keeping both.

It is funny the trade-offs and back-steps casio seemed to make with the 130 and 330. Like BSC was saying taking out the rhythms on the 130 seemed odd and was one of the reasons i opted for the 330 (the labor day sale price justified going for it as well) but then i discover that the 330 does not have the 60 song with score book feature that the 130 does. i thought it did because on the MF site they listed (incorrectly on a couple of counts) the scorebook and also the adaptor as accessories although costing extra) So why would there be a score book available if there were no 60 songs? But both of these were a mistake on the part of MF, no score book/60 songs and the adaptor was in fact included.

I was heavily leaning on not returning the 330 just for a couple of minor things and i still may hold onto it. For one thing i hate taking advantage of the return policy just for a couple of minor gripes and especially if there's not actually anything wrong with the item. And in fact the 330 is growing on me- does seem a tad heavy/sludgy as Geoffk had said but my frame of reference to other weighted keyboards/pianos is limited- but overall i'm really digging it. The copy misprint about the 60 song scorebook and my assuming the 60 songs were also on the 330 is perhaps a small gripe as well but does add to the short list i have where at some point i would feel like i was justified in returning it. The added voices, 250 or whatever, on the 330 are basically worthless because the vast majority sound lousy....so i just wish they had kept the rhythms on the 130 and i'd be happy with the limited voices because like i said the 250 mostly sound like you know what anyway....also the songbook/60 song deletion on the 330 is just another example of casio doing an upgrade but then taking something away as well....and i was led to believe from the MF copy that the 60 songs were on there...so I know I'm whining but it's also a very nice DP actually so I'm still at 50% if i'll hold onto it or not...the 1 year warranty compared to yamaha's 3 year parts and labor may well nudge me over the line though.

Portability was important. Now I have the px130 in the beach (actual home on weekends) and the unmovable ypg at home. And in the future when I go to gigs will carry the px130 and the double x stand. Well: back to the px130 (it is hearing the conversation, it is weekend)

In your case I would keep both - what better use for money unless to use it for buying nice keyboards :-)