Casio CGP-700BK Review

Casio is a prominent brand in the world of electric pianos. That is probably exactly why you were attracted to our Casio CGP-700BK review in the first place.

But reputation isn’t everything. At a glance, this unit does look nice. A moderately priced furniture stand keyboard is hard to come by after all.

But the question prevails: is this keyboard right for you? Musicians are justifiably particular about their equipment.

You want the best stuff that you can get. We also want that for you, which is why we have spent a lot of time looking at the ins and outs of this instrument.

To learn what we found, read on for our Casio CGP-700BK review!

Important Features

Let’s now take a look at some important features. Most of the info that we will go over in this section pertains to things we like about the Casio CGP-700BK. We will also take a look at some issues a little bit later on.

Stand

One of the first things most people will notice is the stand. The Casio CGP comes with a furniture quality stand. Granted, there are furniture stands out there that pay a little bit more attention to cosmetic detail. Some of them are virtually indistinguishable from an upright piano.

That isn’t what you get here. The stand is a little bit basic, but still handsome, and certainly still efficient.

It is sturdy, relatively compact, and also quite handsome. You don’t always see that with pianos in this price range so it is nice to find here.

Keys

Casio is known for making really great keys. That reputation is certainly reinforced with the keyboard that you get here.

The keys are both weighted and graded. Acoustic pianos have the benefit of providing natural resistance when you press a key. Because of the hammer system that the instrument uses, it is natural to their design.

However, you don’t necessarily see that with electric keyboards. With them, this is a feature that needs to be deliberately added.

The benefit of weighted keys is two-fold. For one thing, they just feel a little bit better. Weighted keys feel good and create the playing experience that pianists have enjoyed for as long as this ancient instrument has existed.

So the fact that this keyboard has weighted keys is great. Casio further ups the ante by grading their keyboard.

This means that each section of the board is going to have its own unique weighting system. This mimics the mechanics of an acoustic keyboard.

Low notes are heavy, the center of the board is moderate, and high notes are usually pretty light. The benefit of this framework is fairly straightforward. It simply further increases the feel of being like an acoustic.

Last but not least, these keys also feature Casio’s famous tri-sensor technology. This aspect of the keyboard ensures that you can apply a tremendous amount of nuance to your playing.

The sensors are able to register how hard you strike the key. Where you press down on it, and so on and so forth. Essentially, this tech makes the keys as responsive as the ones you find with an acoustic.

All great stuff. We did have one tiny issue with the keys that we will go over in the aptly named “Issues” section.

Still, for the most parts, the keyboard is a great success.

Easy To Use Interface

Last but not least, this keyboard also benefits from a nice, easy to use interface. The bulk of option navigation takes place on a full-color LCD screen.

The high-resolution screen makes it really easy to navigate through rhythms, and quickly find the settings that you are looking for.

This actually really nice to see because ease of use isn’t always a given with keyboards.

Issues

Most of the issues that you encounter with the CGP-700BK are pretty much reflective of the price range. One thing we noticed pertains to the keys. Casio actually did quite a bit right with their keyboard.

They are fairly well known for making responsive keys that play similarly to an acoustic. The issue is that they don’t feel like acoustic keys.

This keyboard, in particular, doesn’t put much of an emphasis at all on creating that ivory aesthetic that you get with acoustics.

In other words, the keys feel plasticky. This isn’t really going to have an impact on how well that they play. It can be a little bit disappointing though. Especially if you are used to that nice acoustic feel.

You can get electric keyboards with wood inlays and synthetic ivory key overs. Those usually cost a good deal more though.

We are also a little bit concerned with the speakers. Though they do work well out of the box, there is some concern with how long that will remain the case.

We have heard numerous reports from long-term users that the speakers start to blow out over time. Many have said that their speaker performance sharply diminished over the course of a year.

Electric speakers will lose quality over time. There isn’t really any avoiding that. Still, one year isn’t long. Ideally, a keyboard will be able to sound good for at least five years.

Is this a con that everyone will encounter?

Probably not. It seems to be a defect that impacts a relatively small batch of keyboards. Still, there is the risk for issues. The unfortunate thing is that many of these problems creep up just outside the window of the manufacturer warranty.

In other words, you might be responsible for paying for it out of your own pocket.

These things aside, it is a good keyboard available at a fair price.

Pros And Cons

We are almost done. In order to help make your decision a little more straightforward, we have condensed the review into some easy to read pros and cons. Read on!

Pros Of Casio CGP-700BK

Cons Of Casio CGP-700BK

Also see: Casio WK-245 Review 

Conclusion

Is the Casio CGP-700BK perfect? Of course not. Show us the piano that is. It does do a lot of things right though. It’s moderately priced, it has a high-quality sound engine and a nice stand.

You can’t ask for too much more—especially not in this price range. The bottom line is that it is a good keyboard that will suit a range of users. Whether you are just starting out, or you have been at it for some time, the Casio CGP is going to have something for you.