BrandonMurchison Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Hello, fellow musicians and piano players! I just wanted to ask a question, in hopes that you guys will be of some assistance. Okay, let me just start by saying that I'm a Bass player, primarily. I recently decided to learn how to play the piano/keyboard . Now here's the question friends!! Okay, so I was at my local music retail store, looking for a good keyboard to start off with. I didn't want to go with a "low end" keyboard but being that I'm a beginner I didn't want to get too ahead of myself and buy a high end keyboard for several hundreds/several thousands of dollars. So I figured I would get 1 that was right in the middle, not too advanced but yet not too low end. So I ended up making my decision and buying a CASIO CTK-4200 for $270. Now I was wondering if you guys think I made a good decision in buying this keyboard, being that I'm a beginner and didn't want to go too cheap but yet not go to advanced and expensive. I was wondering is this a good keyboard for a beginner? I know it's not the best but it's definitely not the worse/cheapest. Did I make a good choice for what I was looking for? Thanks guys, appreciate it ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoodyBluesKeys Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Welcome to the forum. Most of the forum members here are probably not that familiar with the CTK-4200 (I am not). I looked up the specifications - you can definitely make some music with it, and probably decide if you want to go forther with keys. Some of the higher end Casio boards are being used for gigging by pros. Casio is also represented here. My personal thought is that you have a board comparable to getting a Fender Squire bass - it may not be as good as a MIA Fender, but it is better than a lot of the stuff on the market. Howard Grand|Hamm SK1-73|Kurz PC2|PC2X|PC3|PC3X|PC361; QSC K10's HP DAW|Epi Les Paul & LP 5-str bass|iPad mini2 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldwin Funster Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 You probably could have gotten something a little (but not much) cheaper. But for learning purposes you could have done worse. I started on a WK3000 . FunMachine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonMurchison Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Thanks man. So do you think it's a good buy for not wanting to go to cheap being that I'm a beginner. Because I didn't want to get a "toy"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonMurchison Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 fender squire bass lol? good example man.. I get your drift ...thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldwin Funster Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Thanks man. So do you think it's a good buy for not wanting to go to cheap being that I'm a beginner. Because I didn't want to get a "toy"... Well, those casio's are a bit toyish, but have enough features and playability to not be dismissed totally out of hand. Pretty much ANYTHING under $800.00 is a toy. That said for local gigs, cover the casio logo with duck tape and have at it. Ive seen financially challenged players with top skill using low end gear like this. FunMachine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonMurchison Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Lol, damn man. Now I kinda' feel bad that I bought the CTK 4200. So in a nutshell, basically your saying its a toy keyboard? So it isn't good? Feel me in man... I need details....details...LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldwin Funster Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Lol, damn man. Now I kinda' feel bad that I bought the CTK 4200. So in a nutshell, basically your saying its a toy keyboard? So it isn't good? Feel me in man... I need details....details...LOL Don't feel bad . You got a decent learning keyboard. When i say toy, i refer more to the opinions of a few on this board that like to look down anything that isn't top notch. FunMachine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonMurchison Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Yeah I understand ...Lol. I've seen what some of the people refer to as toys on this forum so I get your drift... What keyboard are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldwin Funster Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Dude, i went nuts and bought a bunch of stuff, but mostly Hammond brand organ clones. Xk3c, XK1 . I would'nt have known what i wanted if i hadn't played the WK3000 for a year or 2. FunMachine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonMurchison Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Yeah I seen some Hammond suzuki's for about $3,000. Sheesh, way out of my league for that right now.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveCoscia Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Brandon, if you like the CTK-4200 then enjoy it for all its worth and dig deep into its strengths. Today's keyboards will deliver far more value when the user makes time to surface features that are deep within. Make the most of what you have and savor every moment. Most of all - have fun. BTW - I own two Casio keyboards (WK-7500 & XW-P1). Neither one is a "toy". Steve Coscia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonMurchison Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 hey steve what do you think of the ctk 4200? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveCoscia Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I glanced at the specs quickly and it looks like a decent starter keyboard with a boatload of sounds and rhythms. The 48 note polyphony and 6 track recorder will enable you to write and record your own stuff (I don't know if the CTK-4200 sequencing is similar to my WK-7500). As a bass player, you can jam with the recordings made on the CTK-4200 - jamming along with your own stuff is the most fun part IMHO. My experience with recent Casio keyboards is that there is usually lots more value than what is initially perceived - make time to learn and push its capabilities. Expect more, not less. Steve Coscia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrysb3 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Casio makes a pretty nice consumer grade digital piano. I tried one out at Costco, and the action was very natural feeling. Not $300, though, maybe a couple of hundred more. It had 88 keys and a weighted, graded action. I ended up getting a similar Yamaha. Like guitars, the quality and capability of new inexpensive instruments is way beyond what was available twenty years ago. He not busy being born Is busy dyin'. ...Bob Dylan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob L Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Casios are not toys. I have a PX3 and it is awesome.... Korg CX-3 (vintage), Casio Privia PX-5S, Lester K, Behringer Powerplay P2, Shure 215s http://www.hackjammers.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesdisciple Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 I have used a Casio WK 3700 for the past 9 years and have used it to record and play all types of gigs for Christian Rock, blues, classic rock and R-n-B. Best $400 I ever spent. Nobody, musician or audience, ever has made an issue of it....most people are actually surprised its a Casio. An award winning fiddler who I took lessons from told me that it ain't the price or type of bow you use...the only thing that matters is the hand that holds it and how that hand can use the bow. Toy schmoy. Get over it. If you like the board and you can play the board what others think don't mean anything. Just play it well enough to entertain people....that's all that matters. I think you made a fine choice (not that my opinion matters) BD 1956 Hammond C3 with Leslie 122, Roland V-Combo, Trek II Preamp, Peavey KB 100, 1976 Natural Maple Rickenbacker 4001S bass And yes folks, I do gig with a Casio WK 3700...So there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekewaka Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Still amazed what you could get just under $600 with a Casio PX-150..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bif_ Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Thanks man. So do you think it's a good buy for not wanting to go to cheap being that I'm a beginner. Because I didn't want to get a "toy"... Since you're just now learning, the keyboard won't be the limiting factor. Greg Kurzweil Forte, Yamaha Motif ES7, Muse Receptor 2 Pro Max, Neo Ventilator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandonMurchison Posted January 16, 2013 Author Share Posted January 16, 2013 thanks bluediscisple....i arppeciate it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workstationM.I. Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Thanks man. So do you think it's a good buy for not wanting to go to cheap being that I'm a beginner. Because I didn't want to get a "toy"... Well, those casio's are a bit toyish, but have enough features and playability to not be dismissed totally out of hand. Pretty much ANYTHING under $800.00 is a toy. That said for local gigs, cover the casio logo with duck tape and have at it. Ive seen financially challenged players with top skill using low end gear like this. Indeed! Just so it makes you feel better, your keyboard is more advanced than mine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
workstationM.I. Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 Brandon, if you like the CTK-4200 then enjoy it for all its worth and dig deep into its strengths. Today's keyboards will deliver far more value when the user makes time to surface features that are deep within. Make the most of what you have and savor every moment. Most of all - have fun. BTW - I own two Casio keyboards (WK-7500 & XW-P1). Neither one is a "toy". Seconded. Even when Casio was a punchline to endless jokes, those of us who used Casio knew better. In the last two years, the jokes have apparently ceased because of the WK and XW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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