Mike, Thank you for the feedback concearning the px130 white model (currently in Europe)---I'd overlooked your response a few days back, so once again, thanks!

It seems very strange to me for Casio to announce a product like the AP-620 and provide technical specifications for it and include it in the company's marketing literature in September and yet not plan to have it available for another 6 months?

Guess I will be getting a Korg or a Yamaha instead.

On the other hand the 130 and 330 came out here in the US a little earlier than was first anticipated if you read the early part of this thread. Someone on the last page said the big difference between the 830 and the AP620 was the cabinet but another couple of differences would be the 30w per channel on the AP620 as opposed to 20w per channel on the px830 and the AP620 has 250 tones instead of the 16 on the 830....but still i suppose the point of the cabinet being the big difference is a fair one (considering the extra tones are...)

The PX830 is similar to the AP420 (not 620) except the cabinet.
The PX330 is similar to the AP620, except the cabinet, pedals and the 2 x 30 W speakers

It may be standard procedure in the digital piano world but I find it very odd for a manufacturer like Casio to announce new products in June, release specifications in September, and yet not be able to actually make the product available to customers until March of 2010. I think they are doing a disservice to their dealers who have the "old" product to sell and to potential customers who want to buy a digital piano but have to decide between a real piano that can be played and reviewed and ones that are described in the manufacturer's marketing pieces.

I have been trying to decide on a DP and this forum has been very helpful. But I am not about to wait until April 2010 to get one actually shipped to my house. I do not see this lag time with other digital equipment, including items that are far more sophisticated in terms of their design and manufacturing complexity, so one has to wonder why Casio requires 9 months to get their digital pianos into the pipeline and into customers' hands.

The PX-830 is presently available to purchase in the UK, and according to the Canada distributor it will be available in Canada by January 2010, and according to Kraft Music, the PX-830 may not be sold in the USA at all as they have received no word of it being a USA product. So my short list of digital pianos is now much shorter with Casio DP's off the list.

If I had a DP and was planning to upgrade it I can see where the Casio strategy might make sense, but for people who just want to buy the best DP within their budget it has to be hurting Casio's dealers in the USA.

Is possible we will see Casio AP-620 and casio PX-830 in Las Vegas Electric Show on Jan. 2010?

Any idea when the PX 830 will be available in Europe?
It says "not yet available" on the thomann site...

We will have them at NAMM the following week.

Dear all,
I had the chance to try the PX330 here in Singapore (about S$ 1599/US$ 1,100). I used to play the Casio PL-40R, and loved it! I regretted selling it to make way for an upright piano, and now, I am very eager to get the PX330 which would come close to the PL-40R in terms of features.
On first try (my personal opinion), I feel that the keys were somewhat plasticky and filmsy, and I worry if it may last(PL-40R lasted 4 years, no problems at all and passed on to another happy owner!).
While the sound is great, the feel is quite different from PL-40R, and also the other newer PX830, which feels excellent and comes closer to a piano key.
I am not sure if anyone feels this way too but happy to hear your thoughts on this.

Regards,
Michael

Michael,
Your point about durability seems to be the last major hurdle Casio has to clear. I think there are a substantial number of users that have these same concerns about Casio based on past experiences. I do think Casio is striving to erase the image of a big company making toy keyboards. Although I would not classify a Privia DP as a toy, there are clearly some that still associate Casio as cheap and being built to a price. This may or may not be fair, but until Casio takes some bolder steps to address the quality issue, there will always be doubts. Perhaps they could offer a longer warranty to instill more confidence as a start.

1 year warranty going to a 2 or 3 year warranty would go far in instilling a sense of quality with their products, I agree.

I've been lurking around for a while, and thanks to all I've read here, I finally settled on a PX130. I'm fairly happy with the dp in general, but I'm returning my second unit.

For both units, the weights for many of the keys were no longer attached.

I just wanted to find out if this was a common problem or if I just had two freak units.

What do you mean, that the weights somehow "fell off"? I find this very puzzling, though I don't really know the internal mechanism of Casio keys. How did you know? Did adjacent keys have wildly different key weights?

I think you are the 5th or 6th poster who has had key problems.

Palionex,
Weights falling off the keys is a very strange occurrance and definately not normal. To my knowledge, no one has complained about this kind of problem. How long did you have the pianos before this happened?

re: marimorimo, galaxy4t

Both keyboards had this problem new, out of the box. Different keys for each one, but the problem essentially was that the key did not feel weighted. In comparison to adjacent keys, it was as if pushing down a key on a non-weighted keyboard. This would be accompanied by a large thud in the top panel area directly above the key like a mallet hitting wood once the key was fully depressed. After a few minutes of playing, several additional keys would experience the same problem, and this was irreversible.

re: Nikalette
I didn't realize this was the problem people were talking about. People have complained about clicking sounds, but I hadn't come across this specific problem so I apologize if I'm bringing up a previously discussed topic.

Shoot, I haven't been on the boards for a few weeks, and looking back at more recent posts, I do see that a few others have had key issues as well... =( I thought $399 without tax (in CA) was a steal, but the amount of effort to send it back each time is making me reconsider. If the next unit they ship out has problems, I may have to go with a different dp.

This is a disturbing trend I'm seeing. I have been learning the piano for a short time now on an old keyboard and I have been saving up my cash for a proper weighted DP. The Privia line was one I was looking at as a possibility, but all these quality issues may scare me off. I think the biggest worry I have is I am a beginner, so I fear I would not recognize a problem with a DP as quickly as a experienced player would. My luck I would pass the return time period before I realized it's a dud and then be stuck with that company.

My hope is this is a fluke, please keep us posted palionex!

I purchased the Casio PX-330 on 10/23/09. I did have to remove the blue tape from the keys. I set the puppy up on a stand and I have had not the 1st issue. I have been tickling the keys daily since then and love it. Keep in mind I am a rank beginner but still - no issues.
In fact I have ordered the stand and pedal accessories from Kraft to turn the 330 into a digital piano instead of a keyboard feel& look. I am expecting delivery Monday the 9th. Excited.
So - they aren't al bad. This is just MY experience. Problems do tend to get more press than things that work well.
Thanks, Richard

Agreed. This is a very, very important point.

Cheers,
James
x

Last week I tried the PX-730, and I have to say - AMAZING.
The touch is way, so much better than all of the most expensive Clavinovas' (which I have played at the same store), and a big step up from the previous privia models as well.
The main improvement is when you play slow pianissimo (e.g. the Moonlight sonata, Chopin's 4th prelude in E minor) you have such a great control on the sound and touch, the keyboard is almost as sensitive as on the C.Bechstein grand I practiced and played at a concert the same day. The sound is great too, and really changes as you go from pianissimo to fortissimo. But the speakers as good as they can be, with just an 8 watts amplification each, won't make a real deep bass, but for me it isn't a problem because I'm looking for a D.P. only for technical practicing, and also I can connect to it my Logitech Z2300 system at anytime so it's not such a big issue.
For everyone who is looking for a real piano replacement at this kind of money, It's an amazing bargain. Just try it.

I've gigged with a PX300 every week for 3 years and never had a problem with the keyboard. Well made. I have the newer px330. A nice board but CASIO contaminated the Wurlitzer and Rhodes piano samples with mandatory vibrato.
It's like too many cooks in the kitchen. Sometimes less is more.
They have some very nice world samples too and with the optional alternate tunings makes for an interesting keyboard BUT the silly delayed vibrato on so many samples drags this fine instrument towards the arena of the toy keyboard.

DON'T BUY CASIO !

I went to buy the PX-130 today, obviously they said I was getting a great DP, but then I asked them to bring the box and open it to check if everything was find with it.

We opened the box, they plugged it, I turned it on and then realized:
1) the left speaker was dead
2) it had two keys stuck (I found one, my girlfriend found the other ! :S )

From that I can only think: Casio didn't check ANYTHING, nor the keys or the digital functions of this DP, I don't spend more than $500 without checking, and when I am doing it I expect to receive something that went to quality assurance and passed the tests.

This just makes me thing Casio = cheap and bad quality

And when you factor that in, a Casio isn't really much cheaper than a Yamaha. At least with the P-85, I trusted Yamaha quality assurance enough that I did not think it necessary to open the box before buying...

I the UK at least you are covered by a 3-year warranty with all new Casio Privia or Celviano pianos. So not really any kind of risk with that guarantee which equals Roland and Yamaha. I have had Yamaha P-80 and P-90 stage pianos and now have the Casio PX-330 and I much prefer the Casio playing action and keyboard response. It is also extremely light and portable which is great for gigging without permanent back damage! The basic pianos sounds are very good and the dynamic range is excellent. I agree some of the other sounds are less brilliant though. I think the overall features it offers for the money is remarkable. The small on-board speakers and sound system are OK but once you put it through larger sound system then the overall quality really shines.