Casio, 61-Key Portable Keyboard (CT-X3000) & Yamaha PKBB1 Adjustable Padded Keyboard X-Style Bench, Black,19.5 Inches

There is a strip of invisible type tape over the keys that needs to be peeled off. At first I thought something was wrong when the keys wouldn't press down. Besides the power adapter there is another cord - adapter to outlet - in the box. I almost missed it. The headphone jack is 6.35 mm - an adapter is required for a 3.5 mm headphone cord. I had one and put it in the pic but it is not included. Once the tape is removed and power connected initial start up is very easy. Press the red power button and the display should light up with "001StagePno". Next to the power button is the volume control - adjust clockwise and it's ready to go. The manual is pretty extensive. I expect I'll use some of the various piano, electric piano, organ, and string section tones most of the time. There are a lot of quality sounding options. The various bass tones which automatically are set down an octave and the split keyboard option are features I might use occasionally. I didn't need many of the features on this keyboard and although the compact aspect of 61 keys is handy I have room for an 88 key piano. But I decided even an entry level 88 key Casio or Yamaha keyboard was out of my price range at this time. Weighted keys were not a big factor for me as piano is not my 1st instrument and I mainly just pick out chords and melodies and use it for ear training. I chose this CTX 3000 over the similarly priced 76 key Casio WK 6600 and Yamaha PSR EW310 sacrificing some range for what I thought to be better tone generation at least per my online research. Further research since purchase has me suspecting the PSR EW310 main piano tone may be close to equal. The CTX 3000 has 64 note polyphony versus 48 for both the WK 6600 and PSR EW310. The CTX 3000 has a 12 watt amp, the WK 6600 6 watt + 6 watt, and the PSR EW310 2.5 watt + 2.5 watt. Speakers are CTX 3000 3.9 inches x 2, WK 6600 4.7 inches x 2 + 1.4 inches x 2, PSR EW310 12 cm x 2. One thing I didn't think about before buying is the weight of the item. This CTX 3000 weighs 15.2 lbs, the WK 6600 weighs 17.4 lbs, the PSR EW310 right about 12 lbs, and the 88 key weighted keys options such as the px1000 or Yamaha p45 and p125 weigh right about 25 lbs. The lower priced ctx700 is 9.5 lbs. If you're going to be moving the keyboard around some that might be something to consider.

With an extra $150 you get a sturdier keyboard, better keys, better speakers and you can edit tones and rhythms. I gave my ct-x700 away. I also have some yamaha refaces which are priced about the same; but with the ct-x3000 you get a lot more value.

Very nice keyboard. I like the feel of the keys, an important factor for me as I’m currently using the keyboard to learn to play the piano. See comment below on MIDI connectivity to a learning App.The sharp keys didn’t respond initially, so I changed the touch to LIGHT which made it a lot better. The AIX chip helps provide excellent piano sounds. I use just the basic controls, even then there is a bit of a learning curve; the manual is helpful. I connected the keyboard to my iPad, to use with the Flowkey piano learning App; it was a straight forward link that works well. The App detects all notes quickly and reliably.The keyboard puts out enough “power” (?) to drive a large pair of headphones.

I am using this keyboard mostly to learn how to play piano, so I have little to no experience with recording or composing music, or performing, etc. What I have found very helpful is that I can easily and quickly change the voice or tone of the instrument; say, from one type of piano music to another and to other instrumental tones. Because of this, I can get myself to continue practicing a piece over and over again with different voices without getting so bored that I quit before I can master the piece. Since there are plenty of categories of tones, I keep on playing and enjoy pretending that I am playing a guitar or cello or saxophone, etc., or just hearing how the composition sounds using the other instrumental voices. Great fun.

Delighted with the purchase!! Great surprise for my wife. A bit complicated for a beginner I would think, but that can be learned/grown into. Could be slightly intimidating at first, but is exciting and sounds great. We have down-sized and this size keyboard is perfect. Wife is a long-time player who was having back issues with our upright piano and had stopped playing. This is working perfectly! Comfortable, fun, challenging, etc., etc. In case you can't tell, we love it!

I had purchased a midi controller about a month ago and decided to learn the keys so upgraded to this. For the money i think its a great bang for the buck, especially with 800 sounds to play with. Though not all the sounds are perfect for $300 USD its hard to beat. It really excels in the price range. It can be complicated to use though.

Actually I exchanged the CT-X3000 for the additional features of the CT-X5000. Both keyboards are great for the cost. I am completely happy with the purchase.

I mainly got this piano to learn at my own pace. I am not a very good piano player. I mostly have tried to play some of the songs from games i played over the years. Still slowly learning. Overall, for the price it was at, i think it was reasonable. It also comes with an line-in which is pretty sweet because i use that for playing music from my phone. Also, has headphone port but if you use 3.5mm you will need an adapter like me. Many different sounds as well so i would assume many newbie piano players would like this as i do. As for all the other features the piano has, i don't use them, at least not yet. Definitely read other peoples reviews as to most people will know more and or get you on track to what you are searching for.