Casio CTK-2300 review
I will never forget my first experience playing the piano. I had always grown up playing a number of different musical instruments, from the violin, to the trumpet and trombone in band classes, and eventually the drums. But there was just something different about playing the keyboard and the piano.
There was certain feel and heightened sense of exhilaration that I got from feeling my fingers glide across the keys. The feeling of power to weave notes and chords into any composition that I desired seemed to open up innumerable possibilities. Needless to say, I was hooked.
Piano Buying Guide
Below, please enjoy the interactive guide that was created to make your piano purchase easier:
| Photo | Model |
|---|---|
 | Casio PX-S1100 |
 | Casio CDP-S360 |
 | Yamaha P-45 |
 | Yamaha NP12 |
 | Yamaha P-515 |
 | Yamaha NP32 |
 | Korg LP-380 U |
 | Yamaha DGX 670 |
Casio CTK2300 Review: Low Cost
But it wasn’t always that way. I remember early on in my first actual experience with pianos I was bored by the monotony of the piano classes I had to attend with a private teacher. I couldn’t stand going over basic chords and nursery jingles over and over again. My concentration waned and eventually my overall interest in the piano died. This is why I’m so thankful I stumbled on that precious Casio in my house that enabled me to discover the joy of playing the piano all over again!
I tell this personal story of mine to let people know that it is never too late to open up that account of joy and embark on a new journey of learning. All you need is a combination of the right tools and a passion for music. Everything else will fall into place. When I look back on my joys playing the keyboard, I realize the machine I was using wasn’t that important to me at the time. It wasn’t a fancy Korg or an expensive Roland. But it got the job done and that’s all that matters.
There are tons of low cost and affordable digital pianos on the market today, and not surprisingly many a Casio digital piano is the crème of the crop. I started out my initial endeavors on the piano with a Casio, so admittedly I may be a little biased. But in truth, Casio does have many of the better options in the industry and especially online, with a lot of great package deals that can be found online.
Below, take a look at some of the best selling keyboards currently online, and see how they stack up to the CTK-2300:
| BEST SELLERS |
|---|
| 1) Yamaha P-45 |
| 4) Casio CDP-S360 |
| 5) Casio PX-S1100 |
| 2) Yamaha P-515 |
| 3) Casio PX-S3100 |
A Casio Digital Keyboard That Isn’t Cheap On Quality
Enter the Casio CTK-2300. This isn’t the Casio that I grew up on, but it very well could have been. This digital keyboard is a wonderful beginner piano that will have just about everything you need. Simply put, if you try this keyboard out and it doesn’t have everything you’re looking for, then maybe you’re not a beginner and need to advance to a more sophisticated type of digital piano.
The CTK-2300 is part of Casio’s Portable Keyboard series, and more so part of the Compact line of products. Most every piano that you’ll find with the prefix of CTK will be a compact machine consisting of no more than 61 keys. That’s exactly how many keys the CTK-2300 has, and all of them are standard size and created in the piano style.
The design of the keyboard stays in line with this compact style, so you should never have a problem with portability, mobility, or fitting this keyboard into any home, stage or studio setting. The keyboard is only 39 inches long and 15 inches wide, weighing in at a very favorable 12 pounds. In all of the reviews I have done 12 pounds is certainly up there with some of lightest.
Here is a list of other quality digital keyboards that are either lighter or around the same weight:
The CTK-2300 is built with a beautifully designed layout and control interface, which doesn’t overdo it with excessive knobs and buttons and efficiently uses a 92 millimeter by 40 millimeter LCD size display screen which sits directly in the middle. The LCD display screen is wonderful because it has three different kinds of notation for the user, with a sheet music notation diagram, a fingering notation diagram, and a piano key layout diagram. These notation diagrams are essential and useful for anyone trying to learn the music theory behind the piano and help themselves place their fingers and hands in the right places.
Great Selection of Tones, Rhythms, and Special Features
The Casio CTK-2300 comes with 400 amazing high quality tones, all of which are supported by Casio’s AHL Sound Source technology. The AHL Sound Source is one of the lesser known technologies created by Casio, as opposed to the AiR (Acoustic and Intelligent Resonator) and AiF (Acoustic and Intelligent Filtering System). But in no way does it mean that this system is inferior or less competent. The CTK-2300 expertly harnesses the power of the AHL sound source and utilizes it over a wide array of voices and tone selections.
This CTK model also comes with 150 different rhythm selections, which are great tools for any beginner trying to learn to play in tempo and avoid the monotony of a simple metronome. But that isn’t all. In addition to those 150 rhythms are 110 different built in songs, which showcase the overall power and capability of the CTK-2300, including 20 songs which you can practice and play along with. These practice songs are used in conjunction with Casio’s innovative 3-Step Lesson System, which teaches young piano players how to play by first showing them the music, leading them through each section of notes, and then guiding the student through the learning process and correcting them when necessary.
For a machine that can be bought online for less than $100 it is actually surprising to see the level of connectivity housed on the CTK-2300. This keyboard comes with a class compliant USB to HOST port, which will allow you to connect to external sources and other MIDI capable devices. There is also an AUDIO IN jack, a SUSTAIN jack for an optional sustain pedal, and a headphone jack for when you want to learn in private. A list price of $169 already makes the CTK-2300 a tantalizing option, but you might want to consider upgrading to the CTK-2400 if you can.
To read all of our reviews, please head to our Digital Piano Review Guide homepage.
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