Casio CTK 3200 (or E333..)

My 10 year passion with learning atleast one music instrument still going. Slightly gave up on my Guitar but Pianos always stayed my favourite instrument for its grandness and mere simple press keys. 

However, Grand piano, or Piano would be a fatal mistake at this time considering my reputation of taking it to the end in the quickest possible time. Hmmmm..

So wanted to get a basic one CTK 245 looked and sounded really promising. But the fact is its single handed keyboard which dampened my interest on that. CTK 2200 which costs 7000 INR (in sep 2012) in India and the CTK 3200 for 9000.  However, my thought that it could be cheaper in Singapore made me to get here for at another 20% of price. Couldnt believe these instruments are costlier here.

I went to Mustafa in singapore which has most of the collections of Casio and Yamaha musical keyboards. My initial bet was CTK 2200 and Yamaha’s E2333. E233 looks very plain and had to be ignored (for my own reasons) and E333 looks next promising thing. I love the design aesthetics of Yamaha. E333 is half key type (meaning not big keys like Piano, but smaller and softer).

People generally suggest to go for Piano style keys so that it will be easier when we get a chance to use piano.

So made my mind to go with CTK 3200 and here is the spec.

•  Piano style keyboard
• Touch Response – Sounds based on the pressure given to the keys
• Reverb, Depth control
• Samling functions
• Stepup lessons
• 400 tunes
• 150 rhythms
• USB port and Midi controller

Detailed Spec from Casio Webpage

• Keyboard 
  61 standard-size keys
  Touch Response: 2 types, Off
• Maximum Polyphony
  48 notes (24 for certain tones)
• Tones 
  Tonos preprogramados: 400
  Sampling Tones: 1 (Full Sampling) or 3 (Short Sampling)
  Sampling Time: 1 second (Full Sampling) or approximately 0.3 seconds each (Short Sampling)
  Effects: 10 types (for Full Sampling samples)
• Reverb
  1 to 10, Off
• Voicepad
  5 pads × 4 sets
  (3 sets for sampled sounds, 1 set for percussion only)
• Metronome 
  Beats per Measure 0, 2 to 6
  Tempo Range 30 to 255
• Songbank
  Tunes: 110
• Step Up Lesson
  Lessons: 4 (Listen, Watch, Remember, Auto)
  Lesson Part: L, R, LR
  Functions: Repeat, Voice Fingering Guide, Note Guide, Performance Evaluation
• Music Challenge
  20 notes
• Auto Accompaniment
  Rhythm Patterns: 150
  One Touch Presets: 150
• Other Functions
  Transpose: ±1 octaves (–12 to +12 semitones)
  Tuning: A4 = 415.5 to 465.9 Hz (Initial Default: 440.0 Hz)
• MIDI
  16 multi-timbre received, GM Level 1 standard
• Pitch Bend Wheel
  Pitch Bend Range: 0 to 12 semitones
• Musical Information
  Function Tone, Rhythm, Song Bank numbers and names, staff notation, fingering, pedal operation, tempo, measure and beat number, chord name, etc.
• Inputs/Outputs
  USB port: TYPE B
  Sustain jack: Standard jack (sustain, sostenuto, soft, rhythm)
  Phones/Output jack: Stereo standard jack
  Output Impedance: 200O, Output Voltage: 4.5V (RMS) MAX

  Audio In jack Stereo mini jack

  Input Impedance: 9kO, Input Sensitivity: 200mV
• Power Jack
  9.5V DC
• Power Supply
  2-way
  Batteries: 6 AA-size zinc-carbon batteries or alkaline batteries
  Battery Life Approximately: 3 hours continuous operation on alkaline batteries
  AC Adaptor: AD-E95100L
  Auto Power Off Approximately 6 minutes (during battery operation) or 30 minutes (during AC adaptor operation) without any operation
• Speakers
  10 cm x 2
  Output: 2W + 2W
• Power Consumption
  9.5V = 7.7W
• Dimensions 
  94.6 × 30.7 × 9.2 cm (37 1/4 × 12 1/16 × 3 5/8 inch)
• Weight
  Approximately: 3.5kg (7.7 lbs) (without batteries)