I will tell all after tonight's gig..Some will find surprising comments...others will say what else is new..


The toy is a Casio WK-110 for those that didn't figure it out...As Stephen did..

Got to head out now to the Jersey shore...

Congrats on your new keyboard Fran use it well!
http://www.casio.com/products/Musical_Instruments/Portable/WK-110/

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 12-29-2007).]

Don't forget the batteries
bebop

Can't wait for the review 76 keys too. And is that price tag correct $199?

Even less than that at Sam's Club.

So how did the WK-110 do?

First a few set up comments..
I have always used the best commercial tools in my business..never compromised.[contracting business]..I have taught my kids the same ..buy the best...you can't go wrong with the best...

Likewise, I feel the same with auto vehicles..I always used the heavy duty 3/4 ton trucks with full floating axles..not 1/2 ton trucks that will not hold up to everyday weight and abuse..

Automobiles..When I was still wasting money on them...I would drive GM's big cars..Cadillac and Buick[except my hot rod days..Big block Chevy]..

So what does this have to do with the WK-110 gig... ?
The WK-110 is definitely a mixed bag...but too many compromises..

The 76 keys feel okay[better than the Yamaha 76 key board feel]..They are box keys like a piano and have more resistance than the Yamaha..
I also think the WK-110 keys feel better than Casio's WK-3000 series..

Sorely missing from the WK-3000 series are the mod/pitch bend wheels[or buttons]..I found myself reaching for what was not there..all night long[2 nights].

On the plus side..It is 15 pounds..has speakers and pretty good sounds[seems better than the WK-3000 sounds..].
The USB midi interface works well..and this Casio sounds great with SMF playback..

It controls the soft synths fine with one big NO NO...It will not transpose via midi..It is fine with the internal sound engine...

So to shorten this story.. With no external transpose. no pitch bend, and no modulation control...I am left unfulfilled as my main board on most of my gigs..

Originally, I purchased this board for the 1 hour quick in and out jobs...and it is Super for this purpose...The styles are pretty darn good and the one touch settings are done well..You have 32 registrations that you can set up your go to styles and sounds...

Now back to my opening comments..Heavy duty, commercial grade, size are all attributes that ring true with all my equipment and the same with my musical equipment...The G70 is my heavy duty 3/4 ton truck and my Cadillac, and my commercial grade tools...And that is what I will be using ...always...The WK-110 will be for the quick in and out job that is not demanding....and it will be here for quick access at home[and for the kids to fool around with..].
BTW, the WK-110 is great for learning to play keys..it has lesson programs in place..It also has a songbook in rom with 100 tunes that can also work on these 1 hour gigs...The keyboard comes with a printed song book, that can also be used with the on board song rom..great for teaching..

I think there is definitely a lot of bang for the buck.....but for me it follows the other non top of the line Roland boards I have tried.....a no go for me, like all the other light touch, light weight toys I have tried....you know what boards I mean..

One of the biggest drawbacks of the Casio arranger series is the fact that you can't play on bass chords when in split accompaniment.

Would be great as a "fun" keyboard but because of that one, but essential(for me)omission, I would not buy one.

I used to have a Casio CZ-1 synth several years ago...built like a tank and had a terrific and unique sound that blended well with my other gear.

They CAN make pro stuff...it's a shame they don't anymore.

Ian

Fran good review, your points well taken with the comparison to your contracting business. Just checked out the Sam's Club price as mentioned by Scott. New Year's Even Dinner for 2 would cost more than the price of the Casio.

But perhaps be more satisfying ?!?!?

t.

I tried out the Casio WK-110 at GC a while back. The lack of pitch bend/mod wheel is a deal breaker plus the sounds are just not there. The piano sound is actually not too bad but most people play more than just a piano sound on an arranger. I quickly left for greener pastures when I realized that it was definitely on the loooooowwwwwwwwww end of the sound quality scale. It might be a good starter keyboard for an elementary or middle school student because of the song practice feature. And the price is reasonable too. But for Fran Carango??? NO WAY JOSÉ!

Pay a little more for a WK-3800 and you get both a Pitch Bend and Mod wheel, and SD card slot plus a floppy disk drive, a 6 track song recorder instead of the 2 track on the WK-110, Line Outs vs. just a headphone jack on the WK-110, better sounds with the ability to add more, better speakers, a USB MIDI interface, IDES (Internet Data Expansion System), 4MB of Flash-ROM, plus many more features compared to the WK-110. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish. To get some decent features and decent sounds you gotta spend a little instead of next to nothing, however much we may want the opposite to be true.

Best,
Mike