Review of the Casio WK-200 Keyboard

Closeup of Casio WK-200 keyboard

Alexis Fam / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

Overall, the Casio WK-200 is an excellent keyboard for the price. Beginner pianists can take advantage of its built-in exercises, which can help build a relationship the piano keyboard layout; while more experienced players will find the 76 touch-sensitive keys useful when playing a piece of music with a broad range.

Features

  • Keys: 76
  • Polyphony: 48-note; 24 for some voices
  • Touch Sensitivity: 2 velocity settings, or off
  • Reverb/Chorus: 10 reverb settings; 5 chorus
  • Metronome: Yes; 30-255 beats per minute (BPM)
  • Available Colors: Silver

Pros

  • Includes 570 voices
  • Have 180 built-in rhythms
  • Can record up to 6 songs (12,000 notes) and 10 rhythms

Cons

Keys & Action

The main downside of the feel of the keyboard on this model is that the keys are extremely sensitive compared to other musical keyboards—even after adjusting the touch response.* For someone used to playing on a real piano, this will certainly be an annoyance; however, the keys are not too slippery, which is something that is really more of a bothersome flaw than a deal-breaker.

Dual-layering, otherwise known as configuring the keyboard so that one key can sound two tones simultaneously, is supported, as is splitting (having two different tones on either end of the keyboard); the exact split point may be customized.

Voices & Tones

Included are 570 voices! What's more, this model allows you to record custom sounds onto the keyboard with a mic, and modify them with a variety of effects such as looping and pitch alterations.

Available Tones

  • 20 Acoustic pianos
  • 25 Electric pianos
  • 40 Organs, pipe, jazz & more
  • 60 Guitars, 30 treble, and 30 bass
  • Strings & Orchestra
  • Synthesizers

Pedal Functions

A single pedal unit can be programmed to produce the effects of the damper, sostenuto, or soft-pedals; or it may be used to activate a background rhythm.

Preset Songs

The WK-200 comes with 102 preset songs (including mostly traditional and folk tunes, some Christmas songs, and a fair amount of classical piano movements) along with 180 rhythms for accompaniment. There are an additional 50 exercises divided into three playing levels which are used to test your progress as a pianist.

Up to 10 of your own personalized rhythms, or 6 melodic songs may also be recorded and stored; Casio defines this recording space as equal to a total 12,000 notes.

Keyboard Speakers & Quality

The two integrated 2.5W “stereo” speakers produced a pretty impressive sound for their size and wattage, even holding up quite nicely in the bass notes at higher volumes. Should you require more decibels, an external amplifier may be connected.

Included Accessories

The AC adaptor for the keyboard is not usually included, but you should ask your retailer. Casio recommends the 9V power adaptor, but the keyboard may also be powered up to five hours with 6 D batteries. the keyboard also includes the following accessories and ports:

Accessories

  • Free songbook
  • Music rest

Back Panel Ports

  • headphones/audio OUT, 1/4"
  • audio IN, 1/8"
  • mic IN, 1/4"
  • USB type B
  • Sustain pedal input, 1/4"

*The touch-sensitivity on the WK-200 is dependent on how quickly a note is pressed, which is not only measured in how hard you touch the key—a method that can be confusing for ear-hand coordination and one that may hinder the development of more refined dynamic techniques on the piano.