The Casio LK280 Lighted Keyboard comes with 61 light-up keys that makes it easy for you to learn simple songs, and is perfect for beginner, mostly kids who get fascinated by the light-up keys. It has a built-in recorder and comes with over 100 built-in songs for you to practice. You can also add more MIDI files using the SD card to play along to your favorite tunes. The package comes with Headphones, Power Supply, and Stand. [easyazon_link identifier=”B005N4N2CQ” locale=”US” tag=”keytarhq04-20″ cart=”n”]See PRICE on Amazon[/easyazon_link].
Casio LK-280: Pros & Cons
- PROS – 61 touch keys, SD card slot, USB, value-for-money
- CONS – No backlit display
Who Is It For?
Serious beginners or intermediate players looking for a budget keyboard.
Its definitely not the best best sounding Casio keyboard (for all the experienced players), for the absolute novie, its not a bad keyboard at all. Good keyboard for any beginner to get their feet wet on.
Casio LK-280: Highlights
- 61 touch-responsive keys. The Keys have built-in lighting system for easy learning
- Hundreds of Tones and Rhythms
- Step-Up Lesson system that teaches to play over hundred Songs
- Audio line input to connect microphone, and much more.
Casio LK-280: Review
The Casio LK-280 is a lighted keyboard which has a Step-teaching function that is great for learning songs step-by-step. The lighted keys show you what & where to play next, when learning any song. It also has advanced features such as a 6-track recorder, digital effects and a mic input for more possibilities. The USB port allows it to be connected to a computer to play with popular music software or you can use it to convert your casio keyboard into a stereo speaker system for a MP3 player.
Click here to buy Casio LK-280
Using headphones will suppress the sound from the built-in speakers, allowing you to practice late at night without disturbing others. Just be sure to turn down the master volume of the keyboard before connecting headphones.
About Casio
Casio is a popular brand when it comes to keyboad instruments, especially for beginners. They have a wide range of keyboards and diital pianos to offer. Their nearest competitor is Yamaha; read more here on Casio vs Yamaha keyboard. In recent years, Casio keyboards have improved a lot in their quality aspect as well (in terms of sound quality and feel); most of their recent digital pianos and keyboards are very good.
Casio LK280: Comparison with other Keyboard Models
If you’re looking for more options besides the Casio LK-280, here are some other good keyboard models:
- Yamaha EZ-220: Lighted keys keyboard from Yamaha
- Casio WK-245: 76-keys keyboard, good value for money
- Yamaha YPT-255: 61-keys keyboard with good features
- Yamaha PSR-353: From the popular PSR series
- Casio CTK 4400: Comes with several advanced features
Casio LK-280 vs Yamaha EZ-220
A similar model from Yamaha is the EZ-220 (key lighting system). However, the Casio LK-280 includes more features (sounds, rhythms, finger modes), has more polyphony. The Casio LK-280 also comes with an AC adapter.
However, if you’re a fan of the Yamaha brand and prefer its sound to the Casio, you may consider the EZ-220.
Casio LK-280 vs Casio CTK-4400
The Casio LK-280 is great for first-times, however, if you’re looking for better quality sounds, more features (some of them are advanced), then you should consider the Casio CTK-4400.
Casio LK-280: Specs
The pre-loaded songs are limited but you can learn most of them pretty quickly. The piano tone is good and there are many more instruments.
Here are the key features:
- Number of the key: 61 lighted Keys with key lighting system. Touch Response: 2 sensitivity levels, you can even turn it Off
- Maximum Polyphony: 48 notes
- Speaker output: 2.5W+2.5W, AHL Sound Source for better sound quality
- Number of built-in tones: 600. Built-in rhythms: 180 patterns. Number of music preset: 305. Song Bank: 152 songs (including 50 practice songs)
- Layer: Yes. Split: Yes. Octave shifter: Yes
- Key Transpose: +/- 1 octave (-12 to 0 to +12 semitones). Scale tuning: 16 patterns
- Tuning Control: A4 = 415.5 – 440.0 – 465.9Hz
- Piano/Organ switching button: Yes
- Sampling system: MIC in / Sampling. Sampling tone: Maximum 5 sampled tones + maximum 3. Sampled drum tones set (Maximum recording time: Total 10 seconds)
- Arpeggiator: 90 types. Digital Effects: Reverb: 10 types, Chorus: 5 types. Auto harmonize: 12 types.
- Number of one touch preset: 180. Number of demonstration song: 102 songs loop playback
- 6-track Recorder
- Supported memory cards: Up to 32GB (SDHC applicable)
- SMF playback: Maximum 999 songs / SMF (format 0,1) CM2
- LCD Display Screen size: 129x44mm
- USB port: Yes. SUSTAIN/ASSIGNABLE jack: Yes. PHONES/OUTPUT jack: Yes. AUDIO IN jack: Yes. MIC IN jack: Yes (MIC volume on back).
- Power: DC 9.5 Volt (D size batteries x 6)
- Included Accessories: AC Adapter, Music stand. Music book
- User Manual
Here’s what users have to say about this product:
Great Learning Tool: It has good sound, comes with a large rhythm bank, and the built-in lessons are really very helpful
Great Casio Keyboard: Too many features for the price, and great built-in speakers. I bought a piano foot pedal for sustaining the notes and it really sounds like a real piano.
So many songs to Learn: It has about 150 built-in songs along with the ability to add more using the SD card slot. I use Sibelius 6 to save any score as a Midi file on a SD card and plug it into this keyboard, which means I have a endless library of songs to learn from.
Casio LK-280: Video Review / Demo
Here’s video review of this piano:
Casio LK-280: Buying Links & Prices
The Casio LK-280 is a lightweight keyboard with “Lighted Keys” that help you learn to play the built-in songs. It packs a lot of value for the beginning pianists & keyboardists.
Buying Links
- [easyazon_link identifier=”B005N4N2CQ” locale=”US” tag=”keytarhq04-20″ cart=”n”]Buy on Amazon[/easyazon_link] | Buy on zZounds
If you’re a fan of Yamaha, you may consider the Yamaha EZ-220. You can checkout the best lighted keyboard pianos here.
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
Good keyboard with nice features. You can learn to play several songs without having to read music sheet as the keyboard guides you trough the notes of the song until you learn it! It comes with a SD card slot that lets you play midi files from the card, you can even save your music to the card and edit on your computer. Overall, a great value for the price.
My 8 year old took around 15 minutes to learn the right hand part of his first song. The light system is very useful, especially for those who are very new to keyboards. It’s also packed with plenty of other features too. Can be connected to computer using USB.
The keyboard is easy to use, lightweight and comes with touch-sensitive keys. There are several ports at the back of the keyboard, that allows for various connections to the keyboard. You get a lot of bang for you buck with this Casio keyboard. Although it can play a lot more songs (midi files) through the card reader, it only teaches you (how to play) those ones that come built-in to the keyboard.