NAMM 2019 – Introducing The New Casio PX-S1000 Digital Piano – Slim, Stylish, Smart and Elegant

They say first impressions matter and my first impression of Casio keyboards took place way back around 1990 when, by chance I found myself the proud owner of a Casio VZ-1. It was a beautiful looking synth with an all black brushed metal casing dominated by a large (for the time) backlit LCD display. It looked every bit the Pro keyboard and indeed it was exactly that. The build quality was second to none, it was powerful yet easy to use and It sounded quite unlike anything else on the market.

Fast forward 19 years and I am once again looking at a sleek, all black, elegantly beautiful keyboard from Casio which this time comes in the form of the new PX-S1000 Digital Piano. To say I have been impressed with this keyboard is somewhat of an understatement. From the moment I first heard the quality of it’s acoustic piano sounds and felt the superb touch of the ivory feel fully weighted keys I knew this was something special.

The PX-S1000 is not “just another digital piano” it is a game changer. It blurs the lines between entry level and pro level. In fact it would not be too much of a stretch to say it creates a whole new level of it’s own. You could easily use the PX-S1000 as your main gigging piano taking it from home to rehearsals to the stage. And as it can also be powered by just 6 x AA batteries and has some excellent sounding speakers built in you can literally perform anywhere!

Not only does the PX-S1000 look and sound special but it is also the slimmest and lightest keyboard in it’s class measuring just 1322mm x 232mm x 102mm and weighing in at a very svelte 11.2kg without batteries. This is quite something for a 88 note digital piano with a pro feel keybed.

Some of the main features of what is currently the worlds slimmest digital piano.

Newly designed hammer action Smart Scaled Keyboard.
Polyphony (max.) 192.
Bluetooth Audio.
18 sounds.
Chordana Play for Piano App.
USB TO HOST, LINE OUT and AUDIO IN connections.
New loudspeaker system: 8 W + 8 W.
Battery power supply possible (6 x AA-size alkaline batteries).
Only 11,2kg.
Colours: Black or White.
Optional: CS-68 stand, 3-pedal unit SP- 34, piano carrying bag SC-800P.

There is also an ‘Acoustic Simulator’ giving Hammer response, Key off response, String resonance, Damper resonance, Damper noise, Key on action noise and Key off action noise.

You will notice the inclusion of ‘Bluetooth Audio’ in that list. This allows you to use the PX-S1000 as a bluetooth speaker system. After you pair the Digital Piano with an external device that is Bluetooth audio capable, you can output playback from the external device through the keyboards speakers and very good it is too. I listened to some music streaming from an iPhone through to the PX-S1000 and it was as good as many quite high priced standalone bluetooth speakers on the market.

The user interface of the PX-S1000 is beautifully minimalistic being almost completely touch controlled in combination with the keys. This makes for a very uncluttered look and personally I like this approach in a digital piano. It may not work in a synth type workstation but it works very well here.

Another really handy feature is the ability to plug in the SP- 34 3-pedal unit. If you are serious about learning to play an acoustic piano this is pretty much a must have because it gives you damper (off, half, on), sostenuto (off, on), soft (off, on).

So there you have it. The rather wonderful Privia PX-S1000 from Casio. An excellent digital piano for both new players and the more experienced player looking for an easily portable 88 note keyboard that won’t break the bank but doesn’t skimp on features or sound quality.

Pricing and availability:

PX-S1000 RRP £575

PX-S3000 RRP £795

Should be available in stores from mid February 2019

I hope to do a more in-depth review in the not too distant future but for now just head over to https://music.casio.co.uk/ for more information.

@CasioMusicUK