The Casio CDP series didn't earned that level of respect that the Privia Series is getting from its user base.
But this doesn't mean that the CDP family deserve so.
There's are few successful individual digital pianos in the series and the one which really excels in the line is Casio CDP 135 digital piano.
CDP 135 is the younger brother of CDP 130 and has got decent face lift.
But with the latest installment in the CDP Series the CDP S350 , S150 and S100 Casio has redesigned the entire line from scratch.
The CDP series from Casio Digital Piano features :
- CDP (Compact Digital Piano)
- All CDP Series Digital Pianos has 88 Keys
- Scaled Hammer Action Keybed
- Well Balanced Performance and Value.
- Compact and Lightweight (Weighs under 26 Lbs)
- Budget Friendly Price Tag
Before diving in detailed analysis, I like to acknowledge that I used CDP 135 for more than a month in mid 2018 when one of my student purchased it.
So, all the details mentioned in this post are my personal experience.
Chances are that your experience may vary but its highly unlikely.
With that said here's a quick highlight with my thoughts on Casio CDP 135 :
** Note -- Casio CDP 135 is not available in most of the countries nowadays.
So here are some of the keyboards similarly like CDP 135 in the same price range so have a look at them.
Comparing Casio CDP 135 With Other Casio BestSeller Digital Pianos
image | Model | Keys | Features | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|
CDP 135 | 88 | Scaled Hammer Action Keys Powerful Speakers Bundle Comes With Stand, Pedals Recorders Metronome | ||
PX 160 | 88 | Best Model Great Sound AiR Sound Technology Hall Simulator, Reverb Effects 3 Year Warranty | ||
WK-245 | 76 | Touch Response Keys Lesson Mode Tone - 600 Rhythms - 180 Bright Display USB MIDI Port | ||
LK-190 | 61 | Light Up Keys Light Lesson Mode Tone - 400 Rhythms - 150 Dance & Reverb Effect Great Speaker | ||
CTK-2550 | 61 | Touch Response Lesson Function Tones - 400 Rhythms - 100 Chordana App Dance/Music Mode | ||
PX-870 | 88 | Scaled Hammer Action Keys Detailed Resonance Sound Projection Speaker Recording Key Slider Cover |
✪ Casio CDP 135 Features ✪
Layout and Design :
As CDP 135 is an entry level keyboard and Casio has done a wonderful job in keeping the layout to minimum and only focuses on what required to be focused upon.
In simple words, Minimalist Interface = Less Confusion. (Which is really beneficial for beginners)
All the function buttons are on the top left of the keyboard.
The Buttons are :
- Power Switch
- Demo
- Function
- Dedicated electric piano button
- Metronome
- Hall
- Volume Knob
But minimalist layout does not mean less functions.
To access the other digital features like transpose, tuning, responsiveness.
You need to press the function key (on the interface) first, followed by the required feature key (piano key) you want to activate.
All the digital features are printed on top edge of the interface.
Unluckily CDP 135 comes in only 1 color Black, And I am also not a fan of matte finish, Instead, I prefer the glossy look like Priva PX S1000. But that's just my personal preference.
Keys :
The Keys of Casio CDP 135 is the best part of the entire keyboard.
It has 88 keys like an standard acoustic piano. Few years back the weighted action keys are crafted with spring key-bed.
The idea may look good on paper and feel good too for newbies who never experienced a Grand or Acoustic Piano.
But for experienced pianist its nowhere near the natural feel.
I mentioned the above fact because CDP 135 uses spring less mechanism to mimic the weighted keys experience.
The scaled hammer action makes the keys lighter on the right hand side (High Notes) and gradually increases towards the left (Low Notes).
The keys are also Velocity Sensitive (Touch Response) and you are allowed to control the responsiveness up to 3 levels or can completely turn it off when required.
As I said above the full size 88 keys feels firm and natural, I can very confidently say that Casio has done a wonderful job in mimicking the grand piano experience when it comes to keys of CDP 135.
Sound Quality of Casio CDP 135 :
Casio CDP series uses AHL (Acoustic & Highly-compressed Large-waveform) technology as its sound source.
The sound can be categorized as standard with mellow and bright expression in the tones.
As I said above The rest 3 electronic sounds are standard electric sound but one of sound that caught my attention is the more Rhodes sounds feeling, that I have not heard of in pianos in this price range.
Casio CDP 135 also has a harpsichord, strings, pipe organ (perfect for wedding or traditional celebration), jazz organ and other instrumental sounds.
However, I believe the AiR technology is better than AHL but in the end "You Will Get What You Pay For".
Hall Simulator Effect :
The Hall simulator effect is an exclusive effect that only be found on Casio Digital Pianos and is only available on very few models.
To be honest Hall Simulator Effect is kind of not so important feature for entry level pianist.
But it comes useful when you form a solid base in understanding Acoustic and its characteristics.
What Hall Simulator Effect does is that it generates special acoustic characteristics and simulates sound effect like you are sitting in concert hall and other venues.
In short, It allows you to understand your music from an audience perspective.
It comes really handy in understanding and analyzing your music from a different perspective and further refine it.
There's not lots of options to choose the different venues which is found on the High-End Celvanio Series but still its quite useful in understand music and acoustic in greater details.
Modes, Digital Effects and Other Built In Options
Casio CDP 135 Alternate
The Best Alternative Of Casio CDP 135 is Casio Privia PX 160. The Price is Bit High but PX 160 is totally worth it. (Check Detailed Review Here)
My Experience With Casio CDP 135
As I mentioned above that I used Casio CDP 135 for around a month and I can sum up my experience as "Good".
I can very confidently say that CDP 135 is a really nice keyboard for the value.
The spring-less 88 Scaled Hammer Action Keys quite closely mimicked the Grand Piano experience.
The sound and its quality is also better than average.
The No-Nonsense minimalistic layout will surely help the beginners to focus only on the essentials functionalities.
Lack of few modes and voices disappointed us a bit but I hope Casio consider adding these in new models which follows the same price range.
And Lastly, CDP 135 is quite compact and lightweight despite with big speakers and full size 88 keys.
If you are a newbie and need a decent digital piano with natural feel, good sound in budget friendly price tag than Casio CDP 135 might be a good option to consider.
** Note - Check the availability first.
Casio
Digital Pianos / Keyboards
Casio CDP 135 Manual
That's all from our end Hope our review of CDP 135 helped you in making an informed decision.
Till then,
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