Casio PX-770 Digital Piano (Black)

How it compares

These are the three Casios worth weighing against the PX-770. Prices and differences below update from the current variant prices.

Buy the CDP-S110 instead if the budget is the deciding factor, if the piano has to live in a bedroom or go under a bed, or if you're honestly not sure the lessons will stick. It saves you real money and it is a genuine 88-key hammer action. You give up half the polyphony, the pedals, the cabinet and most of the tones — but it is the right first move in that situation.

Buy the PX-S1100 instead if the instrument has to be portable or has to disappear when guests come over. It costs a little less than the PX-770 up front, and once you add a stand and the SP-34 triple pedal you'll spend more, not less — so choose it for the portability and the Bluetooth, not to save money.

The detail

Action and feel

The action is the reason to buy this piano rather than a keyboard. Tri-sensor Scaled Hammer Action Keyboard II uses three sensors per key rather than two, which is what lets you repeat a note cleanly before the key has fully returned — the thing that catches people out on cheaper actions when they hit a trill or a fast repeated chord. The keys are scaled: heavier in the bass, progressively lighter toward the top, mirroring how a grand's hammers are weighted. The key surfaces are textured to simulate ebony and ivory, which is a practical feature more than a cosmetic one — it stops your fingers sliding in a warm room.

Touch response has three sensitivity settings plus off. If a young student cannot get volume out of it, try that setting before assuming the instrument is at fault.

Sound engine

Casio's Multi-dimensional Morphing AiR source drives 19 tones, with 128 notes of maximum polyphony. 128 notes is comfortable for solo piano repertoire with heavy sustain-pedal use; you'll only run into the ceiling if you start layering tones and holding the damper through dense passages. The engine models hammer response, damper resonance and damper noise — the sympathetic ring of undamped strings when you hold the pedal down, and the mechanical noise of the dampers lifting. You can switch damper noise off.

Layer lets you stack two tones (excluding the bass voices); split is limited to putting a low-range bass tone under your left hand. Four reverbs, four choruses and a seven-step brilliance control cover the tone shaping.

Cabinet and pedals

This is where the PX-770 earns its money against a portable. Three real pedals are built into the stand — damper, soft and sostenuto — and the damper supports half-pedalling, so partial sustain works the way it does on an acoustic. Students working through graded repertoire need that; a single on/off footswitch will hold them back.

The sliding key cover is built in, so the keys are covered when it's shut without a separate lid or dust cover. The cabinet is 299 mm deep, which is unusually slim for a console piano — it sits close to a wall.

Two 12 cm speakers driven at 8 W + 8 W are honest for a home room. It is a domestic instrument, not one you'd expect to fill a hall.

Connectivity and apps

Two 6.35 mm (1/4") headphone jacks on the front panel — worth knowing, because most modern headphones terminate in a 3.5 mm plug and will need an adapter. Two jacks means a teacher and student can both listen.

A USB to Host (Type B) port handles all computer and tablet connection; there are no five-pin MIDI sockets. The piano is a class-compliant USB MIDI device, so it works with notation and DAW software without a driver install. The PX-770 also connects to Casio's Chordana Play for Piano app, which displays built-in scores as PDFs and gives you touchscreen access to tone and setting changes.

There is no Bluetooth on this model. Any connection to a phone or tablet is over the USB cable.

What you'll also need

Casio supplies the AC adaptor and the music stand, and nothing else. The usual additions are:

• A bench or stool. Casio does not include seating with the PX-770, and playing at the wrong height is the fastest way to build bad technique. → Piano stools & benches
• Headphones with a 1/4" plug (or a 3.5 mm-to-6.35 mm adapter). Closed-back is what you want for quiet practice. → Headphones
• A dust cover if the piano sits under a window or near a heater. The sliding key cover protects the keys, not the top. → Piano & keyboard accessories
• A USB A-to-B cable if you plan to connect to a computer or tablet — it isn't included, and an iPad also needs a USB-C or Lightning adapter.
• Piano method books for a beginner starting from scratch. → Piano sheet music & tuition books

Australian availability and delivery

Stock: The PX-770 is not on our Footscray showroom floor at the moment — check the live stock badge above for current availability.

Click & Collect: Free from Footscray.

Delivery: Standard shipping is $7 and free on orders over $150, except where a regional freight charge applies to this item. Only ABS Outer Regional, Remote or Very Remote postcodes can attract that charge. Freight costs of $100 or less per item have no bulky surcharge; above $100, the full freight cost applies, rounded up to the next $10. Check the delivery calculator above. The checkout delivery charge is the amount you pay. Express shipping is not available for this item. See the stock panel above for dispatch timing. Estimated standard delivery is 4–9 business days after dispatch, depending on location. Orders over $30 are tracked and insured.

Warranty: Five-year conditional Casio Australia warranty on the instrument; one year on accessories including the power adaptor, pedals, stands and carry bags. Australian stock, official distributor.

Scarlett Music is an independent Australian retailer at 284–288 Ballarat Rd, Footscray VIC, trading since 1997, with a physical showroom and in-house technicians.

Related reading

• How to Choose a Digital Piano or Keyboard
• Casio digital pianos and keyboards: which one is yours?
• Digital piano accessories
• Casio CDP-S110
• Casio Privia PX-S1100
• Casio Privia PX-S7000