CDP-S150 now available in US, CDP-S350 no longer Guitar Center exclusive

[Chandler Holloway]

Casio America recently put out an update that will be of interest to US Casio buyers, so I thought I'd just break the news here on the forums for those of you who are not on the mailing list.

 

1) The previously Europe/Asia exclusive CDP-S150 will now be available at independent dealers in the United States. The S150 is nearly identical to the CDP-S100, albeit with three important differences.

• The S150 includes Duet Mode, allowing the piano to be split into two equal halves that play in the same octave range. This is convenient for piano instruction settings where two students or a student and a teacher may be seated at the same piano during a lesson.
• The S150 can be used with the SP-34 3-pedal unit for a more authentic piano experience. This enables the use of variable damper height for the right pedal, and also allows you to make use of the included SP-3 sustain pedal as a page turner in the PDF score viewer in Chordana Play for Piano while still maintaining the pedal controls available on the SP-34.
• The S150 has a two track (left and right hand) piano song recorder, similar to the one you would find on the PX-S1000 or the PX-160.

Given the features and the more traditional Function button + labeled key interface, it seems that the CDP-S150 is positioned as a compact and portable alternative to the venerable PX-160. The 160 is still part of the active product line at the moment but is likely nearing the end of its life cycle given that both the PX-S1000 and CDP-S150 are both in the line-up. Even when it leaves the shelves, it will always live on in our hearts.

 

The accompanying furniture stand for the CDP-S models, the CS-46, will also become available at independent dealers in the US. The SC-800 gig bag fits all the CDP-S and PX-S models, and the CDP-S150 is no exception.

 

2) The CDP-S350 is no longer a Guitar Center exclusive in the US, and independent dealers will have the option of carrying it alongside the CDP-S150. This means that only the budget-focused CDP-S100 and the CT-X800 X-stand/pedal bundle will remain exclusive to GC in America.

 

The CDP-S350 is one of my favorite boards in the current line-up so I'm glad to see that it will be more widely available here in the states.

[Brad Saucier]

Thanks for the update Chandler!  

[Chandler Holloway]

Sure thing Brad. I wasn't sure if this was big enough news to be worth putting in the general section because they're not exactly new models, so I played it safe and posted it here. Feel free to move it over if you'd like.

[Jokeyman123]

There's a CDP-S100? I've never seen one here in the US. have I missed something? There isn't a single one on Amazon-and eBay only lists one-for 549.00!  I guess Casio forgot abut this one?

What does this use for a sound engine-is it the same as the other CDP's-230,235, 240 or is it the same as the PX Privias-s1000/s3000? Looking at Casio's websites-I don't see that spec. Looks pretty nice.

[Chandler Holloway]

The CDP-S100 is Guitar Center exclusive here in the US, so you won't find it listed anywhere but GC's website unless it's a used model, an international listing or a fringe case. Casio America usually focuses their marketing on models that are available at independent music stores because Guitar Center already has plenty of promotional visibility for their own exclusive models.

 

That's why you see far more focus on, say, the CT-X700 and the X5000 in Casio press releases, videos, and webinars as opposed to the CT-X800 (which, again, is a GC exclusive model here in the US). Same with the Casiotones. The PX-S models are carried by GC but not exclusively, so we hear a lot about them as well.

 

The CDP models have been GC exclusive (rarely some Amazon exclusives, like the CDP-240) for as long as I have been a product rep for Casio, so to see some CDP-S models finally become available at independent stores is a pleasant surprise to say the least.

 

My guess is that the CDP-S100/150 models are likely using a variant of AHL with updated piano sounds; definitely not AiR or AiX. At most every GC, there's a three tier display with the PX-S1000 (AiR), CDP-S350 (AiX) and a CDP-S100 (???), so I have heard all three models side by side numerous times and can pretty safely say that there's a difference. Mainly, the CDP-S100's piano samples have a shorter decay than the other two. It's pretty clearly aimed at budget and student users so you can tell the focus was more on delivering that action and form factor at a great price point.

 

That said, I've never heard of an AHL board with support for variable damper control, so it could be something entirely new. That's usually reserved for Privia models that can accept a proper three pedal unit, although I can faintly recall a few older CDPs that could take a three pedal unit. Who knows.

[Joe Muscara]

9 hours ago, Chandler Holloway said:

The CDP-S100 is Guitar Center exclusive here in the US, so you won't find it listed anywhere but GC's website

Slight correction/clarification. There are a few other places you can find the CDP-S100 in the U. S., but they are all owned by GC such as MusiciansFriend.com and Music and Arts stores.

[Jokeyman123]

Thanks Joe and Chandler. I have a new CDP230r-new directly from Casio in Dover to replace a CDP200 they no longer were able to repair-years after its release so Casio must have a few available-otherwise any of these especially lately seem to be few and far between-any of the older 200/230/235/240-almost none around but i think its the pandemic-must be slowing or stopping retailers from stocking or restocking, and i for one would be nervous about going into a Guitar Center which are around here. I'm not even sure brick and mortars are allowed for walk-in in PA, NJ or NY in my area. Must be AHL-since this has been the tone setup used for so many budget Casios.  I can easily hear the improvements with the AIR pianos, but IMO the CDP pianos are still a step up from many of the older digital pianos-and the action on the 230 is surprisingly good-even compared to my 560. And based on this user forum and Youtube-seems like alot of newer musicians are gearing towards Casio.  Nice.