Are you trying to find the right keyboard for your children?
More than likely, you want to find a robust, versatile instrument that doesn’t cost a fortune. That’s not as easy as it sounds. There are so many products on the market that they can overwhelm the uninitiated.
Casio is a brand leader in the world of keyboards and pianos. Their SA-46 is one of the most popular instruments today. But is it worth the hype?
Let’s take a look at this child-friendly instrument and see why families love it so much.
Casio SA-46 -Portable Keyboard (32 mini keys)
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Who is it For?
While this instrument is made for children, everybody can use it. Even professional musicians enjoy the Casio SA-46 because it’s surprisingly versatile.
Let’s look at the positive aspects of this keyboard.
Child-Friendly
The SA-46’s main selling point is that it is designed for children. This is a small keyboard with mini-sized keys that make it easy for youngsters to use. There are also drum pads that are simple to access.
Meanwhile, the Casio looks great too.
With its bright green-yellow base, the instrument has a retro feel to it. It offers a wide range of fun sound effects that make the SA-46 a joy to play with. This keyboard also has ten built-in songs to entertain your child.
Perfect for Learners
Even though this Casio is aimed at children, it’s also great for learning piano.
If you’re unsure whether keyboards are for you, it may be better to spend about $44 on Amazon and practice on the SA-46.
Bigger instruments are much more intimidating for beginners because they do so much. This way, you can get to grips with a keyboard and see if you like it before progressing to a more advanced machine.
Portability
It’s impossible to carry a full-sized keyboard around, but the Casio is very portable. That’s why the SA-46 is popular with musicians of all ages.
A standard keyboard has 101 or 88 keys, but the Casio only has 32.
Furthermore, it weighs just 2.8 pounds (1kg), so you won’t break your back carrying it. While you’re unlikely to compose any new symphonies on it, this keyboard is easy to transport.
Multifunctional Keyboard
This small keyboard is surprisingly flexible.
With 100 built-in sounds and 50 built-in rhythms, the instrument offers a lot for its size. It also has five drum pads. More advanced musicians will prefer to use specific keys for this purpose but remember, the instrument wasn’t designed for them.
Another great selling point is that it has eight levels of polyphony. Of course, this is much fewer than a full-sized keyboard. But remember that this is a tiny, cheap instrument.
Despite its size, it has tuning controls and is very adaptable. It’s very easy to switch between piano and organ sounds. The Casio SA-46 also boasts an LCD display and has two 0.5W speakers. Meanwhile, the headphone jack may save your ears when your kids go to town on the keys.
This is a surprisingly high-quality product despite the price point and the target market. It retails for about $44 on Amazon.
Piano Lessons
This keyboard offers basic piano lessons. It’s an accessible and enjoyable way to learn how to play the keyboard and improve your skills.
The LCD screen makes it very easy to follow along.
Automatic Shutdown
Children have short attention spans, and it’s easy for them to become distracted. But don’t worry about spending a fortune on batteries.
Even if your children forget to switch off the keyboard when they finish playing with it, it won’t be a problem. The Casio SA-46 automatically shuts down after about four minutes. This saves energy and unnecessary expense.
Casio SA-46 Downsides
While this is a great instrument overall, there are a couple of minor issues to bear in mind. The biggest issue is the lack of power supply. Meanwhile, there are a couple of technical points to bear in mind.
Let’s take a look at these now.
No Power Supply
It’s important to note that the basic Amazon version of this keyboard doesn’t come with its power supply.
However, this is easy to remedy. The Casio AD-E95100 is designed to be used with this type of keyboard and is also available to purchase online. It’s also possible to use six AA batteries instead.
While the instrument itself has excellent reviews, the lack of power supply infuriated some customers. Amazon should offer more clarity about this.
No Separate Drum Volume Control
This is unlikely to stop you from buying the SA-46 but bear in mind that you can’t independently control the drum volume.
These effects are very loud, which has both positives and negatives.
While you want the instrument to produce a great sound, it can be frustrating when your child is wildly bashing the keys.
No Light-Up Keys
The SA-46 lacks light-up keys. This isn’t an essential feature, but they are a nice touch on beginner keyboards because they make it easy for users to follow along.
However, it is worth pointing out that this Casio comes at a very reasonable price. This isn’t a major issue, but it’s worth thinking about.
Final Thoughts
The Casio SA-46 is a fantastic instrument for children and beginners.
Most keyboards in this category sacrifice performance for durability or visual appeal. But the SA-46 gives its users everything. It comes at a very reasonable price-point considering its fantastic functions and features. There are more expensive products that are of lower quality.
Even if you’re an experienced musician, the Casio may still suit you.
It’s so light and portable that you can easily take it on road trips or picnics. Furthermore, the different sound effects may even add something unique to your music.
Don’t forget that it doesn’t come with its power supply. But as long as you keep this in mind, it’s unlikely you’ll have many problems with it.
CASIO Mini Keyboard | SA-46 Introduction Video
All in all, the Casio SA-46 is a great starter keyboard.