Casio SA 77 Review – Perfect For Toddlers?

I’ve been speaking highly of Casio keyboards now for quite some time. The main reason is that I believe their quality is increasing with each new release. The Casio SA 77 is a portable option that is designed for toddlers. Is it a big win or does it fall short?

My opinion is that the Casio SA 77 is a big win for Casio as it stays pretty true to the ever-popular SA 76. It’s not much more expensive than the 76 and it has a few updates that I feel are great for kids.

Let’s get into the review below.

Casio SA 77 Review

When looking at the Casio SA 77, you may mistake it for its little brother: the Casio SA 76. However, there’s one big difference. The bottom portion of the SA 77 is grey, whereas, it is orange on the SA 76.

The SA 77 is a choice that is perfect for toddlers and beginners. It’s an extremely light-weight, and portable option that comes with a low price tag.

Get ready for 44 keys and 100 different tones that are extremely easy for your child to navigate through.

This is a huge feature as some keyboards are just plain difficult for kids to navigate through all of the sounds. Casio used a super simple LCD screen that has increased in size on the SA 77 and this makes it a breeze.

While I’m very familiar with smaller keyboards such as this, the size of the SA77 still caught me off guard. It’s extremely portable, yet somehow super durable.

Key Features

• Keys: 44 mini keys
• Headphone Jack: Yes
• Power Source: AC Adapter or 6 AA batteries(Power Not Included)
• Included Accessories: Song Book
• Pads: 5 drum pads
• Songs: 10 different songs
• Weight: 1.5 Pounds
• Color: Black & Grey

Casio SA 77 Sounds

It’s important to note that the SA 77 is also included in our roundup for the best keyboards for kids.

The sound department on this keyboard is similar to the Casio CT-X700. To me, this is a good thing. I have been raving about the sounds that Casio has been able to achieve on such small budget items.

Note: This is not a sampled keyboard, it is a synthesized keyboard. Because of this, it doesn’t quite capture the sounds that some samples are able to.

The standard piano sound on the SA 77 is a bit thin. This is pretty normal considering the type of product we’re dealing with. Their main goal with the SA 77 was to create an affordable, decent-sounding keyboard that younger kids can easily use.

Because of this, you get a product that may not blow you away sonically, but rather grab your kids attention and rope them in to a user-friendly experience.

Note: The organ sounds on this keyboard actually sound better than the piano does to me. Extremely rich and wide sounds come from the organ and reed organs on the SA 77. This is a big win as these sounds aren’t always easy to achieve.

The Layout

There’s a very simple layout on the SA 77 that is easy for people of all ages to navigate.

You will notice two speakers, with one being on the left, and one being on the right.

Want to view my favorite Casio keyboards? You can check them out here.

In the middle is a large LCD screen that shows the user which patch or sound they are navigating to. The LCD screen has a perfect position and it is of good size as well.

You will find the numbered buttons on the right side of the keyboard and this is where you can pick between patches for fast navigation.

The patches are listed on the top of the keyboard and these will show you the type of instruments that you are navigating through. Overall, a smart choice to include this by Casio as it also helps toddlers read and understand what they’re looking at.

The orange button located in the middle of the SA 77 will take you between the organ and piano quickly as well.

Directly above the keys you will find 5 drum buttons that allow you to play the drums. The sounds themselves aren’t terrible, but they’re nothing to write home about. These buttons are nice because it allows toddlers to hit them and instantly hear some sounds that they find pleasing.

Polyphony

You get 8 note polyphony with the SA 77. This is more than plenty, seeing how toddlers won’t be playing chords that contain this many notes so early on.

Using The SA 77 As A Secondary Keyboard

If you currently own a nice digital piano or a keyboard that you really dig, this can work as a portable option. Being so light in weight and cheap in price, it works perfectly as a second keyboard.

If you’re using it just to write songs with or to play around, you’re not going to care so much about the sounds it makes.

No MIDI

You can’t use this as a MIDI controller as there’s no way to plug it in. However, this will most likely be your least concern with the SA 77.

Headphone Jack

There is a headphone jack on the back of the keyboard that allows you to plug in to in case you’re trying to be quiet. This is a feature that I think is always great because there’s always going to be a use for it at some point.

Since there is a headphone jack, this means you can use a set of headphones for your keyboard.

Power Supply

The bummer with the SA 77 is that a power source is not included. The plus side is that it can be powered by 6 AA batteries for long periods of time. This makes it so you can take this keyboard anywhere you go, without needing a power source.

Lesson Function Of The SA 77

There’s a lesson mode here that makes for a great addition to this keyboard. It’s not super in-depth, but you can turn the melodies on or off for when you try to play along with the songs it has.

10 Song Bank

This is not a big number of songs at all. It comes with a Casio staple: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and a few others.

Included Accessories

The SA 77 includes a songbook that toddlers can take advantage of. It’s not the greatest book, but it’s definitely a nice book to be included. Here are other piano books that toddlers can read.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, the Casio SA 77 is a perfect option for beginners and toddlers. For this price range, I don’t believe there are a lot of other options that truly compete with this keyboard.

If you’re looking for a present for your child, this could be a perfect gift.

Do you have experience with this keyboard? What do you think about it overall? Let me know in the comment section below.