Casio GP-510 Review

If we could rate this piano higher than 10/10, we would! 

The GP-510 is similar to our previously reviewed GP-310 but better. This hybrid piano has a broader dynamic range than the lower-tiered Casio grand hybrids and also has an even more convincing design. That’s why we gave it a full 100%. From the all-wood keys to the high-end grand piano samples and stunning dynamic range, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better digital grand for the price. 

Casio GP-510 Overview

The Casio GP-510 is a hybrid digital piano that was developed in collaboration with C. Bechstein. The GP-510 model is an improved/upgraded version of the GP-500, which was first released back in 2015. These GP pianos are pretty expensive, but you get what you pay for, and this model meets its target audience well. 

This piano provides the best of both worlds: The sound and touch of a high-quality grand piano, without all the maintenance/ repairs hassle. 

This model was released at the same time as the Casio GP-310 which I reviewed here.

What the GP-310 did well, the GP-510 does even better. We rated both these Casio GPs a full 10/10 because of their stunning grand piano samples, heavy and responsive wooden key action, and powerful, clear 6-speaker sound systems. This advanced line of digital hybrid pianos serves pro players really well. As a whole, the Casios GP line both looks and sounds great. And the onboard orchestral recordings and sampling quality are truly pro-grade.

More About the Casio Celviano GP Line

Many players don’t think of a premium piano when they hear the brand name Casio, but I do! The Casio GP line is a line of hybrid digital pianos with wooden keys and natural graded hammer action. The Casio GP-510 and GP-310 were both released at the same time, in late 2019, and both models are still going strong. The GP-500 which this model has been based on has been replaced by this model. I hope to see some new GP’s being premiered at NAMM in the next year or two. 

There are other sub-lines in the Casio Celviano group (the “AP” line) but these pianos are aimed at a different target audience- moreso for beginners to upper intermediates.  

 With all of that in mind, let’s take a deeper look into the instruments’ features see what makes the GP-510 so special. 

Features

Powerful Sound, Grand Acoustic System

This instrument has 6 powerful speakers and an excellent amount of wattage inside the amplifiers. Casio made a multi-dimensional sound that they are advertising as a ‘three-dimensional sound field’. The instrument has two speakers placed on the top, which make the sound come up and out like a real piano does. Interestingly enough, they also have a set of speakers facing down, which recreates the sounds reverberating in what would be the soundboard. The Casio GP’s are the first hybrid pianos that I’ve heard of with a downward-facing speaker set- It sounds strange, but the result is undeniable. The sound of the GP-510 truly surrounds the player.  

3 Grand Pianos Samples with Multiple Timbres

The Casio GP-310 has 3 stunning grand piano samples which have been created with 4 layer-sampling. These include:

• A Berlin Grand 
• A Hamburg Grand
• A Vienna Grand

While many people think of Yamaha as having the leading grand piano samples, Casio is putting up some stiff competition here.  The samples were created in collaboration with C. Bechstein. All of these grand piano samples have multiple tonal variations inside, which gives you even more timbral colors to play with. Each piano has the main sample, as well as bright and mellow versions.  The GP-510 is basically 3 grand pianos in one, with timbre changes at the push of a button.  

AiR Sound Engine

This instrument has more tones than its younger sibling, the GP-310. The GP-510 doesn’t just have grand piano samples: it boasts 35 tones in total, including high-definition samples of other instruments, like strings, organs, basses, and electric pianos. 

Natural Grand Wood-Action Keyboard

This hammer-action keyboard has real hammers inside. These moving parts are made of a combination of resin and other synthetic materials. It amazes me that we have come so far in piano technology that hybrid pianos have hammers inside. 

Plus, the Casio Celviano GP-510s s keys are made with solid spruce which was sourced from Austria. Because of the combination of hammers and heavy-duty solid wooden keys, this digital piano has a beautifully balanced action. 

Built-In Acoustic Piano Simulator 

Casio Celvianos have stunning acoustic piano simulators. These engines help to emulate all of the sounds and vibrations that you would hear (and feel!) inside a real acoustic piano. The bumps and clunks created by the physical movement of an acoustic’s keys and hammers moving are an integral part of the experience.

New EQ User Options 

Casio has recently redone the EQ user settings (on both the GP-310 and 510) so you can tweak the EQ of the instrument with more options than ever before. 

Audio Recording

This model has a bare-bones recorder that can hold 1 song with 2 tracks. It also has a 16-track sequencer (MIDI) inside. 

60 Internal Songs 

Like the GP-310, this model has 60 internal songs to learn, with everything from Beethoven to French impressionistic pieces to French folk tunes. 

Concert Play

Even more impressive than the built-in songs is Casio’s concert play. Like the GP-310, the GP-510’s Concert Play features allows you to play over a dozen pieces with the sound of a live orchestra to back you up.

Other Features: 

• Duet, split, and layer modes

• Volume Sync EQ

• Digital signal processing

• 10 slots for users’ songs
• Escapement
• ½ settings within touch sensitivity 

Casio GP-510 Specifications

• Weight: 173 pounds
• Dimensions: 
• Height: 37.9 inches
• Width: 56.5 inches
• Depth: 19.25 inches
• Effects: 4 types of chorus, brilliance

Who is it Suitable for?

The Casio Celviano GP-510 is well for upper intermediate players all the way to professional pianists. 

The GP-510 is leaning toward a professional grade, in both price and quality. Given the no-nonsense soundback and basic effects, it goes without saying that this isn’t a suitable piano for on-the-go musicians or experimental artists. Although, if you were inspired to create a one-off experimental piece, you can connect the instrument to a DAW and record on the piano using the different sounds in a digital audio workstation. 

The GP-510 is marketed as being an ideal piano for those who play primarily impressionistic classical music, and I would agree that it’s the perfect hybrid for that use purpose, but also can be used for much much more.

The GP-510 In Action

Let’s check out this Casio GP-510 “All Playing, No Talking” video by Kraft Music to get a better feel for the hybrid instrument.

Customer Reviews

The customer reviews for the GP-510 are rave-worthy. The item has a 5/5 star review on Sweetwater, with one customer stating that it is the best digital piano they ever played, even in comparison to Steinway, Kawai, and more. 

The instrument also has a 5/5 star average on Google ratings. Other positive reviews include the following statements:

• “Great key touch”
• “A pleasure to own this piano”
• “Great product, love the look of it”
• “So smooth and sensitive, repetition is really amazing”

I could not find anything close to critical about this instrument. 

Casio GP-510 Pros and Cons

Pros

• Firstly, is extremely high-quality. The cabinet is sturdy, the keys are all wood: it looks and feels high-end. 
• The speakers and amplifiers are crisp and powerful 
• The aesthetic of the instrument is even better than the GP-310
• The dynamic range/ sensitivity is better, too. I enjoyed playing on this one even more than the 310 (which I still loved!)
• It is an ideal hybrid instrument for serious classical players, especially those who focus on playing romantic-era pieces

Overall, the Casio GP-510 is a stand-out instrument with a well-rounded soundbank, stellar grand piano samples, and responsive medium-heavy action.  

Cons

• There is no mini headphone jack
• The instrument requires a flash drive for storage
• And, needless to say, it is pricey!
• This model isn’t widely available, especially online
• No Bluetooth audio

While the lack of the mini headphone jack isn’t a deal breaker by any means, it would be convenient to not have to fumble around and look for a tiny adapter every time you want to play with earbuds. Speaking of inconvenience, the instrument also doesn’t have much storage on board, which would be a con composers and songwriters. The price may also be a big dealbreaker for some. Lastly, the GP line doesn’t have Bluetooth audio, which I do think is a bit of a missed opportunity for a piano with such lovely speakers.

Comparable Instruments

The most obvious answer here is that the simultaneously released GP-310 is the most similar model to the GP-510. It has the same cabinet dimensions and amplifiers with the same exact amount of power but with a bit less dynamic versatility. The GP-310 costs about $1,500 less and has 26 sounds as well as non-textured natural-graded hammer action keys. 

You can check out our review of the instrument here.

If you are based in Japan, the Casio GP-1000 is also a great used option. Other pianos to consider are: 

• Yamaha’s Avante-grand line
• Kawai’s NV5
• The CLP-775
• Casio Celvianos from the AP line
• For more economical pianos, check out Roland’s FP line. 

The Kawai NV5s and Yamaha’s Avante-Grands are significantly more expensive. These instruments cost at least $9,000+.  The Yamaha CLP-775 is another option that is close in price and costs about $5,000. Casio Celvianos from the AP sub-line are also excellent instruments but are more-so geared for beginner to intermediate players, or hobbyists on a budget. The AP instruments tend to only cost about $1,000-$3,000 and are digital home pianos. You can check out my review of the mid-range Casio AP-270 here. 

I understand that the Casio GP-310 and the NV5 are way, way out of budget for a large portion of the population, which is why I wanted to also give an honorable mention here to the Roland FP line, such as the FP-30 or FP-50, which are both making big ripples in the music world. The FP-30 is $700, and the FP-50 is $1,300.  Both the FP-30 and FP-50 models have pleasant, heavy action that would serve most intermediate players well. 

Casio GP-510: Quick View 

Casio Celviano GP-510: Conclusion

In conclusion, the GP-510 is a great piano that’s quite similar to the GP-310, but with even more dynamic ability. If you have the means to get this higher-tier Casio Celviano, I’d highly recommend it. The extra tones and honed-in sensitivity are certainly worth the steep price. 

Music quote of the week: 

“I like to separate the music- and lyric-writing processes if I can. I’ll sort of noodle around on my keyboard and my computer until I have a beat or a chord progression, I’ll record it as a loop, export it to iTunes, then walk around with the loop and sort of talk to myself in the loop, and that’s how I get the lyrics.” -Lin-Manuel Miranda

10Expert Score

If we could rate this piano higher than 10/10, we would! The GP-510 is similar to our previously reviewed GP-310 but better. This hybrid piano has a broader dynamic range than the lower-tiered Casio grand hybrids and also has an even more convincing design. That’s why we gave it a full 100%. From the all-wood keys to the high-end grand piano samples and stunning dynamic range, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better digital grand for the price.

PROS

• Firstly, is extremely high-quality. The cabinet is sturdy, the keys are all wood: it looks and feels high-end.
• The speakers and amplifiers are crisp and powerful
• The aesthetic of the instrument is even better than the GP-310
• The dynamic range/ sensitivity is better, too. I enjoyed playing on this one even more than the 310 (which I still loved!)
• It is an ideal hybrid instrument for serious classical players, especially those who focus on playing romantic-era pieces

CONS

• There is no mini headphone jack
• The instrument requires a flash drive for storage
• And, needless to say, it is pricey!
• This model isn’t widely available, especially online
• No Bluetooth audio