Mustar Digital Piano Review

The Mustar Digitial keyboard doesn’t have much weight to it, but this piano works as advertised! That’s why we gave it a passing grade. We loved the items included in the package as well, especially the waterproof bag, cleaning cloth, and included stand- so that beginners won’t have to buy anything extra to get started making music. As you might expect, some of the sounds and most of the rhythms are toy-ish, but the piano tones are surprisingly good for the price.

Overview

The Mustar digital piano is an 88-key, semi-weighted piano that is often purchased off of Amazon. It comes with an X-style stand, built-in speakers, a music rest, and a sustain pedal…And is at the low price of $230. 

So, could the Mustar piano be worth it? And if so, who is best the audience for the model? (Spoiler alert, this keyboard is another beginner model to test music waters with!)

The Mustar Digital Piano is also known as the MEP-1100 model. 

Let’s check out the features and see what else this keyboard can offer us.

Features

Touch-Sensitive Keyboard, MDF body

The keybed/keys on the Mustar digital piano are full-sized and are also touch-sensitive. While the instrument doesn’t have much weight to the keys, at least you can get some dynamic range here. 

The body of the instrument is made with MDF (medium-density fiberboard), which is a type of pressed wood that is denser than plywood, however, it can crack under extreme stress.  This means that the body of the piano is decently durable- It certainly has to be better than uber-light, cheap plastic. 

128 Tones Total/ DREAM Source Audio 

We talked about the DREAM audio sound chip in another one of our recent entry-level piano reviews. DREAM audio sound chips come from a company based in France. The quality of the tones are good- well, the piano tones are, and some of the non-piano tones are a bit goofy.  It’s worth noting that it’s pretty common for these DREAM audio chips to be placed in non-name-brand instruments. 

As Mustar states on their website, there are 8 “main” tones…

“8 voices (including. acoustic Piano, Electric Piano, Organ, Harpsichord, etc.) vividly present voices of different instruments.” -Mustarmusic.com 

184 Rhythms, Demo Songs 

This model has 184 total onboard rhythms and 64 demo songs. I personally wasn’t a fan of the rhythms, but some kids might take inspiration from them, 

Bluetooth Compatible

I was surprised to see that the instrument was Bluetooth compatible at this low of a price point!

ABS Keys 

The MEP-1100 has ABS (acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)  keys, which are a type of very sturdy plastic. The keys are untextured. 

Built-In Speakers

“(there are)…two built-in 25W speakers that give you an expressive and infectious playing time.” -Mustarmusic.com 

Other Features of the MEP-1100 Include:

• Split keyboard capability 
• MIDI 
• MP3
• Single-pedal input 
• 3 teaching modes 
• Onboard recorder for layering multiple parts

Piano Package 

The Amazon package includes a bag (which is actually waterproof), a soft cleaning cloth/dusting rag, and a lightweight X-style stand. While there are sturdier stands out there aside from the X-style, this type of stand is the most portable- Plus, you can assemble and play your instrument right away. 

For the price point, the inclusion of these goodies is a pleasant surprise.  

Side note: The X-style stand is actually a double X, so it is more secure than your average beginner’s style stand. 

Specifications

• Weight: 26.4 pounds
• Dimensions:  49 x 11 x 30 in. 

Who is it suitable for?

The Mustar digital piano is best suited for absolute beginners. The touch sensitivity, small speakers, and included accessories make it a decent fit for those who are looking to play around, or even those looking to learn a bit of sheet music. However, if you want a piano with loud speakers, or are planning on using lots of non-piano tones, this instrument probably isn’t for you. 

The Mustar in Action 

This video (sponsored by the manufacturer) features a pianist giving an overview of the instrument. 

The piano tones sound good, and you can see the touch sensitivity in action. The artist mentions liking that there are onboard speakers but also says that the speaker is lacking in the bass section.

Amazon Customer Ratings

I did a deep dive into the customer reviews as well, so we can get some opinions from other folks! Overall the rating on this piano is a 4.1 out of 5 stars on Amazon, which is a bit lower than usual (I’d say most of the keyboards that I come across on the marketplace that I like are rated at least a 4.7). Overall, customers were happy with the piano tones and look of the instrument, but some folks had trouble with assembly, and many didn’t care for the extended/non-piano tones in the sound bank. 

On the manufacturer’s website, there are reports of sticking keys, but other than that, nothing really jumped out at me. 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• It’s a full-sized, economical starting piano 
• Comes with a nice package!
• You can still be dynamically expressive on it (touch sensitivity) 
• The piano tones are impressive
• It has onboard speakers 
• The speakers are clear and pleasant-sounding
• The connectivity is good for the price

The first things that stuck out to me with the Mustar digital piano were: The piano tones, the package, and the touch sensitivity. I was also impressed with the level of clarity the speakers have- there is no detective distortion of fuzz.  I wasn’t expecting to see an onboard recorder of USB/MIDI out on this device- As many name-brand beginner instruments in this price range lack these features. Overall, the pros outweigh the cons, especially if you’re getting an instrument to just ‘try out’ the piano, it’s worth it. 

Cons

• The semi-weighted touch is quite light
• Not much power or bass in the instrument 
• No bench is included in the package 
• The entire onboard setup is all buttons (no sliders, no number pad, no pitchwheel)
• The rhythms are a bit cheesy/toy-ish
• Similarly, some of the sounds are low-quality

The lack of a number pad means you have to click a bunch of times to get to the sound you want. For example, if you want sound 100, you’ll be pressing the tone selection button for quite some time. For those who want weight, this piano just isn’t it. Though they are touch-sensitive, the keybed is extremely light. 

The drum set and rhythms overall are not very good. Some sounds like the chimes and bells feel overly reverbed, and personally are something I would never use if I owed the keyboard. 

Some smaller cons include the onboard controls being all buttons, and the lack of bench inside the package. 

Comparable Models

The most comparable models to the Mustar MEP-1100 are the MEP-1400, MEP-900, and MEP-100. 

MEP-900

MEP-1400  

MEP-1000

The above models all have comparable (if not identical) sound banks, and keys made of ABS. 

Most MEP instruments are similar styles…All these are lightweight digital pianos with an, and these models are within the $200-230 price range. However, it is worth noting there are more sturdy economical beginner models out there. We also recommend checking out entry-level models by Yamaha, and Casio.

The Yamaha YPT-270 has a nice number of controllers onboard (more than the MEP-1100 does) which I believe helps make it easier to navigate. 

Another non-commital, fun,  portable keyboard you could test out is the Cool Music Keyboard, which actually folds in half.

Quick View 

Mustar: Conclusion

Thanks for sticking around until the end of our Mustar 88 key digital piano review. In conclusion, the Mustar digital piano is a fine tool to start out with. While we wish the instrument had more weight to the keys and/or better speakers, the price is right, and we think many young learners and complete beginners will like it. 

Music quote of the week: 

“I long ago observed that the real beauty of the sound comes from the generosity of the heart.’ -Marcel Moyse

7.5Expert Score

The Mustar Digitial keyboard doesn’t have much weight to it, but this piano works as advertised! That’s why we gave it a passing grade. We loved the items included in the package as well, especially the waterproof bag, cleaning cloth, and included stand- so that beginners won’t have to buy anything extra to get started making music. As you might expect, some of the sounds and most of the rhythms are toy-ish, but the piano tones are surprisingly good for the price.

PROS

• It’s a full-sized, economical starting piano
• Comes with a nice package!
• You can still be dynamically expressive on it (touch sensitivity)
• The piano tones are impressive
• It has onboard speakers
• The speakers are clear and pleasant-sounding
• The connectivity is good for the price

CONS

• The semi-weighted touch is quite light
• Not much power or bass in the instrument
• No bench is included in the package
• The entire onboard setup is all buttons (no sliders, no number pad, no pitchwheel)
• The rhythms are a bit cheesy/toy-ish
• Similarly, some of the sounds are low-quality