Jump to content

Will January NAMM bring news from Casio?


adimatis

Recommended Posts

Hello friends,

 

There might be another topic on this, if so, sorry for doubleing it...

 

Do any of you know, are there plans maybe, from Casio, to present a new model in January?

 

I noticed that MZ X500 is not available anymore on Thomann.de so this might be one of the reasons maybe? 

 

Thank you and best wishes for Christmas! :)

 

Adi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No one who has any inside knowledge---and that would only be Casio employees, certainly not me---will say. You really didn't expect that, did you? :P

 

I would not take Thomann dropping a keyboard as a sign of impending doom or replacement. They did it before with the XW-P1 and you can still buy that stateside. It could merely be a stupid decision by (I have to assume) Casio Europe, similar to their decision to drop distribution of the XW models in Europe a few years ago. From what I have seen Casio has in general poorly promoted the MZ-X500. Sales in India and Indochina (is that still a valid name for that part of the world or am I dating myself?? :lol:) are probably pretty good but, I conjecture, not so good elsewhere. Competent product management would try to turn that around rather than accelerate it by dropping products from certain geographic regions. Of course, competent product management would have properly promoted the thing in the first place. 

 

Oh, and Merry Christmas to you, too. 

 

PS. And just to be clear when I talk about product management, I'm taking about Casio headquarters in Japan and whatever product management function exists in Casio Europe. I'm NOT talking about Casio America, which from what I have seen has done what it can (and that hasn't been much, sadly) with limited resources. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Hi all,

For what little it may be worth ( and I sincerely apologise if I sound too negative ) I truly believe we're in a " no grey area " situation, as far as the X500 is concerned!

 

Either Casio will announce a brand new keyboard, featuring everything they may have learned about what the X500 COULD have been -- OR, ( as I've, sadly, confessed I believe, elsewhere on this Forum ), they will retire back into their "consumer-focussed" mode, ( as they, pretty much, did, after the MZ2000 ), and we'll hear nothing from them, re another "professional" model!

 

Again, as I've said previously, the lack of ANYTHING, even approaching, what could be called, "marketing", of the X500 in the UK and EUROPE, is a mystery, the like of which I've never seen in terms of, what Casio themselves called, a brand new, "flagship" model!!

 

Even more of a conundrum is why the X500 was totally absent from the pages of the Casio-Europe website ---- At least, until very, very, recently, by which time the astonishingly few companies that had been selling it had all deleted it from their product lineup!

 

To this day, their was not a single, major, respected, store, wherein you would find Casio's new " Flagship Arranger " ( their title, remember, not mine!! ).

 

Let me be clear -- I have MASSIVE RESPECT for Casio, and their obvious philosophy on producing some stunning keyboards at ridiculously low prices! ........

 

........ But the way they ( sorry, yet again, as I've said before! ) launched the X500, and then proceeded to totally ignore it -- in the UK and Europe, at least -- is something my, obviously, feeble brain, will NEVER understand!!

 

Anyway........ Here's hoping for a huge surprise at NAMM, when I can, VERY happily, eat humble pie -- and get my credit card ready, yet again!! 😊

 

The YAMAHA GENOS is, quite clearly, DISAPPOINTING buyers, left, right, and centre!!

 

ROLAND offer NOTHING, of any consequence, AT ALL!!

 

THIS could be CASIO's year to SHINE!! 😃

 

Roll on 25th January!! 😄

 

Take care all

Chris

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If they bring MX with proper keybed fix bits and pieces in os  and advertise properly not hard job at all Casio can sell loads of them I think they just chickened out with MX and gave up to early pitty  I still can't believe what value for money MX is so fingers crossed. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As far as I can guess, one of two things has been going on. The first possibility is that Casio has decided to concentrate on home keyboards after not quite hitting the home run they hoped in the pro market with the XW series in 2012 and the PX-5S in 2013, sales-wise. To continue with the baseball analogy, sales of the XW series have probably been like a solid line drive that got a man on base. Sales of the PX-5S have probably been like a ball that managed to fall between two outfielders who each thought the other would go for it, allowing three men to get on base. 

 

The other possibility, and the one I think is more likely, is that Casio is more resource limited than we know and consequently they have been too busy working on something else that they believe will pay them far more dividends than the MZ-X series ever could. Many people of course are hoping the "something" is a successor to the PX-5S. 

 

We'll know more on January 25th.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 I do would like for some sort of XW, PX5 , hexlayering concept with room for understandable recording.  

To my opinion the past years since the introduction of the XW and PX5 and the recent PX, Celviano's , LK.

People reach out to an instrument for their level and they aren't afraid to go head on for it. 

 

Off course its experienced as a bit off a curve at first but new keyboard players do it and overcome the technicality. 

The first most thing they do is find a preset that works for them , From their on venture out for specific tweaking begins.

Musically its from knowing notes chords. technically it can be learning filters ADSR, Sampling,Midi, Recording and layering. 

 

Piano's are booming finding the right keyboard can be as much as challenging. Mostly the recording part how will you do it

audio , midi or directly to DAW. Its never enough. I do hope namm would show a mixer with multiple  usb for audio - 

interface inputs how strangely it may sound.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

In general sales of any mid range workstation keyboards are extremely difficult these days. Companies either go cheap way (all the volcas, minilogues, roland boutique, novations) or try to do high end like Montage or Kronos. But middle iz a loss market.  What casio was trying to do with MZX is a 15 years too late.  Even Roland has incredible hard time to sell their FA and had to cheapen it with nearly the same juno-ds which says a lot as the FA was already a cheap version of Fantom. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think there is much to say about all of these... Technology is cheaper, more readly available, there is the software sound packages competition, smaller market for arranger workstation, fierce battle for customers money, strategies, marketing, image that sales...

 

It's not easy for Casio - good to see there is some progress at NAMM with the new low cost models, that might mean they are serious about relaunching their line of instruments. Hopefully next NAMM will bring more also to the MZ line.

 

Rome was not build in one day. Not even rebuild. ;) It takes time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TUXFRIEND - Hi! 

 

I'd be genuinely interested in knowing what you mean by: " an option for WK7600 users or potential 76 key users " ??

 

Also, I assume, by the inference of your second sentence, that you're impressed enough by the spec of the CT-X5000, but you just require 76 keys - is that right?

 

Interesting enough, but I STILL sense that you've got other things in mind, of which you've not revealed any detail - is THAT right?!?

 

Over to you, Tuxfriend, in the hope that you "dot some i's, and cross some t's", for those of us who might be genuinely interested in your views! 😊

 

Take it easy

Chris

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi folks, 

Just a reminder to prospective Casio MZ-X500 buyers of the UK:  These amazing arranger / synths can be bought only by mail order, currently from Germany and Poland, shipping to UK. 

(Which is how I bought mine). 

Best keyboard ever, says me. :2thu:

 

 

 

mz-x500 to UK.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Lobbard said:

Hi folks, 

Just a reminder to prospective Casio MZ-X500 buyers of the UK:  These amazing arranger / synths can be bought only by mail order, currently from Germany and Poland, shipping to UK. 

(Which is how I bought mine). 

Best keyboard ever, says me. :2thu:

 

 

Yeah I am loving my MZ-X500 more every day. I held out,  but them I got  a job in music theatre that needed a great organ sound (plus all the other keyboard and orchestral sounds)... AND I needed to be able to do all the sound FX (ie samples) all from one board.  So in addition to it being a great arranger, it turns out that the MZ-X500 is an amazing all-purpose gigging board as well. 

FAST FORWARD: Now that I have some more time, I've been exploring the arranger features. My advice: Mute some tracks and make new ones using the bass synth and arpeggiator. You'll be amazed at the results. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.