Chas

@Musho toku- I missed this thread somehow! Just read through the story, and I'm still trying to think of a reason to use the MIDI port in place of the the original power socket. Seems so weird that someone went to all that trouble to hack the DC in via a MIDI port instead of just repairing the original power socket in the first place. I'd be curious to see what the converted MIDI power socket looked like from the inside! It's probably completely unrelated, but I wonder if somehow G1's had more faults that P1's? My G1 was supposedly a floor model that I bought online, and it came boxed plus it appeared to be in as new condition. But it had a weird intermittent fault (there's a thread in this forum about it), where a group of keys would suddenly stop working, and then sometimes start working again. This happened a few times when I was in the UK, then after I had all my gear shipped to the USA the G1 worked fine for quite some time, then suddenly it had the same group of keys stop working again. Except this time I took it apart and found that one of connector ribbons was trapped between the two case halves with a screw going right through it! It turned out that one of the wires in the ribbon was damaged and the screw was actually making contact between them. If it was jogged slightly, it caused the connection to break and led to the non functioning keys issue. I repaired the damaged ribbon wire and relocated the ribbon, and since then it's worked perfectly. Glad to hear that you managed to get your G1 working, and I hope you do manage to properly replace the 9V input and get your G1 back to standard. They seem pretty rare these days and don't seem to come up for sale often, then again, they weren't as popular as the P1 model and weren't sold for as long either. That probably adds to their scarcity. As a fellow G1 (and P1) owner, I've long since found it to be a very capable board, if a little quirky and at times not very intuitive. Once you get your head around them, they do indeed have a lot to offer. I still use my P1 and G1, in fact they are permanently set up in my studio, and very recently used both of them on a current project that I'm working on. I do wish that the G1's sampling features were a little easier to use, but otherwise, it's a great board to have. Keep us updated on your repairs, and welcome to the world of G1 ownership!

@Jokeyman123- yes, originally Skoda was a Czech car company and built some pretty amazing cars. They were hampered a lot when Czechoslovakia came under the control of the USSR and they could no longer produce or develop their cars to be as advanced as they were previously, but when the Iron Curtain came down they were then shortly incorporated into the Volkswagon VAG group. Since then, Skoda, along with the Spanish Seat car manufacturer, platform share with VW models. In essence, they are rebodied and rebadged VW's these days though IIRC, Skodas are assembled in the Czech republic (and Seats are assembled in Spain). The Skoda and the Seat models have their own visual identity and design, both inside and out, and features aimed at different markets, though their platforms are fundamentally VW. That's why the dealer Mike71 bought from had both VW and Skoda on their forecourt, as VW is the umbrella company and I think all Seats and Skodas are sold via VW dealers now. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Group

Totally agree with what you say, and I've experienced the exact same scenario too many times. Sadly, it's just a form of snobbery and elitism, as well as utter ignorance. Same thing happens in the guitar world, with some looking down on the affordable brands and assuming that they must sound and be built poorly. Ironically, some of the more expensive and "elite" brands suffer from worse quality control than the more inexpensive alternatives. Similar attitude is prevalent in the synth world with accusations of Behringer having poor quality and sound just because they don't have "Moog" or "Sequential" etc. as a badge. If anything, it's more confirmation bias and the owners trying to justify to themselves for paying more just to have a mythical brand name on their instrument. I even recall the comments section in a recent Guitar Center page where GC was promoting the new Casiotones. You'd think that GC had insulted people's mothers by the incensed comments from a lot of the comments, clearly from a bunch of snobs. It came across as "how dare they promote an affordable keyboard, it must sound crap because of the name and I'm so offended"! Same attitude you see when these people hear the name Behringer. I'm almost certain that in a blind test, these elitists would not be able to guess the manufacturer when A and B'd with a more expensive equivalent. I tried this once when playing some of my tracks to a friend (who isn't a snob or elitist btw) and asked them to guess whether they were recorded with my Roland JX-3P, Korg DW8000, Yamaha SY85 or one of my Casios. Out of all the tracks I played, they never once guessed Casio, and yes, all the tracks that I played were recorded entirely with Casios! You can bet that these Casio detractors have never even laid a finger on any of the models they criticize. Because if they did, they'd likely realize how much they overpaid for their keyboards just to have a particular brand name on it.

From the Heaven 17 Facebook page, a picture of Glenn Gregory with a Casio MT (possibly an MT30?) that was used to demo "Let Me Go", a track from their 1983 "The Luxury Gap" album that was also released as a single.

@jorud- Congratulations on acquiring a Casiotone CT403, though sorry to hear that yours is not functioning correctly. I have a 403 in my collection and it's one of my favourites of the classic Casios. It has some lovely warm tones, and the analogue drum/ accompaniment section sounds wonderfully vintage, almost like a Roland TR77. Mine is working fine, and the only issue it has ever had was when one of its Rifa film capacitors blew up in quite a spectacular manner - so much smoke from such a tiny component! I replaced it with a better quality modern equivalent and it has performed fine ever since. With regards to your 403, it clearly has an issue with the accompaniment section. Do the drums work/ sound at all? What about the bass accompaniment? From what I can hear in your video, the Casio Chord feature seems to be stuck/ frozen and completely drowning out the drums and bass. Do any of the chord accompaniment switches make any difference at all? These old "Casiochord" models tend to route all the accompaniment sections - drums, bass and chord - to a single volume control (the Accom/ Melody balance control in the 403) so it's not always easy to tell which section has the issue. Then again, IIRC they're all generated from the same LSI/ CPU, so it's possible that the accompaniment LSI has failed or a component for clocking/ syncing/ triggering it is faulty. I suggest carefully examining the circuit traces for continuity, look for obvious breaks/ failings/ damaged components and also test the switches for continuity also as sometimes a jammed switch can cause an LSI to misbehave. It really is going to be a question of isolating components and circuits to try and find the route cause of the fault. Apparently the CT403 is related to the MT60 model, so see if you can find a service manual for either of those that will help guide you. I've searched online but couldn't find one though. I have the CT403 Operation Manual in my archives, but not the Service Manual. They're always worth having and if I do manage to find one, I'll upload it here. Anyway, I hope you get your 403 working properly, as asides from being a nice sounding vintage Casiotone, yours looks to be in very nice physical condition and with all its switch caps (they have a habit of falling off and getting lost). Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Then you get the upward thumb sound, as used prominently by epic jazz bassist Victor Wooten. You slap down with the thumb for the initial slap, then draw it back to play the string again with the back of the thumb nail. And some even do right hand hammer-ons to play notes on the fret board. YouTube bass sensation Davie504 does this a lot. That's the problem with slap bass being recreated on anything other than another bass guitar. There are so many different aspects and playing techniques that can be and are used way beyond the basic slap and pop. It's a style that encompasses rhythmic, melodic and percussive elements, sometimes simultaneously.

I've completed and uploaded Part 2 of my Casiotone M10 video. Lots of information in it regarding this little keyboard, along with some surprises and revelations. Also more audio demos and "Fun Facts! too". Enjoy!

@pianokeyjoe- It gets a little confusing with regards to many of the Casio models, as some were indeed stripped down versions of more expensive and more feature packed models, and some used similar/ same components but with differences, and some shared nothing at all other than a similar model number. In part 2 of my M10 review I examine the M10's tone hardware and as mentioned, a 1981 Music Magazine review stated incorrect information! regarding the CT201 and M10. The MT-30 and MT-31 appear to be identical, other than speaker position. As with the CT201 and CT202, the speaker and controls moved from the right to the left, though the 201 and 202 had some changes to the tones and features in the later model: http://weltenschule.de/TableHooters/Casio_MT-30.html The MT30/ 31 appears to have a later D775G version of the D773G chip used in the M10, so there might be some tweaks: https://www.firstpr.com.au/rwi/casio/ As for the doggy in the window, that's the lovely Miss Jersey, and she wasn't wagging her tail as she was too fixated on the treats we were using to try and get her to sit in one place long enough to get enough film footage of her!

You're going to have to hope that some place has some used spares, as these are now vintage keyboards long out of production. Sometimes similar era other Casio/ Casiotone models share common parts, so it's worth seeing if the parts are available from these if you can't find anything specific to the CT701. Worth seeing if other members of the same family (CT701/ 601/ 501) use these parts too so that you can expand your search. Otherwise regular search the likes of Ebay is probably your best bet. You can also check some specialist used Casio spares sellers online: https://www.keyboardkountry.com/keyboard-parts/casio-repair-parts/ https://casiokeyboardjunkyard.com/

FWIW, my CT-S300 when connected via USB to my computer (9 year old Win10 PC), it is instantly recognized. I can select it as Casio USB from within my DAW, and can both send and receive MIDI data to and from it. I would have even thought the CT-S1 would connect and operate in a similar manner.

Thanks @pianokeyjoe! In Part 2 of my review I cover the hidden secrets and hidden features of the M10. Spoiler alert - there's a total of 23 Tones available and the M10 LSI is NOT the same as in the CT201! I did a ton of research and it appears that a 1981 music magazine is to blame for spreading the wrong information!

Hey all, I hope it's OK to post this video of mine here, as though it features a vintage Casiotone M-10, it's more of an entertainment video that many Casio fans might like. It came about as part of my Casiotone M-10 review (see Classic Casio subsection), though I felt it deserved to be a standalone video in its own right. Enjoy!

I've finally finished part 1 of my 2 part Casiotone M-10 review. I thought this would be a quick one to make as it's a simple little keyboard with just four tones and a vibrato switch. But then I started researching its history, and that sent me down so many rabbit holes of information and connections! It appears that the little M-10 is quite the famous little Casiotone, though few people know much about it!

Looks great, Brad! How did you get the panning so smooth? And what camera were you using?

@Blake- From what I can find online, the MT-20 appears to be a model somewhere in-between the MT-30 and the M-10, probably released around 1981 or so. It's quite limited having only 8 x Tones with just a sustain and vibrato switch, and that's pretty much it. It will be able to produce some of those nice vintage Casiotone "Consonant Vowel" sounds that are common among early Casios/ Casiotones. As far as circuit bending goes, bear in mind that most of the "bends" carried out on early Casio models are to the rhythm/ accompaniment sections, because those sections used discrete analogue circuitry. The voice part of most early Casios used a part digital part analogue synthesis called Consonant Vowel. Most of the tones are generated from digital waveforms from within an LSI CPU, then put through some fixed filters. You cannot modify the waveforms outside of building and incorporating separately built amp envelope and LFO circuits. There are no easy bends to drastically modify the Tones unless the model has Easter eggs, i.e. its LSI has features from bigger models than aren't activated. Sometimes these are extra tones or even an octave drop. You might be able to find a tuning circuit that can affect pitch, and sometimes you can change values of potentiometers to give greater pitch adjustment ranges, or a crystal oscillator that can be swapped for one of a different value to also change the CPU clock speed that can also affect pitch. Same applies to the vibrato circuit. If it uses analogue circuitry then you might be able to change component values to affect the behaviour of the vibrato. Search online and see if you can find a service manual for this model, as then you will be able to see how the circuits are constructed and what components would have the potential for bending. Lastly, the MT-20 is not one of the sought after early Casios and thus neither valuable nor collectible. The MT-30 likely shares the same tone set and has a lot more additional tones, and the MT-40 "Sleng Teng" adds the famous accompaniment section famously used to generate the bass and rhythm for Wayne Smith's hit reggae single "Under mi Sleng Teng". Unlike the other early (1981 - 1983) MT models, the MT-40 is very sought after and valuable as a result of its use in a hit song. My advice would be to find the MT-20 service manual to see what, if any, potential bends might be available before attempting any bending. Then you can decide if it's worth spending time bending it, or whether it best to leave it standard as a nice little vintage Casiotone that can still produce some unique tones.

@Syntherclass- the buying and selling rule I believe only applies if you are personally posting your own buying and selling items, and/ or making a "for sale" post of an individual item. Posting a link to a company selling remanufactured parts that were otherwise obsolete and hard to find is very useful information that could benefit many owners of these vintage Casios. @Brad Saucierwill be able to confirm if you can post the actual link. BTW, nice to hear of another M-10 owner, especially as I am currently putting together a video review of my own M-10! During research of this early Casio, I have found a lot of interesting snippets of information about it, including some famous users/ owners, and also that it was used to play the lead melody in a hit 1981 synthpop song! Not only that, it's one of those Casio models that has a whole bunch of "Easter Eggs" hidden away, as its hardware is capable of so much more but much wasn't utilized in this model. It's possible to tap into its circuits and activate all these hidden features, but to do so would mean drilling into its case and adding a whole number of extra switches. Either that or making a loom and having an external "breakout box". As the M-10 is closely related sonically to the first home Casio(tone) keyboard, the CT-201, which I already have, I wouldn't want to spoil the beautifully clean, simple and elegant lines of the M-10 when I already have access to most of those hidden tones and features via my 201. Plus much of the appeal of the M-10 is in its simplicity, and it sounds surprisingly good when put through effects too.

@cg82- check the pedal(s) you have for a switch. Most aftermarket sustain pedals have a polarity switch that allows you reverse the action of the pedal. If your pedals are OE for a specific model of keyboard, they likely won't have a polarity switch. If aftermarket, they almost certainly will.

Generally speaking, a "Home Keyboard" would be an affordable all in one unit that comes with built in speaker(s), comes with a general selection of preset tones and an easy to use/ simple accompaniment section. The idea being that you can just switch it on, turn up the volume, hit start, and then play the melody with your right hand and trigger the accompaniment section with your left hand. Basically, it allows fairly rudimentary players to be a self contained all in one "band". Of course, you can switch off the accompaniment section, and some home keyboards allow various options as to how complex or how simple the accompaniment will be. This definition is more from the era when "professional" keyboards would be regarded as a dedicated synth/ tone generator only, with no drums/ accompaniment/ speakers. That's why when you see synth rigs in the late 70s to approx the mid to late 80s you'll see multiple keyboards, and possibly a sequencer unit and even a drum machine because the keyboards didn't have built in drums or any form of accompaniment/ sequencing. The definition starts to get blurred from the end of the 80s onwards with the rise in popularity of "Workstation" keyboards. These did come with programmable drums and accompaniment sections, and also comprehensive sequencers, but generally they still didn't come with speakers. Into the 90s "Arranger" keyboards became available, and these were kind of somewhere between a "Home Keyboard" and a "Workstation". Whereas Workstations often had full featured and fully programmable synth sections along with powerful sequencers, Arranger keyboards were more geared towards accompaniment "Styles" and preset tones, especially for the then new GM "General MIDI" standard. However, as all these keyboard types evolved the lines between them get even more blurred. Fundamentally though, Workstations are high end, expensive and very powerful/ flexible keyboards/ synths that could easily be solely used to make full professional productions with. An Arranger keyboard wouldn't have the same level of powerful and flexible features of a Workstation, but could still be used to make a full production and would nearly always come with built in (and good quality) speakers allowing it to be a self contained and one man band instrument. A Home keyboard would be kind of a consumer orientated Arranger keyboard, with features more aimed at beginners and geared more towards simplicity than flexibility. And they would be built down and priced for the home user rather than built more substantially for the gigging/ professional user. As said, the lines are very blurred now and it's possible to buy a modern Home keyboard, i.e. a modern Casio CTK, that is actually more powerful than an 80s Workstation. However, in the modern age a "Home Keyboard" can still generally be defined as a consumer aimed and accordingly priced all in one keyboard with built in speakers, and easy to use accompaniment.

The CT-S300 has by far the better keyboard, but to be fair, the CT-201 keyboard is 4 decades older so might not be performing as it was when new. The CT-S300 has the addition of velocity sensitive keys (switched off in the video to keep the tones on a more level playing field), so it would have greater expression available when activated. However, the 201 has character in spades and a very unique timbre and vintage feel to its sound, whereas the 300's tones could be produced by any modern keyboard or VST. I like them both, but if they got lost,/ stolen, the 201 would be missed much more because I wouldn't be able to get its tones from anything else. Other than maybe another earlier Casiotone such as my CT403, but even then, the 403 has some differences to its tones compared with the 201. Also agree that Casio should really include some/ all of the sounds from those classic vintage Casiotone models as a "vintage bank" in the new Casiotone models. Those classic Casiotones really do have a unique sound. 👍

Yes indeed, the CT6000 has quite a unique character and feature set that sets it aside from most other Casio/ Casiotone models from the same era. I suspect that maybe Casio's incredibly rare modular Symphonytron 8000 organ might be related as it came out around the same time. Information and video examples of this model are rare so it's hard to compare exactly how similar they may or may not be. As for the CT6000, offering velocity and aftertouch in a 1984 home keyboard was very impressive. And the ability to layer patches and use lush ensemble effects and/ or unison gave it a wonderfully thick and rich sound. Not good for punchy bass though, and its envelopes are on the sluggish side hence making it it more suitable for pads than fast attack lead/ bass sounds. Drums/ accompaniment sound VERY analogue too. A highly distinct Casio keyboard, and I will be digging mine out at some point to delve deeper into it and most likely do a video review of it too.

@rsaintjohn - Here you go, page 22 - 24 of the CT6000 Operation Manual explains how the Super Accompaniment section works and how to use it. casio-ct-6000_manual.pdf

As has been mentioned, the CT6000 from 1984 had the "Super Accompaniment" feature, that supposedly varies the auto accompaniment depending on the real time playing of the performer. I never quite got my head round it, or rather I didn't notice it doing anything significant when I tried it with my CT6000. I didn't investigate much further as I'm more or a Studio/ DAW/ sequencer based keyboard player, so the Super Accompaniment feature is not much use to me in respects of how I record with keyboards. Likely a very similar feature to your CPS @rsaintjohn, and if your CPS came out around the same time as the CT6000 it could well use the same Super Accompaniment circuit. I'll have a look in my archives for a CT6000 manual, that might help you to use that feature in your CPS.

@Jokeyman123- as Brad said above, my Monte Carlo is an all original SS (Super Sport) model, apart from the repaint. Mag wheels are original too (fitted to 1986 models and onward, 1983 - 1985 SS models had steel 'Sports' wheels). 4th gen 'G Body' Monte Carlos were offered as a NASCAR influenced 'SS' version from 1983 - 1987, and came with the high output 305 V8 and also uprated front and rear suspension over standard models. Standard Monte Carlos with the flat front end styling ran from 1981, and were offered with a lower output 305 V8 or a V6. My SS is a fun car, if a little primitive by today's standards. It's also the closest I could afford to getting a real muscle car, as the likes of late 60s/ early 70s Chargers, Roadrunners, 'Cudas, Camaros, Mustangs etc. are all way out of my budget. Still, I love it and it gets quite a bit of attention from people who remembered them from back in the day. And to the frustration of both Monte Carlo and Regal owners, many mistake it for a Buick Grand National (and many Grand Nationals get mistaken for a Monte Carlo SS!)

My Chevy was made in 1986. It's older than many of the people manning the parts counter in a Chevy dealers! 😂 Parts are nigh on impossible to find at a dealership, and used parts prices are expensive when they turn up for sale because of rarity and classic car status. It would be cheaper and easier to find spares for a PX100! 😝

15 years old is well beyond any reasonable manufacturer long term support. I don't think there is any electronic instrument/ device that has support for that long. Some manufacturers have an old inventory of spares that they keep "just in case", but many models get beyond 10 years old and manufacturers dump/ offload their spares, often to third parties. It certainly isn't right to criticize a manufacturer for not carrying or making spares for a model long out of production. FWIW, in the decades that I've owned dozens of Casios/ Casiotones, only one has ever died on me (an HT6000 that I have yet to investigate the fault). I have many Casios from the early 1980s that still work absolutely fine. I really cannot see any useful purpose for this poll that only seems to set out to attack a regional authorized service center for not carrying spares for a long obsolete model.