CT_X< CTK, WK...what do they all mean?

[JonBuck]

Am new to Casio keyboards (bought a used WK-6500) and am confused by the proliferation of prefex letters in front of keyboard model numbers... like CTX, WK and the like. 

Can someone explain their meaning to me? Do they indicate that the model is designed for beginners, imtermediates or advanced players, or for composers, or professional players? 

Assume WK stands for 'workstation"...just what does 'workstaton' mean?

 Would appreciate some clarity 'cause I'm kinda confused by it all.

Thanks in advance:

JonB

  

Edited May 9, 2020 by JonBuck
Added information & spelling errors

[Chandler Holloway]

It’s pretty arbitrary, honestly. Some of them do stand for things, others are just alphanumeric identifiers.

 

WK is “workstation keyboard”, yes. In very general terms, this denotes a keyboard with sufficiently capable onboard sequencing and sound design features to serve as a self-contained songwriting tool. Kind of tricky because you run into significant overlap with “arranger” keyboards that aim to offer the same kind of functionality. Casio refers to the MZ-X500 as an arranger even though it could just as easily be called a workstation.

 

The Privia line uses the “PX-“ prefix for naming and I’m fairly certain that the X doesn’t stand for anything in English or Japanese. The new PX-S1000 and PX-S3000 have that “S” thrown in there likely as a reference to all the Slim, Stylish, Smart branding that was used in promotional materials. The Casiotone revivals may have used the “CT-S” branding in a similar vein.

 

One thing that I have noticed is that Casio tends to reserve single digit identifiers for their “flagship” instruments. The PX-5S is the flagship Privia. The XW-G1 and XW-P1 are the flagship Casio synths. The CZ-1 was the most advanced of the first generation of CZ synths. The SK-1 was their first and most popular sampling keyboard (although specs-wise it wouldn’t be accurate to call it the flagship of the SK models).

 

Of course, that guess falls apart under scrutiny as well. The MZ-X500 is the flagship arranger/workstation in the current line-up, so why isn’t it called the MZ-X5? The GP-510 is the most advanced console piano in the line-up, why isn’t it called the GP-5? And so on.

 

The more you try to make sense of it, the more confused you’ll get. Just think of them as labels for the different parts of the product line and leave it at that.

[CYBERYOGI =CO=Windler]

Casio (see links) has a little messy naming scheme; especially some CT-# keyboards were later released as CTK-#, some SA-# as M-# and various toy keyboards had own names. With early keyboards a by 1 higher number often stands simply for a different case colour variant (e.g. brown instead of white).

old keyboards:

CT- = "Casiotone" fullsize keys (the first keyboards were named "Casiotone #" instead of CT-#")
MT- = midsize keys
PT- = "Petite Keyboard"(?) mini keys
VL- = "VL-Tone" (named after "Very Large Scale Integration" ICs) early mini keyboards
EP- = toy keyboard
SK- = "Sampletone" sampling keyboard
CK-, KX- = keyboard with built-in radio and/ or cassette recorder
DM- = midsize dual manual (only DM-100 known)

AZ = keytar (guitar shaped keyboard)
CZ-, = "CosmosynthesiZer"(?) phase distortion synthesizers (improved FM)
VZ- = interactive phase distortion synthesizers (improved FM)
HT-, HZ- = "Spectrum-Dynamics synthesis" semi-analogue synthesizers
FZ- = professional sampler (contain also phase distortion synthesis)
RZ- = drum computer
CPS = e-piano (velocity sensitive fullsize keys)
CSM- = MIDI tone generator module
DG-, PG- = synth guitar
DH- = "Digital Horn" MIDI saxophone


newer (sample based) "ToneBank" keyboards:

CTK- = "CasioTone Keyboard" expensive fullsize keyboard
CA- = cheap fullsize keyboard (no MIDI, only mono?)
MA- = midsize keys (MA-1..10 = melody alarm clocks)
SA- = small keyboard (up to 37 mini or midsize keys)
M- = "Casio Club" like SA-series, but M-10 is much older without samples
KA-, PA- = toy keyboard
RAP- = "Rapman" DJ toy instrument
DJ- = DJ toy keyboard with cassette recorder
TA- = toy keyboard with cassette player (only TA-10 known, TA-1 = data tape storage cartridge, TA-1000 = talking calculator)
KT- = keyboard with built-in radio, cassette recorder and/ or CD player
AT- = fullsize oriental keyboard

LK- = fullsize key lighting keyboard
ML- = key lighting mini keyboard (or 1980th melody calculator)
VA- = "Voice Arranger" midsize effect keyboard (only VA-10 known)
GZ- = MIDI master keyboard
PMP- = velocity sensitive fullsize keys
PS-, PX- = e-piano (velocity sensitive fullsize keys)
AL-, PL- = key lighting e-piano (velocity sensitive fullsize keys)
AP- = heavy wooden e-piano (velocity sensitive fullsize keys)
WK- = "workstation keyboard"(?) velocity sensitive fullsize MIDI keyboard
MZ- = professional fullsize MIDI workstation keyboard
LD = e-drumkit


With fullsize keyboards there may be also some other prefixes but I don't care much about them. Also some other exotic names may exist. A general rule of thumb is that Casio instruments with names ending on "-1" (like VL-1, SK-1 etc.) are usually good ones (except perhaps PT-1) and particularly those ending on "Z-1" are great. Apparently all old Casio instruments (before CTK- series) with an "8" in their type number had a ROM-Pack slot and key lighting. The only known exception is the keyboard CT-8000, which was part of the ultra-rare modular stage organ Symphonytron 8000.

[JonBuck]

Good Grief!!!!    Talk about alphabet soup!!!  I don't know how you guys were able to put it all together, but I'm impressed and amazed and grateful that you took the time.  There's more to it than I imagined.    It's kinda like when I got drafted into the Army.  We all had to contend with the Army's strange tendency to label things in somewhat the same manner. 
For example : the Army insists on referring to something as an M1A2E3...somethingor other;    but to us normal people it was a 'Rifle, 30 caliber"   and let it go at that. I think I'll take you advice and do the same thing here!

 Thanks gents...I appreciate your responses!!

JonB