Rare or unreleased Classic Casio keyboards not found in the USA.

[pianokeyjoe]

In 1987 when I was really deep into keyboards, I lived in Puerto Rico and visited the Navy Exchange in Roosey Roads base(now closed and sold), and I played a rare CASIO rare model keyboard called CPS 210(NOT CPS 201). The CPS 210 was designed in the same case and keybed as the CPS 201 but one glaring detail: The CPS 210 had a MIDI function button which I noticed, did not know what that was, but I pressed it while playing the keyboard live with the auto accompaniment playing and can not for the life of me figure out why this model is nowhere to be found? Another thing I noticed is that the board was being sold for $210USD cause as I was jamming on the CPS 210 I noticed the price tag as being $210 and thought it was not only amusing but also quite coincidental. I have seen a model that could be close as CPS 201 but that version does NOT have midi or the midi function button. Now I own 3 CPS 201 keyboards and indeed the "sounds" and beats do correspond to what I remember as a teen but that midi button which BTW did nothing sonically when I pressed it while playing live with the beats and autoaccompaniment and that glorious strange new feature called auto-harmonize on the CPS 210 in the store, is not present in any of the 3 CPS 201 models. I am venturing to think the CPS210 was only an international release model or a Japan only model that happen to make it in to the store on Base that year. I never saw it again since. The CT6000 and CPS 201 of which I own both as well as I have parts for both, share alot of features and even the circuit boards, keybeds and rhythms/sounds are alike! So it may have been a limited edition cross of the 2? Another rare and only seen once Casio model that I have NOT seen in the USA but only in Argentina in a Buenos Aires music shop back in 1998 was a kinda CPS type digital piano but with the same keys as the CPS 201/CT6000(synth keys NOT piano front keys), but it was 73 keys instead of 61 or even 76(the reversed layout of 76 keys was NOT present, just an EXTRA octave for 6 octaves instead of 5). The keys were yellowed and it seemed maybe like a CT6500 but with 73 keys maybe? It had the "look" of a CT6500 but longer and was on a custom Casio stand made for the keyboard so I assumed it may be a CPS model. So those are 2 keyboards I physically SAW and touched with my own hands that are rare and would like to find or at least get info on.

 

Now this next one is one that I will need some keen eyed and astute Casio lovers help to find out about:

In 1992 I wrote Casio Corp to ask for a catalog of their keyboards and they mailed me a set of glossy short form catalogs of their line up for 1991-1992 and another from 1989-1990. I do not remember WHICH of these two catalogs holds the mystery Casio Workstation but in ONE of those Catalogs I beheld a very strange looking BUBBLE cased Casio Music Workstation Keyboard Synthesizer! It had a 3 way speaker system, a RECTANGLE LCD screen NOT the later MZ2000 SQUARE display!! It had the same Keybed as that of the VZ/FZ keyboards so it had INDIVIDUAL KEYS, NOT key strips design!! Very important! Next it seemed to have a floppy disk drive, and it had a 16 track sequencer,a digital sound synthesizer and PCM sound engine. The look of the LCD and the LCD bezel and look of the area around the LCD(I loved seeing that LCD as Casio NEVER had such a big LCD in their keyboards as it seemed to be like that of the YAMAHA SY77/99),that looked like that of the WK1300. A look that I noticed on the WK series but the shape of and colors of the WK were all wrong from what I saw in the Catalog. This keyboard was NOT priced as a home keyboard like the WK series as it was more akin to the next VZ line of professional workstations for the 1990s. The MZ2000 came later and does NOT look at all like what I saw either. Again, shape and COLOR are all wrong and MZ has a big SQUARE display, not a rectangle display like that of the WK1300.CTK810EX,etc.  The CTK810EX with it display shape and color and very pro look was more akin to the mystery keyboard but again, the board in question had a strange bubble shape. I remember because there were boom boxes release that year that all had that shape of round and bubbly is the future look! And well, CARS also had the bubble look in the early 1990s! So it was a look matching trend and I remember saying to myself, oh boy, Casio is doing the bubble look too! At that time Casio still sold parts and shipped catalogs from TANDY Corp of Radio SHACK out of Texas. I again, have to say, that keyboard was black or dark dark gray  The modern released versions were all SILVER and less bubbly in the over all shape. The LCD and the squeezed LETTER O shape around the LCD screen of the WK1300 DOES resemble that of the mystery Casio. I see bits and pieces of that keyboard's design in released models but.. The KEYBED from the VZ series was never reintroduced in any of the 1990s models released except for 2(which where NOT touch responsive), the CT670 and CT680 alike. Those where the last 1990s keyboards to feature the individual keys of the 1980s CT line. The Mystery keyboard was said to have touch response and aftertouch. Which were features of the VZ1 and FZ1 as well as the CZ1.

 

A remarkable trait that all 3 mystery Casios share is that they all had a similar keybed and keys to each other(CPS201/VZ1 keys)and they either were only released outside the USA or never at all as far as I can tell.

 

Does ANYONE here know of these keyboards? Or have the aforementioned Catalogs from 1989-1990 and 1991-1992? You will NOT find those catalogs in any form on the internet. I tried. And it is 2021.. so.. any direction would be steller!

[pianokeyjoe]

May  29 2022 Mystery Keyboard update!!! A new member @Blueangelojust posted a rare Classic Casio Catalog find from the early 1990s! The Bubble advanced synthesis workstation Casio keyboard I have been looking for and asking about but no one has been able to answer about! He posted a picture of the page of a Casio Catalog from his collection of Casio Catalogs which features the very keyboard I have been seeking since I last saw it in a catalog from Casio back in 1992! May I present to you: Casio HT-X10! Check his thread out for the picture! So it seems that when you least expect it, things you seek and can not find, will come to YOU, amen!!

[Kenyon]

Great and fascinating story. But I have never heard before of the Casio bubble case keyboard. It sounds like a unique and rare instrument. I hope you're able to find more information about it.