At the moment, this is just a blog about early home keyboards of the 1980s and early 1990s. Since I bought my first Casio — an MT-400V — a few years ago, I have been possessed by a fascination about these great, creative boxes.
While most of today’s keyboards are just plain boring — with sampled, realistic sounds — these early machines are just fascinating, and their analog sounds are weird, cheesy, cute and just plain lovely. Especially when fed through an effects pad… Also, during that early years, the manufacturers implemented many fun features, and the user interfaces was based on switches and knobs instead of forcing you to punch in numbers, which makes playing around with these keyboards just plain fun.
So here I’ll present the results of my researches about this esoteric topic, and I’ll also feature some of my favourite keyboards.
In the long run, I may also expand the theme of this blog to include other interests of mine, but at the moment, it’s just plain old keyboards… Have fun!
gen.error 
Comments
I completely agree with you – modern keyboards using samples are just boooooring. I guess in the old days, memory and sampling hardware was just impractical to implement on cheap, home keyboards, so the manufacturers had to find ingenious ways to try to create the sounds electronically and cheaply, giving each keyboard from that era its own, unique sound. It all started to go downhill with the introduction of FM Synthesis, in my view – but some FM synth keyboards do sound nice :-)
Looks like this’ll be an interesting blog – I’ll be checking back regularly :-)
This is a really interesting Website, I own a CT 410V, which I got for a few bucks, and its in a really gread condition. It even came with an original Casio volume pedal. Back in early eighties, this was my first Keyboard. I was 6 or 7 and luckily a Photo of me performing exists. ;)
25 Years later a great feeling to play on this baby! :-D
I’ll also check back regularly.
I like your blog and was wondering if you’d like to be interviewed about it for my podcast show POEM (powerofelectronicmusic.blogspot.com) – pls get in touch. I am not using the final composition site anymore so pls email me on info@tj-music.com
I just started a new site with used parts, accessories and stuff for older Casio keyboards.
http://www.CasioKeyboardJunkyard.com
Wonderful website. I was born in the 80’s and had MT820 to play growing up. It is still working. These things are amazing.
I am also infected by the “got-to-buy-old-cute-plastic-keyboards-virus”!!!
Its a lovely disease. My latest buy: yamaha ps30 and Casiotone CT-660 (for 10 euro!)
Hello all out there, I hope you are still tuned in, I have a Casio PT20, it belongs to my sister and she has asked me to sell it, I think it must be one of the first made as it was a shop demonstration unit, it has a hard cardboard section attached to the top of it giving instructions on how to play it etc, I have failed to find one anywhere on the internet, is this item really that rare? any replies or comments would be gratefully received
Regards David
Just dug out my CT-650 and of course couldn’t find the user manual. Scoured the web including Casio’s site but came up with nothing until I came across your site. THANK YOU very much for posting these manuals!
Thank you! I have an old Casio Tone Bank CT-420 and no manual. Found it quicky here! Our womens’ retreat music will be much better now! I can’t thank you enough for all your work getting these manuals and info together. Blessing to you always!
Love this blog, hope to see more in the future. There’s a decent Casio and the like Facebook group growing for discussion/trades/buy/sell etc here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/casioontario/
checkit! thanks
Hey there, I have a Casio 201 and I’ve discovered something no one else has written about it.
If you turn the volume up all the way you can here voices that are very quiet when you select the keys that “don’t have voices” when selecting.
Those keys are listed as being empty but you can distinctly hear different voices for each of these ghost keys.
Some of these voices are very different from anything else present in the available presets of the 201 but are so quiet you can barely make them out.
I messaged Casio directly but they said they have no information.
I can’t help but feel these voices could be activated somehow as they are all seemingly working technically.
My theory is they had voices for every key but something technical kept them from producing the finished product with them all. Some of the voices sound very similar to ones you can get on the 202, which I also have.
Anyway, just wondering if you’ve ever heard of this.