Casio CT-6000

Not that complicated for basic play with or without backing but some of the more advanced features are tricky without the manual - get a manual to get the most out of this keyboard.

Presets generally sound good for this type of keyboard - especially the organs, harpsichord, strings and elec piano but this is no sample ROM unit - don't expect miracles!

Presets are
Main (20): Piano, Elec Piano, Honky Tonk Piano, Harspichord, Funky Clavi, Vibraphone, Pipe Organ, Jazz Organ, Trumpet, Saxophone, Flute, Synth Reed, Violin, Elec Guitar (very like Funky Clav!), Koto, Synth Bells, Chorus, Symphonic Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, Strings Ensemble.

Accomp tones (10 - you can select the tone you want the accomp pattern to use - the pattern varies for different tones): Piano, Elec Piano, Guitar, Harp, Synth Sound, Synth Waw, Organ 1, Organ 2, Strings, Chorus.

Synth (unweighted)keyboard action but the keyboard is very playable.
Polyphony is 8 notes
On board "effects" are ensemble and celeste - two types of chorus but they are very effective - control is just on/off. Also sustain, vibrato and delayed vibrato are counted as "effects".

This keyboard sends and receives midi but it only transmits on channel 1 and only receives in Omni mode (all channels at once), so it is not all that useful in a Midi set up.

The accompaniment features are very comprehensive on this unit. There are 20 Rhythms and there is also the accompaniment via fingered or one finger chords. There is also a memory function so you can choose whether the chord accomp plays all the time or only when you hold down a key in the auto chord area. The backing patterns are much better than usual home keyboard fare but again, don't expect miracles.

Unusually for a home keyboard, you can choose which of the 10 accomp tones are used independently of the Rhythm pattern and the chord accomp backing is different depending on the tone you choose (generally three different backing types for each Rhythm pattern)e.g the Piano tone usually has an arpeggiated pattern whereas the guitar or synth will have a rhythm guitar chord type pattern. There is also an Intro /Fill in button and the usual synchro start. However, the backings can sound a bit muddy with some of the tones.

There is a Super Accomp feature which varies the backing depending on your playing in the melody section of the keyboard based on velocity, fast or slow passages, key etc. This is a bit hit and miss in practice.

Auto Harmonize will add chords to your melody line based on the Auto chord you are playing.

Chord memory is a 400 step real time sequencer which allows you to record the chord sequence used in the Auto Chord section. Memory is lost when the unit is turned off.

The preset sounds are at the top end of the range but still ultimately non-sampled home keyboard. The organs in particular are very usable and the pianos, harpsi, clav and elec guitar (as another clav) are fine for rhythm / blues type tracks. The strings are nice too. The pianos tend to roll off a bit in volume in the top octave.

The on board speakers are serviceable but don't do the unit any favours as they sound a bit boxy and the audio is generally a bit muffled anyway. Put it through an external amp with some bass cut and treble boost and it sounds a LOT better - especially the drums.

The keyboard has velocity and channel aftertouch which is unusual for this type of instrument and makes it fun to play. There is also a "pro" style pitch bend wheel with variable range and a glissando button (the pitch bend is quantised into semitones instead of being smooth - good for flutes, pianos etc.)

This thing is built like a tank - with a steel casing. All it needs is a diesel engine and a gun on the front and you could overthrow a small country! Most of the buttons are membrane switches (i.e DX7 style) so not prone to dust or being snapped off. I've had no problems with mine, but I just use it at home and haven't overthrown any small countries with it.

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For the #10 I paid this is brilliant. Lots of fun for just playing around or even thrashing out early ideas. If I lost it I would definitely get this or something similar again.

Although I own "pro" gear too, I love just messing about on the CT6000. It's so much "fun"! And being a bit of a gear head how else can I get my hands on a new keyboard for a tenner?

The owner's manual has always been very useful. Presets ??

The keyboard action has always been great. The built in effects have performed well. This model was one of the first "MIDI" equipt units.However, I don't have a real computer so I never made use of it.

It almost sounds like a "full sized" model and works well with all types of music. The on-board effects are great. My playing leaves much to be desired, but the unit does enhance my playing.

I bought this unit brand new. It has to be around 15 years old and it has 1 key that sticks occasionally. You can't get more dependable than that. If I could play it well enough for a "gig", I absolutely would use it w/o a backup !

Never needed support.

I bought this terrific unit on sale at a Macy's on L.I., NY. The price included a Chrome stand. If it actually ceased to operate, I would most assuredly, buy another Casio unit.