Kurzweil PC-88-MX

It requires some understanding and accepting that it is an old instrument with an outdated operating system. Once you get the hang of it, though, it's not that bad.

I think this plays a 64-note polyphony (with the extra sounds). I bought this for the "real" keyboard action. It is somewhat stiff and heavy to play (well, the keyboard action of a digital piano is never quite that of a real piano), but I like the keyboard action. It's heavy and it trains your fingers. What I hate about digital pianos nowadays is the exaggerated dynamics even with really light keys.

I haven't really tried the midi capabilites (apart from creating midi setups, which is great fun but can sometimes get on your nerves) but what I understood from the manual this is a real midi-player's choice.

Okay, first of all: Internal Voice Piano sounds (Classical piano, Stage piano, Classical Electric Piano, Digital Electric Piano and Electric Grand, each with four(!) variations) are really superb. I like all of them, each has a different flavor and a unique feature.

I like the Internal Voice Organs as well but feel they don't work alone, but after putting them on top of each other creating midi setups they are really nice. Most people like the organ sounds as well but a friend of mine who is some sort of an organ freak felt that the organ sounds were thin. This drops my rating to 9,5 (rounded up to 10).

I've used mainly piano an my own organs but have experimented with the General Midi horn sounds and found them somewhat real-sounding.

The PC88mx has like 128 Internal Sounds, about as much more in the General Midi section and a few dozen Extra Sounds so you really shouldn't run out of sounds! (You can create midi setups and hence create your own sounds to some extent.)

I bought my Kurzweil PC88mx used from a guy that had bought it used from another, so this one dates back about fifteen years. It has been undergone several maintenance operations, latest by me when I changed the battery (I found the instructions on the Internet). Two keys still clack and a few more lack dynamics so that they work as on-off -keys.

The first track out of the four is virtually unusable for me which is a shame. It has other bugs too, which are dealt with turning the instrument off and turning it on again. (Do not use pitch bend with piano sounds!)

I guess you don't find fully working models of the PC88 these days.

I got the manual from their website which is partly really dull to read but has a lot of information and is worth reading.

http://www.kurzweilmusicsystems.com/support.html?Id=119

One thing I haven't mentioned is that this instrument is REALLY HEAVY. I have a hard case for it and together they weigh about 30 kilograms(!). I think digital pianos with "real" keyboard action really do weigh a lot anyhow. Though it sounds great I've really been thinking of switching to a lighter organ-type keyboard at the expense of the piano sounds. But for now I'll stick with this one. I don't do many gigs anyway.

Easy to get to the presets, not the best, but not the worst interface. As it has a fully weighted sticky keyboard this critter weighs a lot. Hard on the back hauling this keyboard around to gigs. Manual was not well written.

Nice keyboard feel ( for the keys that aren't sticky ), nice keyboard sounds ( esp good Yamaha CP-88 which I own ), good rhodes, some nice MIDI sounds. Apeggiator is fun to play with.

Some of the sounds ( Young Chang grand, rhodes, Yamaha CP-88 ) are great, some ( strings, some MIDI sounds ) are really bad. Depends on what types of music you play if this keyboard will work for you.

Electronics have been fine. The PC-88MX Fatar OEM keyboard lasted about 3 years of very occasional gigging and now suffers from the well known stickey key syndrome. Contacting the factory was of no use ( the said sorry, out of warranty, you're screwed ). I would think that Kurtzweil could go back to Fatar and pressure them for a fix for these defective keyboards, but apparently Kurtzweil doesn't think much of their customers. I'll never buy a Kurtzweil product again.

e-mailing the factory reps in Tacoma, WA on the well known Fatar PC-88MX sticking key problem got no response. Calling them on the phone got a very cold: "screw you, that's not our problem". Sorry guys, if I never buy another Kurtzweil product again, that's eventually going to be your problem. If you sell defective products and don't stand behind them, the word will get out.

I would never buy a Kurtzweil product againg. A fully weighted keyboard that only lasts 3 years is not a good deal. If I had to do it over again, I'd get a semi-weighted action keyboard and a decent module. In addition to having sticky keys, this bugger is a heavy critter to haul around to gigs.

v1.00

Presets are very nice. It's not a synthesizer so patch editing is not applicable. I liked the manual.

64 voices - sort of. Since the -mx is split into two 'cards', 32 voices from each card = 64, but it's not 'true' 64 (but this is nitpicking). Same with effects - you get two sets, but only the voices on each card can be piped through the effects on that card, which limits you somewhat.

I've always liked this instrument's sounds. E-piano and bass, flute, A-pianos - all nice. Not gonna make many techno redubs with this, but that's not the idea. I've always like the action (but see Reliability below)

This board's always been in a living room with no drops or spills. Occasionally a cat walks on it. After 6 years several of the keys squeak and the bank select button no longer works. I came upon this site by googling "fatar keyboard repair". Looks like I'm on my own.

Nevertheless, 6 years ain't too bad. I doubt I could've gotten away with spending $2000 on an acoustic piano without needing some serious service in that time.

I bought this because I knew the Kurzweil name was associated with great sounds, and it delivers. It was a pure joy to play, but it's aging and it'll be time for a new one soon. I don't know if I'll stick with Kurzweil or go for a Triton. I would like to have more 'synthy' functions (filters, LFOs and whatnot) which this doesn't have. Then again, there's the K2600!!

Pretty good access to sounds. You have to program setups to have any
resonable access to expansion board sounds in a performance situation.

Manual is lame and snotty. MIDI implementation information is incomplete.

The key based pitch bend is really fun for mocking steel guitar licks.

Does piano, rhodes, and whurli real well. The clavs are ok. Organs are lame, but not that lame. General MIDI sounds are better than most others I've heard (as of ~1995 - old data here).

If you rely your instument for your living, Kurzweil is a mistake. The Fatar action begins falling apart on the first or second gig. After about 20 gigs, the plastic debris should be removed to keep it from sounding like a rain stick when you move it. At this point the mechanical noise from the damaged keyboard makes it impossible to play and sing at the same time in the studio. After about 60 gigs or so, the problems begin to really affect playability, response. Six actions in five years.

The only reason I got those six actions in five years was because I played some with a well known type who greased the wheels. A working stiff won't get the time of day out of them.

Great for the casual user. Misery and death for a hard working pro.

I think it began and ended at 1.0!

I understood that an upgrade would be coming and I put in a call to Kurzweil shortly after buying the keyboard. Thus, I encountered one of the rudest, most hateful, nasty individuals in all the years I've used synths (which is saying something). He didn't know anything, couldn't care less about my question, and was about as professional as an Al Queda at a Tel Aviv McDonalds. This left a tremendously bad taste in my mouth about Kurzweil products and the company behind them.

I should also say that the times I visited the Kurzweil booth at Winter NAMM, the experience was less than festive. It consisted of a small, cramped room and those representing the company were dressed as, well, I'll go ahead and say it, mortitians. I mentioned to my friend that it seemed like a morgue and he agreed. It was the same way each year, morgue city (yet with haughty crypt keepers and progressively smaller rooms!).

And yes, how a company treats its customers (me) impacts how I feel about the product and the ease of use.

Since patches couldn't be edited, that was a drawback, but as a plug-in and-play keyboard, it's about as easy as you could hope. I'd give it a higher rating except for the attitude (at least an 8).

I should say that I would think that the demise of the company (it's now 9/2003) should be final within about two years unless some drastic changes are made. Yamaha's latest Motif ES line is just going to hammer the little (but once formidable) "k."

64 voice poly/16-part multi. 88 weighted keys with a pianoistic feel (Fatar), but a little heavy for synth lines. Not that the 88 excelled at synths. It didn't at all, but organ lines need the same light touch, so this was difficult (Yamaha's now current S90 provides a better balance, and no, I'm not a Yammie rep).

Different for a keyboard of this age was the meat and potatoes arpeggiator; nothing special except that most synths had neglected them at that time. Now, of course, synth arps run Indy 500 circles around the 88s arps, but at least you had them back then.

The GM sounds are just about OK. Again, today, companys like Yamaha actually have GM banks that can be used in pro settings, the sounds are that good. The Kurzy's GM sounds often feature the same patch with a different name, but the same sound (especially true of acoustic instruments).

There's also the Expansion Voices from the Mark 10. These are often the best of the lot inside the 88mx, but don't respond to mod wheel (yeesh!).

Also has some controller features which, while not unique even at that time, were not exactly commonplace (as they often are now), so Kurzy was at least one of the early adaptors.

The piano sound still holds up well, if not exactly as mesmerizingly as they had. Same with some EPs and organs. The strings are good, but still have the obvious loop in the lower notes (a hold over from their very first keyboard!) and this can make them useless in some settings (it'a very obvious loop). The drum kits, including orchestral, are some of the better kits around, but then I've always liked Kurzy's kits. Some excellent brass, wind, and solo strings. It's a mixed bag, but a bag with a good amound of goodies.

However, I'm now looking at buying a Motif 8 ES and by comparrison, the Kurzy is looking (sounding) a little long in the tooth. This was actually true even when the 88mx came out as many of these sounds were already from the original Kurzweils!

No problems.

Ha!
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Ha Ha Ha!

As these are now only available used, I think they're an excellent bang for the buck at around $600, but I'd have a hard time paying any more than that. The price wasn't too bad even when new (I bought this over Roland or Yamaha's then current flagships).

That one phone call to Kurzy was enough to always put a little snear in my lip when Kurzweil came to mind and still does to this day. That said, at current used prices, I'd certainly buy this over any of Kurzy's newer 76s/88s. Why spend more for sounds that basically haven't changed since 1985 (no, I'm not kidding, though they were well-done sounds). Ooh, you might get the Take 6 or the better organs, but is it worth the extra change? I don't think so.

I'd like to see Kurzweil survive, but I'm afraid they (and Alesis and Emu) will soon be a fond (or not so) memory. You can only repackage the same 80s sounds so many times and over-charge so many times, before most people catch on and put their cash elsewhere.

Some of the presets sound fine. The horn presets sound excellent for recording. They're difficult to distinguish from real horns if properly recorded. I don't like the organ presets particularly. The piano presets are all excellent. The manual is comprehensive, but takes a lot of reading.

Tons of midi capability. Great keyboard action. Easy to layer different parts, or to set up different sections of the keyboard for different instruments for gigs.

The onboard effects are reasonable, but can be redundant with a separate effects box. Works well for rock and classical, reactive to velocity and aftertouch. Don't like the organs, no good emulation of leslie, rotary speakers.

Totally reliable. Always use it without backup. Easier to lug than my previous roland.

Difficult to order replacement parts, need a new power chord, had to fix the old one instead.

I wish it had an onboard sequencer. I would probably buy the PC2 series. They have leslie emulation. I've had it for 5 years. Its seen a lot of gigs, has been used for studio recording, and is extremely reliable. I probably won't get rid of it, it's so reliable.

Actually, manufacturers use wall warts because it's cheaper for them. They can avoid quality control standards, and they can send the same keyboard to anyplace in the world, budling it with a different wall wart instead of installing into it a different power supply. Plenty of manufacturers are able to use internal power supplies without introducing noise into their instruments. The weight added by internal power supplies is irrelevant, since one needs to carry a wall wart around anyway--and it's less convenient to do so than to carry around one piece of equipment. Finally, internal power supplies allow keyboard players to keep a couple of spare power cords around in case one gets lost. This would be very expensive and difficult to do with an assortment of wall warts, yet wall warts are so much more prone to damage by getting kicked, dropped, ripped out of their flimsy sockets, etc., that we all really should do this. All this inconvenience, expense, and loss of reliability just so the manufacturer can save a few pennies. I don't see instruments by E-mu and others being more expensive or noisy because they have internal power supplies.

I'm just adding my thoughts after owning a PC88mx for over five years of heavy use. Of course the piano sound and feel of the keyboard is what you buy this product for but there's other reasons for owning one too that I'll get to in a minute. The instrument is very easy to use and it's simpler than it's new replacement, the PC2x, which I also have.

The features are pretty basic really as far as synths go. Wonderful as a midi controller - in fact that's mostly what I use mine for now. I read other comments where people complained about the external "wall-wart" power supply - c'mon folks, the keyboard weighs 55lbs and would weigh more with an internal power supply which could also add noise to the system. Most keyboards have wall warts for this reason. This is no reason to slight the PC88mx.

Now this is the strongest category: the sounds. Yes, the piano is great and you can read the other raves to know more. But hands down the PC88mx also has some of the most expressive strings to be found on any keyboard, especially when listened to in stereo. The electrinc piano sound is unique and doesn't quite sound like any other keyboard - it's a nice rich sound that seems to be a combination of eletric pianos from the past rather than an emulation of any particular one... it's one of my most-used sounds. There is a great acoustic guitar on this also, not to mention probably the finest upright-bass sound of any keyboard. The horn and sax sounds are also top notch. Like others, I'm not as crazy about the MX (GM) expansion board but it doesn't hurt to have it.

Add to that the way that Kurzweil redistributes it's polyphony: I don't know exactly how they do it but when you play a layered piano/string sound and you hold down the sustain and play an extended chord, you really don't notice the notes dropping off very much - certainly not nearly as much as on other keyboards. That's one of the nicest yet most subtle thing about the Kurzweils. It's probably a dynamic voice allocation scheme but Kurzweils do it better/smoother than anyone else.

My PC88mx has performed flawlessly for a long time, but it's showing it's age. I have beaten this thing and the keys in the middle section now "thunk" when they hit bottom... the other keys don't. It's bothersome enough that I replaced my PC88mx with a Kurzweil PC2x but actually I like the controls of the PC88mx better. None the less my PC88mx has been retired to my home studio where it does a fine job of being a midi controller and sound source. Also, the display once went out on me during a gig but fortunately th lighted buttons allowed me to continue using the keyboard as normal and I was able to replace the display myself later. I have heard of some people having "bending" problems with older models of the PC88 - the keyboard itself would actually bend from what I was told and Kurzweil reinforced later models with a steel rod from what I was told. But my PC88mx has never let me down. If you buy it a good road case then you'll get a lot of life out of this instrument.

I ordered parts through a dealer - no problem. Never dealt with Kurzweil directly.

You'll only find these used now. Make sure you get one in good condition. If it "thunks" in the middle keys like mine does then you'll know it's been played hard a lot and you should probably pass on it. A good one in excellent condition is a very good buy.

I don't know what software version I have. Are there different versions? The manual is good, and makes programming MIDI setups pretty easy. Doing this without the manual is probably impossible, so be sure to get the manual. One major bonus for a non-programmable digital piano: this one remembers the changes you make to effects settings, even after the unit is turned off! Yay! Life is easier. The front panel has lots of controls, and is very easy to navigate.

For completeness and accuracy, the specs are best read from Kurzweil's site. The polyphony is fine for me, and the effects are OK. I use this almost exclusively as a digital piano, and for that it's very good (almost great). The action is fantastic--better than any other I've tried (and I've tried a lot). Keyboard action is very subjective, but Keyboard and Sound on Sound magazines raved about this one, and I agree. I routinely play a real piano, and switching back and forth is completely painless, unlike with the Korg SP200 and the Ensoniq TS-12 that I used to play. My MIDI controller needs are basic, and this keyboard exceeds them. As long as it continues to work, I'll be using it for decades. The pitch and mod wheels feel good to me. Pressure sensitivity requires a lot of force to be activated, but at some point you need to stop being picky and start adapting to an otherwise good instrument.

The GM sounds are a waste of memory, as far as I'm concerned. Maybe they're good (many of them don't sound good to me), so some people may appreciate them. I'd rather have that memory used for more good keyboard instrument sounds. The sounds are not programmable per se, only MIDI setups are programmable. Effects and some other things can be saved at this level, but a synthesizer this is not.

The one crucial missing feature here is an internal power supply. Lots of manufacturers are able to profitably make affordable keyboards with internal power supplies, and customers always complain bitterly about wall warts, so I'm not sure what the problem is for other manufacturers. What does it take to get a simple internal power supply in a keyboard? Will customers have to boycott certain manufacturers or certain products? My rating in this category would have been higher except for this issue.

The sounds in this instrument are pretty good. The grand piano is easily the best I've ever used (I started with synth piano sounds then graduated, in order, to a Yamaha P-50m, then a Roland P-55, a Korg SP-200, and now the Kurzweil). They're not perfect, though. If you play individual notes and listen carefully, you can hear loops on some keys, especially in the octave around middle C. The sound decays nicely until the very end, then gets a little weird and blippy in the last, barely audible quarter second or so. And the tone is a little hollow or reedy in the octave below middle C. These artifacts are only audible under very close scrutiny, however, and I'm pretty picky. With normal playing, they all vanish. Also, I play exclusively in headphones, so the sound is probably totally different through speakers. I still think this is without a doubt the best sampled piano I've played.

The other sounds are OK, perhaps a little disappointing given Kurzweil's reputation. There are no Wurlitzer or Yamaha CP-80 sounds, which is incomprehensible and hard to forgive. The "electric grands" in here are actually kind of nice, but they're not the CP-80 of Gabriel, Simple Minds, George Duke fame. The Rhodes and clav sounds are nice. The acoustic bass sounds great to me. Organs are not so great, and there's no Leslie effect for the "rock organ." Some sort of chorus effect is used instead, and it's pretty bad. Strings are nice, synth pads are a mixed bag. I use this unit for the piano sound and feel, and for that it's great.

I bought this used in March of 2003 and it's in perfect condition. I can't say how it was used for the last eight years or so, but it's stood up extremely well. It might explode tomorrow, but the Earth might get hit by an asteroid, too. Pretty unlikely.

The only complaint I have is the external power supply. I sometimes bump the plug when I turn the keyboard on and off, and if it moves around inside the jack too much, the keyboard turns on and off. As long as the plug is steady, everything's fine. I really can't say strongly enough how much I hate wall-warts. I have decided against buying a synthesizer based solely on its external power supply. I bought this keyboard anyway only because it's the only thing out there that does what it does at this price. I'm bitter about it, though, and I wouldn't have bought this one if I were gigging. This issue by itself brings my rating down from a 10.

I haven't dealt with them regarding this keyboard, but I did once regarding the VAST synthesis in their K2x00 series synthesizers. I asked a question by email, and they responded right away with a bunch of web links I could go to for information. That was nice, but my question was simple, and part of it was that I couldn't find the answer on any of the websites I'd been to. When I replied by politely re-stating my question and saying that none of these sites answered it, no reply. I was asking about Kurzweil's claim that VAST synthesis can perform "all known synthesis methods" and the fact that I couldn't find anything on any site (or in the manual) that resembled, say, wavetables or additive synthesis. So, when it came to anything beyond marketing, they no longer had time for me. I really was polite, and I wasn't challenging the marketing, I just wanted to know. Now I know that they didn't answer because their claim is questionable. Too bad--customer loyalty is an important factor in future purchases!

If lost or stolen, I would try to find another one in excellent condition, or I would hope for an update with an internal power supply and a focus on just keyboard sounds (including the Wurlitzer and CP-80). Roland's RD700 and Yamaha's P200/P250 have great sounds and feel and internal power supplies, but they're expensive, heavy, and don't have pressure sensitivity. Other Kurzweil keyboards have wall warts and are either too expensive or are not pressure sensitive. So, hopefully this one will not get lost or stolen!

I also have a Waldorf MicroWave XT and a Novation Supernova II. They're both fantastic, but are definately not pianos. This Kurzweil keyboard is a blast to play. With the exception of the wall wart, its flaws are totally outweighed by its great piano sound, controller functions, and keyboard action.

9 This keyboard is amazing right out of the box, I consider myself a novice at the digital market. Yet I found the 88mx, a real worker.
I really looked around for a real good 88 keyboard. The Roland's 88 was sloppy, Alesis was muddy and too programmy. The Korg was ok, so I fell for the N5EX as a secondary board. But no keyboard comes close to a real piano like the KERZWEIL. Sure " THE GENERAL MUSIC " keyboards have the nuances of a real accoustic piano, but in real time, I want to get away from the nuace, for they were nuasence.
I have been playing this thing to death. it hasn't died yet.
I get a good organ, I programed several other organs, that rivel the "Hammond", The strings are to swoon to. and the synthing is another thing.
Although you could program in portamento, the board has no real slide,except for the pitch bend, there are multitimberals, but they are weak. My N5Ex does that , with the portamento as well. The programs are easy to use, the literature is very good, but then web sites are also very fulfilling.
The unit is heavy, and cumbursome. I GOT A CASE THAT WAS just as heavy( 80 lbs in all ). But I feel I got a secure set up . It's heavy ,yet I can carry it, and I feel its in good hands, " if I can't "

The set is polyphonic, only poly, unless you midi out. Although it is great for the gig, it is also at home for the midi studio. there is an array of its own effects,yet you can break out to the mixer, effect board, or amp. There is a great deal of control for pressure control, midi channels, pedal switches, continuess controls, stereo pans, panel control. and the pod controller.

The piano is the best, yet the organs are good, I built some in the memory that are unique. You can swing any organ sound with some simple programming. There is a unique feature to program each voice or program, one after an other. You could program an entire song, or an entire set. for the stage or the studio. The 88mx makes a great studio tool, wheather you use it for a Midi controller, or studio main. I Use it for Rock and Blues, so far it takes a goog slammin. Yet I can use it for the slower and smoother numbers. I could accompany Celine Dion, or Tori Amos could cover Jerry Lee Lewis, Its that versitile. I have seen this keyboard in several bands, and many keyboardists lair.

This ax is one battleax. I have blow away the best bands, crowds, and inlaws with this thing. It is my main keyboard, along with thw Korg N5EX, and an ole Korg 800. The accompany boards compliment the 88mx by there size and extra sounds. But I rarely gig with them, I only use them for my studio sets.

I've only used the Kurzweil on-line , it has been very useful in filling in the blanks, and more advanced uses of the board. My freind at a locale music store is my other support. I know I can get reliable repairs there, he has other customers with Kurzweil's, and he plays them as well. Someday I would like to get either a k2500,k2000, or K2500s. All great Kurzweil products. But for now...who needs them!

If this board were stolen I would hire the Supranos ok. I would also look for either another one,in the event of such a cotastrophe. I've had this one for about three years now,no real problems.With All the new keyboards out now, I've tried them all, I walk away with a snicker, I still feel I got the best one! I hope Kurzweil will reissue this keyboard, Its up there with the Fender Rhodes, B3, and MiniMoog. A classic to my ears and fingers.