My first arranger KB was the Casiotone 401 circa 1981, first Kb with Auto Accompiament... then bought the 601..... with 61 keys..



In 1983 I bought the Korg SAS 20 Wow!




On stage with dad...
We've come a long way....

PS.. FYI that's the Yamaha mini CS-01 synth on top

Great old arrangers, Donny, and a nice picture of you and your Dad.

The Korg SAS-20 was one of the first arrangers that didn't talk down to you...it sounded excellent in it's day.

I believe it won some kind of award in Sounds magazine, which was a big deal for a home keyboard.

I had a Yamaha PS-6100, and then a PSR-6300 as two of my early arrangers, the latter actually being used several times in the CBC Radio recording studio.

I still have my CS-01 (and the breath controller)...mine was the older model in silver. I play it through the mic input on my Tyros4...it takes the monophonic sound and adds harmony; sort of a pseudo polyphonic synth.

Thanks for the memories, and yes, we have come a long way from 16 or 32 styles and as many sounds (at 8-note polyphony)...plus the keys back then weren't touch sensitive and, there weren't any effects (maybe reverb) to speak of.

Ian

Donny, thanks for sharing your interesting arranger keyboard background history & esp the pic of you with your Dad.
Gotta love your Afro. Reminds me of the one Mike Sutliff 'Photoshopped' on me.

Thanx Ian....the Korg SAS 20 also had an innovative optional style card slot in the rear, way ahead of it's time also & sliders too !

I would use my CS-01 for LH Bass when I did Duo gigs with out my big band, otherwise it was a kool Synth for creating all kinds of sounds, you could put it anywhere because it was so small I remember a nice Trumpet patch you could make with it also..

I remember the 6100 series also with the flip top control panel 1985 I recall?, wonder if Technics used that design on their KN7000 arranger?

Before all this for me it was, M100, B3, Rhodes, Juno 60, Crumar, Vox Continental, Farfisa Pro 222 & a few more models also.....etc...

http://www.combo-organ.com/Farfisa/Professional/index.htm


miss those old boards!

Scott thank you BTW.. Awesome doo man... OMG!!!

You & Uncle Dave always wear it well !!

ahhhh the '80s

Donny thanks for sharing your photo, and the Korg PERSONAL KEYBOARD(that is so predominantly displayed next to the right speaker) Do you remember what you paid for that classic board?

BTW..that ol' Casio sounds a little like........ a new Casio.

Dave's photo?...well... no comment, need to know more, wait I'm not sure if I want to know

And I also love Dr. (Scott) J

Great stuff Donny...I had over 60 keyboards spanning many years of playing professionally.

I didn't have a 'fro like you and Scott, but I did have a lot more hair than I do now...that's me on the left. At the time of the picture, in the mid-70's, I was using a Hammond B-3 and a Wurlitzer EP-200. No arrangers back then. I'm glad to have them now, I must say...the "band" is ready to go anytime I want.

hahah I agree with you except for the Organs & Piano Casio hasnt changed too much. I really don't remember what I paid for the Korg SAS 20 it was so long ago...but I probably put it on "Layaway" to get it back then I had lots of good times on stage playing that KB...Times have changed!

take care

Ian great old pic of your band....we've been doing this stuff a looooooooonnnnggggg time eh? Heres me back in the day 1967 with my Rock band, me bottom right,.....remember it like it was yesterday!

That is so cool! Mike had no mercy.


Ian