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Casio XW-P1


deanmass

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So mine came Saturday...

 

Spent some time over the weekend playing with it.

 

But, it is going back. And, for any of you who think Casio is in capable of making really cool synths....google it...you are wrong..

 

The chassis is SO cheaply made, it literally feels like one of their department store models. Some of the sounds? Really cool. Features? pretty damn good. I'd NEVER gig with it though, mostly because I suck as a kb player but also because one minro drop and this thing will be damaged.

 

If they took this brain, and put it into say, a KORG level chassis, added a USB flash drive slot AND a USB slot to power a USB LED light ( the color contrast is for {censored} on the knobs), from what I have done with it, it would be awesome. For now, back it goes. What they really need to do, is get the G-Shock Watch gang to design the chassis.

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Can you elaborate more about how it sounds? I could care less if it was purple with pink polka dots and held togther with chewing gum if it sounds good for $500.

 

I read a review earlier where the guy raved about the piano and organ sounds and then said he was sending it back because it was smaller than he expected.:facepalm:

 

I'm already prepared for it to have somewhat of a cheap look and feel, as long as it doesn't literally come apart while I'm playing it. They had to cut corners somewhere to get the price where it is and have all the features incorporated into it. It looks like a cheap chassis in the videos, so I'm not surprised by that at all.

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SD cards are NOT the dominant pocket storage media for one. They work, but I have 3-4 flash drives on me all the time. People use them as keychains. SD was the wrong choice. Both would be fine.

 

RE: Dropping. Plenty. But more, bumping, drunk falling into it, bass played whacking it with the head of his bass. Are you honestly telling me you think these chassis are gig worthy? I am not being sarcastic....I want the thing. Like it, but it seems like it is gonna get trashed.

 

The light thing is a minor quibble, but I was feeling quibbley :p

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I just found this on another forum.

 

"Build quality:

The knobs and sliders feel smooth. The entire case is hardened plastic, doesn't feel flimsy. So my take is it's quality "consumer" gear. My Kurzweil is steel and built like a tank. But I don't expect any issues with the XWP1"

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Seriously, dude, what the hell do you expect from a five hundred dollar synth?

 

So its gotta sound awesome, have awesome features, AND be built like a tank?

 

What's ironic is that Casio as a company is known for their robust construction. Not just their keyboards past and present, but also their watches, cameras, and phones. My old Gz1 phone was so tough, there are youtube videos of people throwing it off of buildings, driving over it with tractors, and it still works.

 

But hey if it doesn't work for you, cool, move on.

 

Personally I'm working on figuring out all the cool stuff I can do with the wicked sequencer, and the strangeness I can achieve with the hex layers.

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Those little micro drives would be safe. They only stick out about 1/4".
:thu:

 

Cool, I hadn't seen those before! Though getting back to Dean's point, these are probably less ubiquitous than SD cards. (And may not have the same capacity?) But this is a great design. I could have used that when I was briefly using a Korg M3M module, which needed a USB drive in back to load the "EXPanded" sounds. I always felt that the traditional USB stick sticking out the back was just asking to be broken, stolen, or left behind somewhere.

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can u name a "Chassis" that doesn't suck for $500

 

 

EMU Vintage Keys for $600 street when it was new; been gigging with one for many years now w/ no problems at all. Even took a plate of spaghetti & meat sauce on it & kept going. And, like Dean, I've played around some clumsy and/or drunk people; stuff happens at gigs. I keep it in a soft case when it's not being played.

 

I also have a PK-6 & an MK-6. Same chassis, different roms.

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Cool, I hadn't seen those before! Though getting back to Dean's point, these are probably less ubiquitous than SD cards. (And may not have the same capacity?) But this is a great design.

 

 

As far as capacity, I bought a 16 gig micro drive at Staples for my laptop. It was a great price--I think I paid $19.99 on sale.

 

I actually read a post about micro drives a couple years ago (might have been on the Korg forum), but they weren't available in the US at the time. Now they're everywhere.

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There's an irony about lightweight chassis: because they're very light, they have less momentum and a slight bump is unlikely to do any damage. A keyboard with a heavier chassis, with more momentum, is--I think--more likely to be damaged by the bumps and grinds of daily life. And they really hurt if you drop them on your foot.

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{censored} this. I ain't feeding you trolls.


The chassis sucks.

 

 

I don't know how we're the trolls when you started the thread. And in the other thread, you're all like, "I'm gonna put a pin in your balloon."

 

Look man, if it doesn't work for you, fine, but I think you have unreasonably high expectations.

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EMU Vintage Keys for $600 street when it was new; been gigging with one for many years now w/ no problems at all. Even took a plate of spaghetti & meat sauce on it & kept going. And, like Dean, I've played around some clumsy and/or drunk people; stuff happens at gigs. I keep it in a soft case when it's not being played.


I also have a PK-6 & an MK-6. Same chassis, different roms.

 

 

I had a PK-6. I thought it was cool, but mine developed a slight buzz, and the top octave was messed up. However, that doesn't have anything to do with the chassis, just the build quality.

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Everybody says the Roland SH-201 is the flimsiest, cheapest plastic synth ever, because it's so light and well, it is plastic.

 

My wife dropped it on concrete once and it didn't even scratch. Not all that appears flimsy is flimsy, and not all that appears strong is strong.

 

Also, 600 dollars in late 1990s dollars would be the equivalent to about 900 dollars today... so I don't think it's a fair comparison.

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Micron keyboards don't suck. I haven't played a Venom or Minibrute but I don't think those suck. The Yamaha CS2x weighed about 1 pound and the knob caps came off with any effort but it didn't suck. Same goes for the DJ-X, though that was a PortaTone.

 

Every Casio I've owned has been good though. Waiting to play one of these.

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Judging from what I've seen so far, this looks like a pretty good deal at $500. It may not outdo a $3,000 workstation, but for $500 it appears to do a hell of a lot. And a lightweight chassis can still be durable, as long as the outer casing is well made and slightly flexible.

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