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KX88 / KX8 Question?


The Professiona

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Is there someone here who has good experience with the old Yamaha KX88 keyboards (back from the late 80's/early 90's, I believe?). I've got an opportunity to get one at what seems like a good deal, the kb still feels great and still plays great, but I'm not familiar with old Yammies when it comes to reliability, serviceability, etc, and am not enough of an electrician to do the work myself if they need work?

 

Also, I have seen something relatively recent called a KX8. The HC reviews list it as a KX88 (http://namm.harmony-central.com/WNAMM08/article/Yamaha/KX-Series.html), but I think they meant KX8, right? More of a curiosity thing, since the first google result for KX88 comes up to HC, but then goes to that article, which I don't think is what I'm looking for.

 

Thanks

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KX8 was a recent 88-key controller that Yamaha just discontinued. It doesn't hold a candle to the original KX88 in terms of build quality and payability, I think.

 

I have owned a KX88 since '86. It's been to gigs, been banged around, and now it lives a sleepy life in my home studio, where it has never, ever given me any trouble. At this moment, it needs a battery replacement, but that's to be expected for a 23-year-old instrument.

 

If you like the feel, then by all means, get it. Be aware that it's HEAVY, so keep that in mind if you'll be lugging it around. Also, for reasons unknown, the KX88 does NOT emit a full range of velocity values. Pound as hard as you like, you'll not get the maximum MIDI velocity out of it.

 

Other than that, it's a great board.

 

 

Also: Excellent Order of the Stick avatar! :thu:

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Never owned a KX88, but I have several friends that gig with them in excellent bands (and I've played most of their KX88s), not one of them has had any real issues. The '80s vintage KX88 is heavy as mentioned because it is built like a tank, extremely reliable. The now discontinued (after a couple of years max.) KX8 was a lightweight piece of garbage controller keyboard, similar to the multitude of other terrible controller keyboards being sold today, the KX8 was NOTHING like the original KX88.

Clyde

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I had a Yamaha PF-15 early digital piano that had the same keyboard as the KX88 and loved it :love:

 

But sold it when I got my Roland A90 - which I then sold and got a Fantom G8 :thu:

 

I did try out the KX8 at G.C. and it does not have the same build quality, but it's a hell of a lot cheaper - for my computer use the KX-25 is just fine. :idea:

 

How much do they want for it? :confused:

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Is there someone here who has good experience with the old Yamaha KX88 keyboards (back from the late 80's/early 90's, I believe?). I've got an opportunity to get one at what seems like a good deal, the kb still feels great and still plays great, but I'm not familiar with old Yammies when it comes to reliability, serviceability, etc, and am not enough of an electrician to do the work myself if they need work?


Thanks

 

 

Heavy bastards. Be sure to never stand it up on it's short side - the keyboard would shift and throw off the end key so it would stick.

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I have a KX88, but it's not quite in working order. A spring must have gotten knocked loose on the middle D key, so it sticks. As others mentioned, it's rather heavy and large. And the velocity levels it produces are rather low. (The net result is that it's not a controller that produces a wide dynamic range). It's a synth (not weighted piano) type action. It does have a lot of MIDI features (but no USB), but programming it is an "adventure" in pushing buttons somewhat blindly. I think its reputation is vastly overrated. I don't use mine any more, and greatly prefer my Roland RD300SX.

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I'm not sure why you think the KX88 isn't a "piano style" action? It has a weighted hammer action. There was another, the KX76, that was the same except that it had a 76-key synth-style action, is that what you're thinking about?

 

It's MIDI features are pretty limited; Only 4 sliders, a few buttons. What I like about it is its lightning-quick ability to switch from single to layered to split modes, and switching MIDI channels is dead easy, too.

 

Is the KX88 limited? Yes. Is the KX8 better? Action and build-wise, NO.

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Right, sorry. It's the KX76 I have. (It's been awhile since I used it).

 

The Rolands also have a button to toggle between split and layered modes. And most modern controllers have numerous "Performances", "Setups", whatever-the-manufacturer-calls-them that allow you to quickly change between settings. Usually there are "shortcut" buttons to facilitate quickly changing the setup, so it takes only 1 button push to change the setup.

 

The KX88/KX76 has a really non-intuitive, multiple-button-pushing way of accessing its "setups". So I don't think that the KX88 offers any advantage over modern controllers in that regard (ie, changing settings quickly/easily).

 

Where the KX88 may have some advantage is in its programmability. On modern controllers, it seems like the buttons and sliders are less generic. That is to say, on the KX, most of the buttons/sliders can be programmed to control just about any MIDI or mode function (including even transmitting a sysex message that you enter). So you have a lot of freedom over choosing which button/controller does what. On more modern controllers, it seems like many of the buttons/sliders have a more limited set of features they can control. For example, maybe you can't take any button on the unit and have it transmit Program Change. Maybe, out of the dozens of buttons on the unit, only 8 specific buttons offer that option. So you have to look for a specific feature set that suits you. The KX88 has a more "generic appeal".

 

But overall, I still think that the KX88 is overrated. I think it's one of those things where nostalgia makes it seem a lot better than it actually is by today's standards. I tend to be incredibly pragmatic about gear. I mean, I gave away my Prophet 5 for free because I just didn't want to deal with its "temperature-related failures", and because I realized that what it does can be superceded by today's technology. I think that the Prophet 5 is another example of people being enamored of something mostly because of nostalgia, resulting in a greatly exaggerated reputation. People who get a Prophet 5 desperately _want_ it to be uttering amazing because it's a lot of effort to actually find one that works (they were notoriously prone to failure), and you usually have to pay a lot for something that's so rare. Nobody wants to admit "I spent months looking for this, and paid a lot of money, and you know what?... when all is said and done, it doesn't do all that much by today's standards. It's really limited".

 

And I gave away my Roland TR-808 for free too. For the life of me, I can't figure out why people are so enamored with such archaic gear. Maybe that's because I'm so pragmatic, I remember how much it limited me musically compared to today's gear.

 

I understand the appeal of antiques, but as musical instruments, electronic antiques are vastly overrated.

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Right, sorry. It's the KX76 I have. (It's been awhile since I used it).


The Rolands also have a button to toggle between split and layered modes. And most modern controllers have numerous "Performances", "Setups", whatever-the-manufacturer-calls-them that allow you to quickly change between settings. Usually there are "shortcut" buttons to facilitate quickly changing the setup, so it takes only 1 button push to change the setup.


The KX88/KX76 has a really non-intuitive, multiple-button-pushing way of accessing its "setups". So I don't think that the KX88 offers any advantage over modern controllers in that regard (ie, changing settings quickly/easily).


Where the KX88 may have some advantage is in its programmability. On modern controllers, it seems like the buttons and sliders are less generic. That is to say, on the KX, most of the buttons/sliders can be programmed to control just about any MIDI or mode function (including even transmitting a sysex message that you enter). So you have a lot of freedom over choosing which button/controller does what. On more modern controllers, it seems like many of the buttons/sliders have a more limited set of features they can control. For example, maybe you can't take any button on the unit and have it transmit Program Change. Maybe, out of the dozens of buttons on the unit, only 8 specific buttons offer that option. So you have to look for a specific feature set that suits you. The KX88 has a more "generic appeal".


But overall, I still think that the KX88 is overrated. I think it's one of those things where nostalgia makes it seem a lot better than it actually is by today's standards. I tend to be incredibly pragmatic about gear. I mean, I gave away my Prophet 5 for free because I just didn't want to deal with its "temperature-related failures", and because I realized that what it does can be superceded by today's technology. I think that the Prophet 5 is another example of people being enamored of something mostly because of nostalgia, resulting in a greatly exaggerated reputation. People who get a Prophet 5 desperately _want_ it to be uttering amazing because it's a lot of effort to actually find one that works (they were notoriously prone to failure), and you usually have to pay a lot for something that's so rare. Nobody wants to admit "I spent months looking for this, and paid a lot of money, and you know what?... when all is said and done, it doesn't do all that much by today's standards. It's really limited".


And I gave away my Roland TR-808 for free too. For the life of me, I can't figure out why people are so enamored with such archaic gear. Maybe that's because I'm so pragmatic, I remember how much it limited me musically compared to today's gear.


I understand the appeal of antiques, but as musical instruments, electronic antiques are vastly overrated.

 

 

Perhaps you would see things a little differently if you needed an 88 key controller that was ultra dependable, needed to withstand the rigors of touring (such as surviving all types of punishment while in it's flight case), etc. I have friends in extremely busy bands that absolutely will not tour without a KX88 controller. All nostalgia aside, the KX88 was built to withstand the rigors of touring, many of todays controllers (such as the recent Yamaha KX series) are not, it has nothing to do with the KX88 being an "antiquity", it has everything to do with build quality and reliability.

Clyde

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