This is a superior 80’s Casio keyboard. It is a member of the Casio MT-65 family, the MT-65 being the definitive Casio keyboard. Like others in this family it uses the sound generation chip of the 65 and lacks some features.. but adds some very cool ones…

The 800 displays a manufacturing principal that will turn us all into reverse engineers when civilisation collapses - it sounds HEAPS better than the 65. How is this so? Well for various technical reasons, mainly to save the company money, although the sound chip is the same in various models what happens to the sound after it leaves the chip alters depending on what filters and amplifiers are in that keyboard. This is probably as true for ‘real’ keyboards as for Casios. These things have huge untapped potential in them.

Well the 800 has made the sound of the 65 family a lot clearer, and for those reverse engineers out there it would be a cinch to add all the 65 sounds and rhythm features, (erm when I get around to publishing the technical documentation for that - could take awhile)

The MT-800 is an ULTRAFAB Casio because it sounds great AND uses Casio ROM packs. It is rare for an MT series to take ROM packs, those little cartridges that you plug into a casio and they play german folk tunes, the PT series is re4served for this task and though some of there drums are great the instrument sounds generally suck.

The ROM Pack I have in my MT-800 is the RO-201, “Fun With Your Casio Keyboard”.
Indeed.
Hell fun! It has 14 songs, of note are: #14 Brazil, #13 More, and… #5 StarWars - Humppa Style!!!

Personally I have been trying out #13 More, and I’m hooked. I am actually learning how to play it by following the LED’s that light up above the keys. I never thought I would be able to learn to play songs that aren’t mine (that’s REAL musician territory) but with the great sounding MT-800 that is a possibility!

You also have the facility to record your own tune into the machine.

Other features of this keyboard - it’s stereo, with a quite decent stereo chorus effect - giving the already good sounds another richer voicing. There is a mic input also, I will edit this post soon to assess the pre-amp of that. If you are a lucky one you might even find the MT-800 with speakers.

It is one of several models that had detachable speakers. Excellently designed units that can stand up by themselves or clip onto the back of the keyboard. I don’t have the speakers but the kind of speakers I’m interested in plugging this thing into are for servicing crowds of thousands so I’m too upset.

If you are ULTRA lucky you will find one with speakers, a bunch of ROMS and hardshell case. sweeet.

Summary: A better sounding stereo MT-65, minus the rythmic and instrument variations, with ROM pack.