…is more or less clone of Casio SK-1 that was manufactured for Radio Shack. Sometimes the current mind boggling prices of $60 or more for an SK-1s on eBay can be avoided by searching for the Concertmate – 500 instead. The seller of this auction however really felt compelled to post an excessive number of closeup photos of the keyboard and the box, maybe hoping that it would help to boost the value of this wanna be Casio SK-1.
It’s *exactly* the same as the SK1, only the name changes.
And the concertmate 650 is the same as the SK5…
Wow, a close up shot of each individual key. Just what I like to see in an auction.
Unfortunately most ebay sellers are aware that the realistic 500 is the same. Most concertmate 500′s that I see on ebay are also tagged SK1.
Did anyone else notice that since the Ghazala book came out, sk1s on ebay jumped from around $20 to $40+?
Yeah, I got an SK-1 and its cool, but I’m not bananas over it. I think that the main reason for such a price hike is the flip factor of these units. Add a few switches, maybe a patch bay and boom, sell it for $200+. I’m not worried though, the circuit bent market is getting saturated by these bent devices, so people will eventually stop once they hoard their share of this equipment and loose interest.
If you peel off the metal sticker on the bottom, you’ll see the Casio logo. Good to know.
hahaha…
Waterhead won it.
I got a concertmate 650, so you telling me that if I pull that logo it will say Casio? That sounds like a challenge worth of Mythbusters.
Go for it, CM. I’ll say this: It worked for me. I think it should apply to any Realistic synth that has a Casio “twin”. Try it, and take pictures!
hey i am just about to get into fucking with some machines….got a few of the necessary tools and not much knowledge on how to go about it…coincidentaly my boy just gave me an old concertmate 500 ….cant get it to turn on…..can anyone maybe tell me what to look for?
if you can contactme at kotepomegatron@hotmail.com
Well first think I would do is check the battery terminals. If they have crud from old leaky batteries, clean it with water and baking soda solution. Then maybe sandpaper to remove any rust or corrosion. After that is clean, inset the batteries and use a multimeter to measure the voltage that the batteries put out. There should be a black and a red wire. Check to see if those wires connect to the circuit board ok, not weak or loose, measure the voltage at the wires and see if you get proper amount.
Problems with power to the circuit board would be my first guess especially if this unit has never been opened. Try using a power adapter as well and see if that turns on the unit. Feel free to post links to your creation here. Cheers.
bought one for $2.50 canadian, thats right pocket change! coolest thing ever