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Average Price: $16,500
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$500
$1501+
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Description
The CS-60 is a very scaled down light version of the CS-80. It's a classic and old polyphonic programmable analog synthesizer that has some potential. It does not sound as great as the CS-80 nor is it as programmable. You get a few preset sounds which are pretty useless and a mere 1 user patch. But there are just enough sliders, edit parameters and even an excellent Ring Modulator to get some interesting pads, drones, basses and other analog synth sounds. Oddly, sitting between the keyboard and those large Preset Switches is a long velvet ribbon controller which is pretty cool for doing wild pitch bends.
Due to its old age most CS-60s are in battered shape these days, difficult to service but in need of some. And they suffer common ailments of the analog domain - overheating, unstable tuning, it weighs a lot, etc... However the CS-60 is the cheapest way to get into some genuine CS-80 sounds of analog heaven with basic entry-level programming! It has been used by Air, Jean-Michel Jarre, Oshe and Bob Marley and the Wailers.
https://www.vintagesynth.com/yamaha/cs60.php
Product specs
| Brand | Yamaha |
| Model | CS-60 Polyphonic Synthesizer |
| Finish | Black |
| Year | 1977 |
| Made In | Japan |
| Categories | Analog Synths, Keyboard Synths |
| Analog / Digital | Analog |
| Key Size | Full Size |
| Keyboard Action | Synth Action |
| Number of Keys | 61 Keys |
| Polyphony | 8 Voices |
FAQs
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Is the Yamaha CS-60 synthesizer polyphonic?
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Yes, the Yamaha CS-60 is an analog synthesizer with 8-voice polyphony, allowing you to play up to eight notes simultaneously.
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What type of keys does the Yamaha CS-60 have?
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The Yamaha CS-60 features a full-size keyboard with synth action, providing a responsive and expressive playing experience.
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How does the Yamaha CS-60 compare to the Yamaha CS-80?
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The Yamaha CS-60 is a lighter variant of the CS-80, featuring a single synth channel and 8-voice polyphony, whereas the CS-80 offers two independent voices.
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What is the sound character of the Yamaha CS-60?
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The Yamaha CS-60 is known for its rich, warm analog sound, characteristic of 1970s synthesizers, making it ideal for creating lush, vintage tones.
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Is the Yamaha CS-60 suitable for live performances?
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Yes, the Yamaha CS-60's full-size keyboard and expressive sound engine make it well-suited for live performances, especially for those seeking classic analog tones.
Videos
Telekom Electronic Beats TV
Mathew Jonson Presents His Synthesizer Favourites: Yamaha CS-60 (EB.TV)
Mathew Jonson Presents His Synthesizer Favourites: Yamaha CS-60 (EB.TV)
Telekom Electronic Beats TV
Yamaha CS 60 - She is Alive
Metralon
Exploring the Yamaha CS-60
Raymond Castile
Machine Love: Mathew Jonson - Yamaha CS-60
Resident Advisor
Playing the rare Yamaha CS-60 at Willem Twee Studios
True Cuckoo
YAMAHA CS-70M + CS-60 SYNTH DEMO ~ Vintage Synthesizer Museum
once upon a synth
YAMAHA CS60 (1977) - a vintage hero
Franz Kreimer Keys
Yamaha CS-60 DEMO cs 60 Synthesizer
bt Media Group
YAMAHA CS60 - COMPILATION VIDEO
Vintage Audio Institute Italia
Reviews
PROS
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Unique poly-synth sound unmatched by later models
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Exceptional build quality and luxurious feel
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Custom ICs now cloned, reducing maintenance worries
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More reliable, doesn’t require constant tuning
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Can be lifted by one person
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Expressive capabilities rivaling the CS80
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Rewards skilled programming and performance
CONS
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Rare custom chips are prone to failure
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Requires significant maintenance
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Not for instant gratification; demands practice and skill to fully utilize
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Yamaha CS-60.
Features and functionality
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The Yamaha CS-60 includes MIDI capabilities, enhancing its integration with modern setups despite its vintage origin.
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The CS-60's presets are limited to colored buttons on the front, with only one user-editable preset, encouraging experimentation for sound creation.
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The synth features 8 voices, and playing melodies over sustained notes can create interesting effects by cutting off releases.
Source
Setup and maintenance
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Owners report occasional random bad notes and suggest a tune-up for calibration to maintain optimal performance.
Source
Comparisons
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The CS-60 is viewed as a smaller version of the CS-80, with differences like polyphonic aftertouch and additional on-board effects in the CS-80.
Source
User experience
Critic Reviews
5.0 out of 5
Based on 0 Reviews and 1 Rating
Artist usage
Add artist
At around 8:35 in the video, Mac explains that he has a Yamaha CS-60. He states, "That one's actually on my new record a little bit."
FlyLo mentions around the 1:40 mark in this podcast with GEOSynths that he just got the cs60.
Mentioned in the booklet of "Equinoxe".
at the 45min 30sec mark Kurt plays a loop and as he explains he recorded it with his Yamaha CS-60.
S.O.S interview of Air members on how they built their own studio. Air give up the names of their synths plus some photo of them
"Then I did this other project last year which was a documentary for Red Bull. It's called Distance Between Dreams with Ian Walsh, the star surfer. That was a very soft, ambient electronic score. I did everything live with MIDI and just mixed it on the board and that was the end result. I used the Jupiter-8 for that, the Jupiter-6, the Juno-6 with the sequencer, the MSQ, the Roland 60, the 106, also the GB4, Roland VP-03, the vocoder. I used a Roland S-770 sampler, which has a really great tone to it. A couple of Yamaha synthesizers, the CS-60, the CS-70M—all pretty rare machines to have. But for that kind of stuff they sound so fantastic."
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In the credits on both the vinyl and on discogs site of American Dream various synths are listed as being used by James Murphy. Yamaha CS-60 is one of them
Per this Musictech feature dated Jan 5, 2022, Wayne Sermon says:
I had the chance to buy a CS-80 a while back for a great price. And I didn’t pull the trigger, and I regret it so much. Now, they’ve doubled in price. It’s just the coolest, most expressive, most impractically designed instrument ever conceived. I do have the little brother, the CS-60 which is probably better than I deserve anyway. So I’m happy.
In his My Studio feature for Attack Magazine, Mathew Jonson writes: "This is my Fender Rhodes Stage Mark II. That and my Yamaha CS-60 and D85 are my three favourite instruments. None have MIDI or CV so you just have to play them. I find more enjoyment sitting down at any of these than using the entire rest of my studio."
At 1:35 Marius can be seen playing a lead line on his Yamaha CS-60 on the song ‘Feels Right’
Album Usage
The Yamaha CS-60 has been featured on the following albums:
Something in the Room She Moves
Julia Holter (2024)
Feels Right (Gerd Janson Remix)
Roosevelt (2020)
american dream
LCD Soundsystem (2017)
Distance Between Dreams (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Junkie XL (2016)
Music for Insomniacs Part IV
Matt Berry (2014)
Music for Insomniacs
Matt Berry (2014)
69 Love Songs
The Magnetic Fields (1999)
Équinoxe
Jean Michel Jarre (1978)
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Yamaha CS-60, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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