Yamaha KX1

Remote keyboard

Yamaha KX1 keytar
Buy one (2 on sale)

1983 (July)
Initially sold for ¥186,000

Yamaha's first full-sized remote keyboard controller, aimed at keyboard players on stage. The idea wasn't new at the time, the Moog Liberation popularized the concept a few years earlier, and the much lighter Roland SH101 and the Korg Poly 800 were already on sale.

The KX1, however, was just a controller, there was no sound engine onboard. And this wasn't received very well considering it costed more than a DX9 while not being a synthesizer. Yet it had a MIDI OUT on the back (made to be paired with a DX7 or DX9), plenty of controls to also send out program change signals, and the pitch bend ribbon was an exciting new feature.

It was available in white and red.

Yamaha KX1 on One Two Testing, Aug 1984
Yamaha KX1 on One Two Testing, Aug 1984

Technical
specifications

Keyboard

44 keys
Touch control: initial touch, after touch

Power source

"AA" or R6 Battery x 6 or Battery Pack
7 hours in continuous use

Connection terminals and interfaces

Breath control
MIDI OUT

Dimensions and weight

1248w x 88h x 231d (mm) / 49-1/8” x 3-1/2” x 9-1/8”
6Kg / 13.2lbs.

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If you're looking to buy a used Yamaha KX1,
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