The CS-80 is large and imposing. It weighs 100kg, around 220lb with it’s cover, accessories and wheels. It was produced from 1976 until 1980. It consumes 180 watts of power, a huge amount for a synthesizer – By comparison a Roland Juno-106 uses just 25 watts. It is a 16 oscillator 8 voice synth with two complete synth channels per voice so each patch can play two different tones on each key. It is notable for it’s polyphonic aftertouch and velocity sensitivity, it’s equipped with a wonderful ribbon controller and powerful ring modulator. It is a true live performance synth, it’s expressive capabilities are unmatched. It has a somewhat undeserved reputation for tuning problems – It needs to be approached much like an acoustic piano: located in a room with stable temperature and tuned at regular intervals. Having said that we have used a CS-80 live in recent years and it got through an entire show perfectly with a quick tuning touch up just before show time.

In this post we want to take you on a visual tour inside the CS-80 to show you the normally hidden world within so that you can see how Yamaha approached the construction of this ground breaking and massive instrument. Click on the images for a closer view!