I’ve picked up quite a few nice keyboards (and other electronic sound-making tools) from car boot sales recently – here’s the companion piece to the original Keyboard Warriors post!

Casio DM-100

This is a dual-keyboard monstrosity, with a SK-1 style sampler on the upper keyboard and a typically cheesy Casiotone soundbank on the bottom. It basically has no reason to exist whatsoever, but Casio made it anyway, and that is a GOOD thing!

Yamaha Portasound PSS-480

Editable sounds, portamento and a whole bunch of settings that make this almost a proper synth! This has taken over from a PSS-280 as main keyboard for my new band and it sounds fantastic through a delay pedal.

Yamaha DX21

This IS a proper synth, FM-style, and can produce some nice sounds. It’s like a smaller (but not necessarily less powerful) version of the DX7. This was used for the last few Lardpony gigs after Mandy’s Juno-D broke, and it did a great job. Bloody heavy though.

Casio DG-10

As used by Flight of the Conchords! I had one of these before but it broke, this one is in much better condition. It came packed with about a thousand batteries, every time I pick it up more seem to fall out. Obviously it makes more sense used with an AC adaptor… It sounds pretty amazing but I haven’t managed to cram it into a song just yet.

And finally…

Speak & Spell

This appears to be one of the earliest models, because it has actual plastic buttons rather than the unsatisfying raised bump things that I’m struggling to describe. Some of the words that it says sound like no language on Earth. It is beautiful and ridiculous, and it cost me 20p. Amazing.

Hello! Long time no post. I was at the zoo.

MORE!

more!

…is “Kitten Photographer”.

This is Travis, Anni’s sister’s cat. He is completely awesome.

Loads more pictures here!

I was all excited about going to see Why? in London last Wednesday as a pre-birthday treat to myself. However, they had some kind of “in-band mumps outbreak” and cancelled their tour, leaving me with two days booked off work and train tickets to London at slightly peculiar gig-oriented times. Luckily it was gloriously sunny, and I still had a fantastic time exploring with Anni.

More here!

I hadn’t left the house for two days, so I went for a walk in the park. It was windy, and a branch fell on my head, but I spotted this excellent pony.

PARK PHOTOS!

Tikka is my parents’ cat. He’s about four years old, and has incredibly sharp claws that usually reduce me to a pile of scratches within hours of going home. However, he has recently met his match in Millie, their next door neighbour’s cat, who enjoys sneaking through Tikka’s cat flap, stealing his dinner and then attacking him.

Lots more photos here!

Katie’s main flaw is that she dribbles when she’s happy. She also seems to be slightly crazy but in a nice way.

She is a friend of Peaches and there are more photos here.