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Vintage synths & drum machines
Vintage Synthesizers

Yamaha · Analog polysynth · Pre-MIDI classics

Yamaha CS-80

Yamaha's CS-80 arrived in 1977 at the top of its CS range, and Vangelis called it the most important synthesizer of his career. You hear it all over his Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner scores. Each of its eight voices has two layers, each with its own oscillator and filter, and you set the two layers from separate banks of sliders. The keyboard senses velocity and also the pressure on each key separately, so one held note in a chord can swell while the others stay put. Above the keys runs a long ribbon for sliding pitch, with no center point to return to. There are 22 presets plus four user memories that live under a panel cover. Yamaha puts its weight at about 180 lb, and Sound On Sound weighed it at 100 kg with its built-in case. Toto, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and Brian Eno all used one. Buy one with a recent full service from a tech who knows the CS-80, and sort out freight before you commit.

Spec at a glance

Brand
Yamaha
Type
Analog polysynth
Made
1977–1980
Voices
8-voice polyphonic
Keys
61 keys
MIDI
No (pre-MIDI)

What to check before you buy

Sound On Sound calls the tuning trimmers its most sensitive parts and warns that moving it on its end can knock it out of tune, so it needs a full service to stay stable. Owners on Vintage Synth Explorer also report single voices with filter cutoff or resonance faults.

  1. 01Service history: Ask the seller who last serviced it and when. A recent full service by a tech who knows the CS-80 is what you want.
  2. 02Every voice: Ask for a video playing each of the eight voices alone with both layers up. Every voice should match in pitch, tone and volume.
  3. 03Filters: Ask for a video sweeping the filter cutoff and resonance on a held chord. Every note should sweep the same way, with no voice dropping out or squealing.
  4. 04Aftertouch: Ask for a clip holding a chord and pressing harder on just one key. Only that note should change.
  5. 05Ribbon: Ask for a video sliding a finger along the whole ribbon. The pitch should glide smoothly with no jumps or dead spots.
  6. 06Memories: Ask the seller to step through the presets and the four user memories. Each one should recall cleanly and sound different.
  7. 07Tuning: On arrival, let it warm up and check every voice against a tuner. A little drift after freight is normal, but voices far apart mean it needs a tech.

Find one on eBay

We haven’t been through this model’s listings yet. Search eBay for it and run every listing through the checklist above. Ask for a video of every voice and a note of anything that’s been serviced or replaced.

Search “Yamaha CS-80” on eBay ↗eBay search

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