Yamaha DSR-1000

Following the successes of their legendary DX7, Yamaha made a big push in the late 80s to be king of amateur keyboards. They were successful in their efforts and seemed to have stolen the show from Casio who dominated the earlier part of the decade. The DSR-1000 is perhaps one of their greatest triumphs within this niche, and has only become better with age. 

Boasting a total of 100 patches (60 presets, 40 user defined), the DSR 1000 contains an extensive lineup of all the sounds typically found on older synth/keyboards; however, the ability to modulate these patches further with ADSR and FM puts it leagues above offerings from the same era (looking at you Casio). This means that you have a lot more freedom to truly sculpt any patch to your liking, and also gives you the ability to essentially start from the bottom up for a truly unique sound. The onboard drum machine also produces some serious beats remniscent of the RX5.

The DSR-1000 is also built like a tank, featuring the same buttons and sliders so adored by fans of the DX and RX lineups from the same era. The flip-top design is also insanely beautiful in every way possible. 

Specifications:

• Released in 1987
• 61 keys
• 100 patches in total
• 2X built-in 2.5 watt stereo speakers
• 4-operator FM synthesis
• ADSR controls
• MIDI in, out, thru.
• RCA, stereo, and auxillary outputs
• Expression pedal input