Bad Gear - Yamaha SHS-10 Keytar - Most Embarrassing Synth Of All Time???
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about the Yamaha SHS-10 keytar. Is it the most embarrassing synth of all time?
Keen on Keys SHS-10 video:
• Yamaha SHS-10 Keytar R...
Sorry, native English speakers for messing up the word "Epitome". Beginner's mistake...
As a non-native speaker I have always found this word (along with "hyperbole") somewhat confusing, so I think I actually found your rendition easier to understand :)
Hey, at least you're big enough to admit it!
The gulag awaits. I hope you like salt, comrade.
Your English is very good, dude!
Plenty of native English speakers get it wrong, too!
The history lesson, the jokes and wit, the vfx, the costumes, the abundance of original music, the fact that you actually procure all of this amazing(/ly bad) gear... this channel is the best thing on the internet and we hardly deserve you, but thank you for doing your thing!!
Thanks for your support!
"I have horrible keyboard skills"
Proceeds to make amazing music with absolutelly anything that fall into his hands.
Love your channel! Keep it up!
Thank you so much! Playing keyboards is really hard for me, absolutely no muscle memory
He certainly is the Master of the Humblebrag in the most charming way. 😅
@@AudioPilz Alot of old wave bands (no noth synth wave, I mean new wave, cold wave and goth) haven´t got extreme keyboard skills. Some had a eighties drum/bass machine or keyboard organ drum machine, a cheap synth/string machine and a vocalist as the main setup. So a string melody+drum machine and vocals was pretty much all they had and some even made a living out of that kind of music. If you can make a simple verse and a simple chorus that people remember, you can make a good song!
Nowadays this is called minimal wave by the way. I was a kid in the eightes when that still was called synth pop or new wave.
@@AudioPilz you’re way better than me, and I’ve been playing for over 15 years!
When I worked in a music store in the late 80s and early 90s, we sold a ton of these in red.
The red ones look...rad!
My day probably bought one from you for my 9yo(1989) bro for Christmas. 😅😆✌🏾
Just kidding,he likely got it from the BX.
@@AudioPilzyes I love the looks of the red ones
The recipe to cook a bad gear:
- conceal its sound with another gear
- apply all the effect pedals you have at home
- distract a listener with a dope video clip
- make awesome music
Correct! I do have even more pedals, tho ;)
@@AudioPilz Havent even seen you pull out Eventide effect stuff, some of those beasts could turn pretty much anything into music. Could make an entire track from a metronome and a H3000 probably lmao
It's like making tunafish from a can. It's what you add to it.
This is one of my favorite synth channels because I never walk away wanting to buy more gear.
There are rare cases of Bad Gear G.A.S. ;)
This channel is a treasure. I’ve always suspected most gear could be squeezed hard enough to make something special and you live it every week. Hyped for more bad (and bette) gear
Thanks for watching!
"I'm not very good at playing a keyboard"
***Whips out a professional multi track, studio quality sound track with a low end product.***
Thanks!
I know you call this series "bad gear" but I absolutely love every piece you have presented. Maybe I just have trash tastes.
Let's call it special ;)
Bad gear just needs a good musician.
There are artists out there who specialize in it!
Bad gear + a musician + a few effects= any synth tone in the known universe.
@@sheepkillindog Exactly, and the same could apply using any bad guitar with a good amp played by a skilled guitarist.
@@lambertlambert7076 i dont know man, ive played guitar for 12 years i think , ive built a solid collection over the years. Two of my favourites are a strat copy that i bought from some neighbor for 60 bucks and a michael kelly telecaster that cost around 600. I love and play both them but compared to the objectively better one, it plays and sounds a LOT better. If you want a very dirty flatter sound, then the cheapo one is best, thats why i still use it.
Me during the cop music montage "Hey, is that real weed?"
Florian: Wags finger over it and shows spice packet.
This man can read minds.
Yes..there is zero gramms of weed 👍
The only drugs in this video is the unopened Corona bottle ;)
spice is much worse!
Why do few people mention spice in your vids
The Pasco Washington reference made me repeat a few times (I grew up near). Thank you brightening my Fridays, it has been a high point these days.
Thanks for watching! I just googled "US least stylish city" ;)
@@AudioPilz it seems Google knows! There is great mexican food there, though.
@@adamrkob Pasco...Eastern Wa ...I only like passing through in the summer. besides that? scary
It's a pretty depressing place so google wasn't exactly wrong.
@@donkeyavenger Yup, close to the bottom of the Great Eastern Washington Gravity Well, if you can achieve escape velocity don't ever go back other than to visit and take in some sun and wonderful hispanic cuisine
I bought one nearly mint for $12 at a garage sale about 10 years ago. Definitely worth it!
That's a bargain!
can you explain why its worth it?
Lol, bought mine for like less than $4 on a fleamarket 😂 didnt know they went for as much as $100😄
@@amadeusbrandenburg6439 I recently saw one on eBay for $400. I don’t get it either. I got mine for free.
Simply don't know how to stop binge watching your videos.
Don't ;)
dude i get so happy when ever i see youv posted a new video, always entertaining especially for a gear head like myself.
Thank you!
Review of the synth I asked for below every 2nd video? Best. Birthday. Gift. Ever. Thank you!
Happy Birthday!!!
For me, this show isn’t about IF you’ll get some cool music out of the gear, but rather, HOW you get cool music out of the gear 🤩
Thanks!
For me it's an act of self flagellation wondering why I can't get such cool music out of actual good gear *sad turtle noises*
Gui-board?! Oh my!!
I guess "stringthesizer" hasn't been used either.
Btw - a friend had a Yamaha keyboard as a kid and it had "Wake me up before you go go" as the demo tune. They seemingly had a thing for Wham.
Now I have pictures of 80s Yamaha engineers going totally bonkers while shouting George Michael classics at a Japanese karaoke bar in my head
@@AudioPilz I reckon the project manager of the SHS-10 was a "Club Tropicana" kind of guy. 🍹⛱️
Last Christmas by Wham
LOL "cringesythizer"
Man your channel just never stops giving me content to enjoy, there are so many instruments good lord. Also I appreciate how timeless your format for these are, the quality and style has remained consistent even on some of the many years old video. Invaluable series, you deserve more subs
Thank you so much!!!
I honestly liked the performance with the Digitakt.
Thanks!
Even with his self admit lack of skills on keys 🎹 it was 😎 cool performance
I was thinking the same thing, that melody was really nice!
For real! I got some serious Wintergatan vibes! (An alternative electronic music band from Sweden)
Jam is fire
Another fab video. Love the format. Keep it up.
Thanks!
Thanks to the very active Synthware scene in Paris I've seen keytars, and this model in particular, not once but several times on stages in the past years. In these circles, these are absolute crowd-pleasers even if the player is only doing basic arpegiated chords on it, it looks badass and cheesy at the same time. I can understand why the prices are rising! And yes, the 80's were years before my time, but we can all appreciate some vintage cheese, it pairs well with wine ;) - Love the video, as usual, outstanding sutff!
Merci beaucoup!
Honestly one of the most underrated channels on TH-cam. The insane production value of these videos compared with how few views they get baffles me. Here's hoping for some traction and more subscribers :)
Happy to hear that, thanks. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Working on it!
This one had me laughing more than any of the other ones you've done. Well done sir.
Thank you!!!
Love your channel. Awesome job man! Can you do a video on one of the Yamaha RX 17 drum machines please.
Nice one! Already looking out for one!
That "building a floorboard" jam absolutely slaps, geez.
Floorboards are the tool of the devil! Thanks!
Seen a few of your vids through my homepage and I’ve been checking them out. Super high quality, super consistent and super fun! Subbed
Thank you!
This was beautiful! I love the shs-10; it was the gateway keytar that lead to my whole collection. Always great to see it get some love (or at least a neutral review)!
Thanks!
Went looking to see if Pink weighed in on this. Wasn't disappointed.
Also, I love the way you always find something positive in all your videos. Keep up the great work, highlight of my Friday evening.
Thank you so much!
Thanks for another great episode! Have you checked out the Breakway Vocalizer 1000? It's a rather obscure voice to midi synth with a hidden ESQ-1 engine (san the filters and vcas) behind it.
Wow, didn't know that one! Great stuff!
I sometimes use your reviews to help me select gear that no one else wants. I was eyeing the Behringer SH-101 clone the Ms-1, but really it offers too many choices on sounds and features. Every minute detail you have delivered in this video tells me this is the ultimate Keytar and a must have for me in my home SYNTH GOD CHAMBER. Thank you so much!
Hey, I love the term "Synth God Chamber";)
@@AudioPilz SYNTH GOD CHAMBER is the ritual space where middle aged sexual dark force energy is released while playing old analog synths through distortion and overdrive devices of great demonic summoning power. I am currently building such a Tipper Gore repellant energy locus in my home. I am centering it around a Korg "number of the beast" 770 Darkness Machine I have had since 1980. Maybe you can help me though. I was wondering how many Korg 770s were produced. Mine is Dimensional Plane of Hopeless Existence number 770505, also known as a serial number 770505. Also, I can't believe how much people ask for crappy old Keytars on the internet. I have always wanted one, but I may end up attaching a Casio Tone to a guitar body because I can'r afford what people want for the real thing.
That is "everything sounds good if you have skillz" situation. I mean, heavily pedaled synth setups is no sin, and you can deliver dynamics with your own performance. It is a toy, but in a good way
I agree!
You wanted the MSRP, I'm about 96% positive that I paid $169.99 when I bought this thing new from Sears in 1987. Thanks for the always awesome content Mr. #1 Music Tech Personality of 2020 on MusicRadar! I wholeheartedly agree!!!
Thank you so much!
06:10 "...the amount of '80s clichés on this channel has become a bit annoying..."
You mean, "Has become an amazing feature of this channel," right? The editing has officially leveled up with the last few videos.
Thanks! Happy to hear that!
annonying as "must" for each episode XD
My favourite youtube channel, funny as hell yet informative.
Thank you so much!
The novelty factor definitely informs how much they sell for. I payed way too much for my SHS-10, but I’ve gotten so much use out of it, I feel I got my money’s worth!
Yeah, those prices are mad
I own this little lad's bigger brother the SHS-200. It has an expanded feature set and is quite a bit bigger. It's mainly used as a controller but it's just generally fun to get out at parties. Was really hoping you might mention it in this video since nobody seems to know about it. Great video anyway dude, I think keytars just get a bad name because they're quite easy to mock even if people have no idea how to play one.
Yeah, totally neglected the 200. Thanks for watching!
I had one of these as a kid and played a sick Mary had a little lamb over the rock drums for a show and tell
Mary had a little LAMB OF GOD!!!
That floor board jam was just magical ❤️
Thank you!!!
Take a look for another keytar - soviet Junost 21. I haven't seen any other analog polysynth being offered for same price as used Volca Keys.
Just looked it up, not so cheap anymore. Looks great, tho!
how in the heck did you manage to come up with a reference to Pasco, Washington (State) USA? about the last geographic location reference i could have imagined from an audio nerd in Austria...I did a double take when i heard it and assumed i was mishearing it. but i scrolled thru carefully and yup, there is the Franklin County Courthouse with the Franklin County Administration Annex behind it. Thankyou from a Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland) homey!
I just thought Pasco and St. Pölten had a lot of things in common
I have a bright red one! The last Christmas demo is great lol
Those red ones look...rad ;)
It is a toy - and so much fun! I bought mine brand new for $15 in 1987 from the Home Shopping Network. I still use it at home and parties.
My favorite thing to do with it is to use the One-Finger mode to play well-known songs' chord progressions and sing along, like Bossa Nova Led Zeppelin. A friend of mine bought one too, and we used to bring them camping (they are AA battery powered, so it is a toy) and just jam with guitarists and sing silly versions of popular songs. We laughed so hard!
I love my SHS-10, especially good when hooked up to the Korg Micro X for those fantastic guitar sounds.
Nice!
Look, man, I've been spending the last... 24 hours of my waking life binging cyberpunk 2077, abandoning all my responsibilities. You can't just throw a keytar my way. You just can't. Please.
Cyberpunk 2077 is great! Have you seen the Run the Jewels vid?
@@AudioPilz I have. The video is amazing, the lyrics are a bit too "this is an ad" for me. But the song in general slaps.
@@designator7402 rappers have to pay their rent, too;) at least there's a dick joke right in the first verse😂
@@AudioPilz oh absolutely, no shade thrown. Fitting, given that there's also a literal dick and/or tits at character creation.
Nothing says 'badass' quite like a keytar does.
True that!
indeed i have never heard 'nothing' say "badass"
@@Crazzzzzzzziesandus you clearly need some guiboard in your life.. 😉
But this isn’t a keytar. It’s a Gui-board 😎
Amazing! btw was really surprised how well 1st mix worked out...
I had loads of plugins in it and kicked them all out
It's only a matter of time before I find your Bandcamp Vaporwave page.
Only to be released on Laserdisk!
@@AudioPilz Can you share the midi file on an Atari floppy disk ?
@@AudioPilz gee thanks for abandoning us CED people.
Great video as always... One thing I really like on the SHS, is that if you transpose it down as low as you can go, there are some weird distorted FM dirge sounds lurking in some of the presets. I can't remember which ones though, my gui-board is sadly in storage (the new name going forth for all such instruments)
Gui-Board FTW!!!
I think you had more fun playing with the shs-10 than you should have ;)
Psssss, don't tell anyone ;)
Your best video yet. Humorous yet honest.
Thank you so much!
5:45 is most excellent!!! My first “synth” was the Yamaha PSS-680, which was from the same time and same 2 op synth engine. Effects really helped... Check that one out.
Thanks! So many PSSes!
I love Violin Presets of those 2-OP toy keyboards. Feeding them thru an Amp Simulator really gives the feeling of a Power Chord
True that! Simple FM can rock!
how does he make these high quality videos so fast
Sleep deprivation;)
Your jams were ridiculous cool! Nice video. Killed it!
Thank you so much!
Yeees, my first instrument! Love this little plastic gem, and it'll always have a place in my heart!
It's great that they still work like a charm!
Yes!!! My buddy found one of these in the toy bin at a Goodwill for $10 and we thought it was a toy till years later when we wanted a second one and found this thing is a cult classic!
Nice find! Congrats!
More comparisons to Kraft Singles please.
It's as Kraft Singles as it gets!
@@AudioPilz Works perfect for grilled sleaze.
@@AudioPilz needs Vegemite
As always, very entertaining. My cousin, who didn't really play, had one of these back in the 80s. He also had a MiniKorg 700, which I bought from him for nothing. Good move. Thanks.
Wow, MiniKorg is really nice. I'd like to have one!
My friend picked one of these up at a thrift store for about 30 bucks years ago. I had no clue they had such resale value.
Those prices really skyrocketed!
nice one - good job on th ecop/drug music & montage - before I could afford any decent instruments but cheap PCM Casio keys an FX rack or series of pedals were miracle workers - I used to play the the SHS-10 in the stores and laugh, and there is a bigger one (SHS-200) that's more rare - however as a basic MIDI controller it could be OK, no real dynamics though - I have one of the fancy Lync keytars that Jan Hammer used to endorse and user, it's quite cool but the newer Alesis Vortex model keytars are pretty good, and one is wireless - also Yamaha made a decent famous keytar the KX-5 which I got which had decent controls and a ribbon like the Liberation - love keytars but the Gui-board is a ridiculous name :-) you compiled some great trivia and clips there, thanks
Thanks for watching!
I like to play my sh-101 keytar on my headphones while skiing in my blue one piece snowsuit.
That's the way to go!
I play my red one, completely dressed in red, while getting driven around town on a red moped.
@@danjwalker nice
I had the red one and played it constantly! It was a great little companion to other Yamaha consumer keyboards of the time like the full-size Yamaha PSR-36. I spent countless hours playing 80's rock songs from Van Halen to Bon Jovi and Europe!
I nearly vomited at the term 'Gui-board'
Back when marketing was cute
5:23 - this one is a banger! Well done Mr. Bad!
Thanks!
That's actually a very decent sounding synth. I'd definitely find use for it!
True that! Especially with FX!
I started out on a Keytar SHS10, and then got the SHS 200. I ended up with the digital sax the Yamaha WX11. Yamaha sure did a lot to stretch beyond just a piano. When I had the SHS 200 I realize that playing with your hand up higher for the bass keys were a bit harder, and I think the SHS 10 was closer to what you want to play on. You could use the pitch wheel to go up or down a whole octave to expand your range. would have prefer a switch for the octave changes. I have sent the idea for the Yamaha to make the keytar out of the Reface component. This is the best post on the SHS 10 that I have seen!
Thanks!
I genuinely thought that was aimed at kids because it was so small and toy-like. If you we're serious, you got a KX-5 to go with your DX-7.
...that would not make that much sense on Bad Gear, tho ;)
That midi port may help to turn it into a "sleeper", controlling a kickass synth on stage. People would think: holy cow, wtf is that haha
Yeah, hook it up to a huge modular!
Your keyboard skills are actually pretty good. It feels very weird play a keytar, the angle is just messed up, and mini keys- aarrghh!
I used to have a heavy Korg fiberglass, full sized keytar that weighed a TON. It was so heavy, it often would slip off the guitar strap and hit my feet- that was too much so I sold it to some guy in Sweden (sorry if he has sore feet!).
Thank you so much!!!
A few weeks ago I got a Yamaha SHS-10 in good condition for free. It can be used as a MIDI controller and it's absolutely 80s, but it's more of a toy.
Great video! Do you want to take a look at the Yamaha PSS-130? this is really bad gear, but it has some nice extremely lofi sounds.
Thanks! Currently researching PSSes
@@AudioPilz schau dir mal das PSS-480 an. Das gibt's ab und zu sehr günstig, das Teil ist eigentlich richtig cool... Man kann die Sounds sogar verändern.
Congrats on the music tech award you definitely earned it!
Thank you much! I honestly didn't expect that
You got my vote easily, you put a ton of work into your videos and you have a really impressive book shelf. Really happy to see you get that recognition, along with a bunch of other people I also enjoy and respect.
My Other Half got one for £5 from a charity shop and I love it.
That's a steal!
Typing this comment already before I have seen the video. That picture is already Embarrasing enough! Moving on very carefully now ... Might ... not ..... survive!
Show your wound...;)
I got this back in 1989 to perform at my high school basketball games. I was the MAN!
Most certainly got you laid ;)
@@AudioPilz Absolutely! Nobody else in my high school had a keytar.
Mine was the red model. It's still in my studio! LOL
Wow, unprocessed with no effects, that thing sounds like a bag of cats. Other material in the video was excellent as per usual!
Thanks! Yeah, the pure sounds are so crude!
Again, this is the best youtube channel out there. Damn you! Now I want an Orphica! lol
Thank you so much!
So we're all now watching a man of whom we know he has fluffy handcuffs readily available to be pulled out at any time :p
A staple in every household!
I feel like I need to get one of these and use it in my next live stream.
Keytars ftw!
To my shame I had to Google Hatesphere. So I was end up listening to the closing jam mixed with 'Corpse of Mankind'. I think the combo worked.
Nothing wrong with a little Death Metal from time to time
Damn, that jam at 4:30 sounds like it could be in a Master System RPG or something!
Oldschool console feel always lurks around the corner with these ;)
Next video: The Casio VL-1
I would have to brace for a sh*tstorm, tho ;)
Hi, I would like to request a review of the Proteus 2000. The ROMs are dated but the programming capability is pretty extensive. Good show, Thank You!
Thanks! Proteus is nice!
Just wanna renew my vote for the Casio HT-700 🙏👍
No worries, it's on my radar!
I love that keyboard. I know a guy who did an entire jazz album with it. The arranger section is really advanced for the time.
True! Check out the Keen on Keys episode on it. He really knows it in and out
From now on, I shall call Keytars "Orphicas"
Team Orphica!
Do one on the YouRock Guitar. Extremely overlooked MIDI guitar. It was really cool, but many people let it pass because of the company having the thing also work as a game controller and it didn't look professional enough, I guess.
Had one of those! Never really worked for me, tho
"Doctor, doctor, I'm afraid I am not getting enough 80's cheese in my life"
Here, take one of these every day
"What are they and what will they do?"
Sir, they are AudioPilz...
Sir, would you like to have some bit crushed Shrooms with your audio? ;-)
I have a disease and the only cure is... (thanks, btw;)
@@AudioPilz I make it seem like a joke but in 100% absolute seriousness, I LOVE vapourwave and spend many hours listening to the mixes on youtube - it was you who introduced me to the hardware required to make such music and now I own more than a few pieces of "bad gear" and spend many happy hours with dual octave basslines, microkorg arpeggios and SR-16 cowbells and I love every second of it - from the bottom of my heart and in total and utter sincerity, this is what got me through the 2020 covid-19 lockdown ... i guess we each have our own tastes but you helped me reach my potential in a year like no other and I will always be grateful for this.
Doctor doctor, I feel like a pair of curtains. "Just pull yourself together man"
Are any of the books behind you music related? All your DVD's are great choices and they have some good soundtracks.
There's some musician's biographies, music theory stuff, pop cultural analysis and literature on acoustics/electronics. Thanks!
I started laughing at timecode 0:02 this sound is INCREDIBLE
It didn't surrender easily ;)
You know something terrible is up when the intro music isn't great :P
At least that Mazda garage in St. Pölten still exists
Pro tip: Don't do Spar salz, get high on spezial-salz for the dishwasher instead!
I looked it up, those guys are indeed still in business ;)
Next on bad gear: Jupiter 8
Shots fired ;)
Worst gear ever: the Yamaha CS 80 analog home organ. :-)
@@Aetila worst gear ever: the yamaha shs 10
Your composition half way through sounds almost exactly like a Sega Genesis game I once played in a dream, or something.
Didn't Sega use 4OP FM chips already?;)
@@AudioPilz now you've got me learning about the YM2612
DUDE YOU TOTALLY RULED WITH THE PEDAL BOARD SET UP FOR THIS KEYTAR!
THANKS MAN!
HELL YEAH BORGER> GOBLESS!!
Deine Videos sind echt geil! Danke!
Danke fürs Zuschauen!
Don't make me feel self conscious about my gear now. The midi capabilities of this are impressive especially for the time
True but only in one direction ;)
@@AudioPilz it was the 80s so I forgive it for that. Why would you want to play the keytar remotely anyway? You heard the system sounds
@@ZemanTheMighty most all synths had midi in/out after it was introduced in the 80s. Why would you need midi in? To play it like any other synthesizer module or keyboard
@@broklee I can guarantee you that a vast majority of consumer grade instruments from the time did not have midi. And you wouldn't need to do that because it sounds like shit.
@@ZemanTheMighty even the old consumer grade casitones had midi in and out
nice. it has a company mint drum patterns. powerful instrument.
True!
you own a concerning amount of hand cuffs
Good Gear!
The man has the Marquis de Sade displayed prominently on his bookcase. If you’re concerned by handcuffs, you would probably be more so by what is hidden from view
Got a new one for you!! MESOAT MTSGA!! Great video as usual!! 👍👍🇬🇧
Thanks!
Who, in the Wooooorld, would like to look like "a guitar player", with his/her strange and impratical instrument hang on the shoulder and ludicrously gesticulating on a stage?
I seriously ask the question!
It's more comfortable than a guitar because it's really light ;)
Me
You know what, there's always... well not always, since they're a bit of a rarity, but i mean, that is the idea behind the product anyway... the Dynacord Rhythm Stick. This is the most baffling thing and i can't exactly say i want one, but i'd love to at least touch it someday.
Best Video so far, awesome memes and the montage of the track is chef’s kiss
Thank you!!!