Kawai Organ Identification request

[kingsboard]

Hello All ! Hope all is well.
Can anyone Identify this Kawai?
Also any opinions, knowledge, experience about said organ is appreciated.
That's the only pic seller provides.
Thank you in advance.

[RogerM]

That's one for andyg.

Don't you think that someone selling an organ, or anything else come to that, would have the sense/decency to clean it up a bit first?

[tobeycat2007]

Think its an X5000 model from mid 80s.

[handyczech]

Where is the esteemed Mr Gilbert? Likely he wrote the book for this one?

[tobeycat2007]

Not one of kawai's better models, Andy distances himself from these models, they are quite rare think sales possibly not that great.

[andyg]

Busy finishing off teaching for the day, then a guy does have to eat! :)

Yes, X5000. Mid 1980s. It used the second generation of Kawai's ADEPT digital technology. While I had a lot of input into the smaller models of the X series like the X430, input to the larger ones was minimal, to say the least. Kawai USA took the lead, as far as I know. The drawbar sound was fine and they did put in a decent analogue tremolo/chorus effect (even better Gulbransen like tones came from adding a leslie) but I was not enamoured with the orchestral and solo sounds - a bit thin to my ears.

Biggest issue was the automatic accompaniment. Everyone had been inspired by the Lowrey MX-1 and Hector Olivera, who was working with Kawai back then, came up with some great fully orchestrated patterns. Trouble is, he also specified that there should be basic non-orchestrated patterns available for each of the 32 rhythms. Penny pinching meant that these were left out and there was no way that the average player could get anything like a simple waltz, latin or swing pattern. Everything was full on. I hated that. Demo-ing the fancy patterns was fine, but actually playing something with them was a different matter. A very big factor in our (my!) decision to go back to simple but usable patterns in the SR series.

We did very, very well with the X430 in the UK but struggled with the larger ones. I can only remember doing a small number of big shows with them.

Not Kawai's finest moment, that would come a bit later (though some would argue that the DX900 got there in 1981!).

[kingsboard]

Thank You Gentlemen !
You guys are the best
I was curious cause somebody in San Diego,CA. is giving it away for free.
I don't have the room in my humble garage anyway.