We picked up a RadioShack Concertmate 470—essentially a rebadged Casio SA-35—and asked a simple question: Can a tiny toy keyboard actually sound like a usable synth?
In this episode of Sh*tty Rigs, Jake runs the battery-powered keyboard through pedals, pitch-shifting, EQ, reverb, delay, and plenty of bad ideas to see what kind of sounds are hiding inside.
On its own, the Concertmate is exactly what you’d expect: small, plasticky, full of weird presets, built-in beats, and sound effects that feel somewhere between charming and cursed. But with the right chain, those thin tones start turning into chiptune textures, hazy pads, blown-out bass sounds, and surprisingly legit lofi synth parts.
It’s a good reminder that cheap gear doesn’t have to sound expensive to be useful. Sometimes the best move is to embrace the trash, add a few pedals, and see where the weirdness takes you.