Casio CZ/ VZ/ FZ - Pro Series

One of the reasons I decided to get the cz-230s is that it is fairly disposable as compared to the other CZ's. I bought it for $50, more than fair, and if it can do half of the tricks I've taught to some of the similar vintage casios I've bent, It'll be quite a machine.
  Another advantage-- and a very important one, is that it runs on batteries: 6 D-cells to be precise. If your CZ doesn't run on batteries, don't even think about it. 
  As far as how you know what NOT to short--- stay away from high voltage spots on the board. Basically, this means the power supply and amplifier regions. These are the only spots that are likely to have the juice to burn out a component on the board. Having said that, its no sure thing, especially when it comes to IC's. Still, most of the nice bends you are going to find are shorts to the various chips that control the voice parameters, or actually generate the voices. I'm still figuring out how the CZ-230s board is essentially laid out. On some machines---like my roland tr-505-- its really easy. On that particular drum machine, there is a chip corresponding to each of the drum sounds. Shorting between chips creates all manner of mayhem. 
   
  So far, the only nice bends I've been able to find on my CZ-230s are ones to "fatten" the sound and add resonance artifacts. On other similar vintage Casios, I have found ways to cross the drum clock w/ the main voice, to produce beat synced modulations. My favorite bend on a MT-40 actually turns the drum clock into a FM modulator for the main voice. The tempo knob becomes the "FM amount" knob at the throw of a switch. Slow tempo is a nice tremolo (and w/ the built in all be it somewhat crappy sustain function, it is capable of "echo/delay" effects). As you turn up the tempo, the frequency of the drum clock enters the audile range, and mixes w/ the main voice to produce very sharp pronounced side-band frequencies. Its pretty cool, because it changes the entire relative tuning of the keyboard. Think instant "just intonation."
   
  -devin

		
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