Korg RK-100 Custom via The Packrat

images via this auction
"With the exception of one of those $3000 Zen Riffers, this is about the most unique keytar you're ever going to lay your eyes on, period. The overall shape of the Korg RK-100 is widely considered to be the most unique & attractive, and here's a fully functioning one in black, with a custom paint job by David C. Lovelace, animator & cartoonist extraordinaire.

OK fine, so it's just me typing this now & I'm playing it up just a tad. Sure, I made an animated Weird Al video for his latest album, and yeah, I made the Packrat comic strip which appeared in Keyboard Magazine a couple years ago. And then there was all of those fairly offensive-yet-popular "Retarded Animal Babies" movies seen by millions, some of which even featuring rampant keytar usage. But really, does any of this add to the value of this item? Does it even make up for the fact that I plastered a rainbow of words & symbols all over this otherwise fine contraption, rendering it somehow collectible despite its non-stock condition? I'd be a horrible salesman if I admitted otherwise. I should simply acknowledge here that there is at least a distinct possibility that these past doodleworks I have done somehow make me a public enough figure to have "fans" that might enjoy this one-of-a-kind bit of gear/artwork in their studio, collection, or attic, or just slung around their shoulder as they rokk out some Night Ranger in their local cover band. Especially if their name is also "Dave" since this moniker prominently appears on the unit's trapezoidal head.

There are a few scuffs on the back & very top of that head, by the way, but 1) no one will see them but you, and 2) they're not as bad as my high-contrast gallery image would indicate. The even better news is that there are practically no scratches anywhere else on the back (or front, not that you can tell with all the craziness going on); still as shiny as when I got the thing 15 years ago. All LED lights work fine. The battery cover is intact... so many other keytars are missing these, but not this one! Everything works great on it and is 100% functional as designed. Included is a purple guitar strap & a 9V battery (installed). I wish I had a nice, long MIDI cable to throw in (you'll need one, or better yet, a MidiJet Wireless box), but I don't have a spare, sorry! The factory 9V wall wart is not included either, not that you'd really want to be saddled with a power cable anyway! A standard 9V battery lasts a LONG time on these things; trust me. You will make it through several gigs without worrying about the power dying on you.

FUNCTIONALITY: This is a MIDI controller only, NOT a synthesizer! It does not make its own sounds! Most of you already know this, but a beginner might not. Plug a MIDI cable into it & connect with any other sound module or keyboard, and you're ready to go. You can control patch changes with a numeric keypad or program up/down buttons. There's a L/M/H octave switch, and (of course!) volume, pitch and mod wheels on the neck!"