Korg to release ARP Odyssey

[Aaron2]

I'm guessing at least $1,500 if it's made of heavy metal components like the original.

Do you literally mean the electrical components? Some sort of old germanium nonsense or something?

No, I don't mean the scientific definition of "heavy metal." I mean metal parts like the body, for example, which tend to add a lot of weight to the machine, which in turn makes it more expensive, both in terms of material cost and shipping costs.

If they use more plastic than the original or make it substantially lighter in weight, it will likely cost a lot less. But it also won't be a "faithful recreation" of the original, IMO.

[Walter Ego]

Whoa. Speechless. Korg WIN.

[jimtheswede]

From the prototype pic, seems to be based on the later MkII version. And yes - there is an additional switch in the filter section. I hope they don't go "mini" with it.

[Low Life]

I love how they managed to do something everyone was expecting (another classic recreation) and no one was expecting at the same time. Suddenly I'm not so sure about buying the Sub 37

[zoomtheline]

It's a mini, check the size of the switches. I must admit, that does not bother me too much as long as it's not micro.

[commodorejohn]

Surely at some point they should stop remanufacturing pre existing synths and design a really great new analogue?

Rereleases and new releases aren't mutually exclusive, you know. But yeah, it would be nice to see them come up with a fun new synth or two to go along with all the retro love.

[meatballfulton]

It looks like an official announcement from Korg to me. Not really any reason to be skeptical here...

When ARP went under, they sold a lot of their assets to Fender, which was then owned by CBS. The Rhodes Chroma was actually an ARP design that hadn't made it into production yet. The ARP 16-voice piano which did get out the door at the very end was also sold under the Rhodes name.

The current Fender company was spun off by CBS and the Rhodes brand ended up being sold to Roland

So I'm sure just trying to figure out who owns the rights to the ARP name and designs required quite a few lawyers.

It's certainly unusual that Korg would choose to reissue a competitor's instrument rather than one of their own, but the Odyssey is a great choice. Throughout the 70s it ran neck and neck with the Mini as the monosynth to own. It's fallen in regard a bit since then but it has a lot of very cool features...cycling EGs, a real sample and hold (not just a S&H wave for the LFO), hard sync and ring mod (both absent from most Moogs).

The prototype photo sadly shows two of it's weakest points...the PPC control (pressure sensitive bender) and the keyboard overhang. Oh well, if you change anything people will b***h.

[celebutante]

@aaron - They likely wouldn't do the Mk3 version because it was the one with the keyboard that stuck WAY out, making it very prone to breakage. The proto pic shows a black/gold mk2; the keyboard orientation is fine on those.

Far as I know, there's no "germanium" anything in an ARP; their potentially wonky behavior probably has more to do with shady component tolerances (common back then), questionable build quality, 30-something year old dirty slider pots, and (in my personal experience) the dual J-wire keyboard, which I can't imagine them reproducing. Nobody does J-wire keyboards anymore because they kind of suck; the wires get bent and cause all kinds of problems. A modern keyboard would be a big improvement.

As for the "heavy metal" case, the entire bottom and sides of an Odyssey is a curved piece of heavy plastic, not metal. Only the top and back is sheet metal, and it's also a single piece. I don't think the case is a substantial production expense. I suspect what could make the reissue pricey are the tons of slide pots, which they may or may not need to have custom made (the type of slide pots in vintage ARPs are no longer made), unless they adapt it to something off the shelf, which would be smart, pots don't affect sound quality. I imagine reproducing the PPC mechanism would be pricey too (silly, because it kind of sucks anyway. I'd rather have a knob like the Mk1).

[haj]

Yeah, the prototype does look mini (keys). Then it'll be very modest price..

[celebutante]

God, I hope it's not mini. Mini keys are for children... you're going to this much effort, don't f&*k it up!

[zoomtheline]

How mini are the mini keys anyway? I mean the ms20 mini. Does anyone have huge complaints against them?
I have still not come into contact with the new ms20 mini yet so wouldn't know. Although AG did say on his vids that it wasn't a huge deal and thats coming from a person who thinks certain ways of doing things are a big deal.

[knolan]

Ugly little synth. Have no sense of it - does is sound good?

I'm a Vangelis fan and know he used one in the '70s - is that the instrument used for lead sounds on Alpha and Pulstar on his album Albedo 0.39?

Any well known examples of this instrument you can point to?

Finally, this is all very curious. Why do you think Korg are doing this; and why have the announced it now in particular?


Kevin.

[rob_lee]

Why do you think Korg are doing this; and why have the announced it now in particular?
Kevin.

To shaft Roland of course

[moodorf]

It's a mini, check the size of the switches.

[Aaron2]

I'm down with a mini version. If that'll make the price affordable, then great!