SK-20 for $200 USD?

[synthgeek5108]

ok so I saw an advertisement for an SK-20 for 200 with a road case.

I'm currently asking about it's working order (maybe that'll scare him off, it is indeed a dud), but I am curious at what point the SK-20. What is it worth when it's in excellent working order? When it's in okay working order? When it's a dud?


here are the pictures from he ad






I figure that the 200 is good for the case at least, but whatever opinions you have on it are much appreciated.

Thanks in advance
SG5108

PS It's nice to be back, again. Hope you are all well.

[Carey M]

If it is in good working condition, I'd pay around 250 euros for one... If I was looking for an okay ensemble keyboard with okay string machine and some hammondesque sounds. It's by no means a phenomenal board, but it's okay for some sounds. I gigged quite a lot with it when I had mine, very sturdy build quality.

- CM

[V301H]

Recent eBay sales have been around $500 without a case. That case looks like the one that came with my CS70M.

[Automatic Gainsay]

The SK-20 is great if you're an organist looking for a small organ to tote around, but otherwise it is just a string synth.
Do NOT pay $500 for one.
However, $200 with case is fair.

[OMNI26]

I love the Yamaha SK-series synths, and used an SK-20 for YEARS with a band. Fantastic organ sound, and great 'electronic sounding' strings. Polysynth section....not so great. Biggest drawback is the large size and weight, but they look cool on stage.

Anyway, I've owned several of them, the last one being about 5 years ago. I was trying to raise some cash then, and I remember at the time not getting ANY interest from anyone in it. I finally sold it for $160 and felt very lucky that anyone would even take it off my hands.....they just weren't very popular at the time. Now, for some reason, they have gotten quite pricey. But yes, they are cool units. I still, however, would not pay more than $350 or so for one in nice shape, but that's just me.

[Automatic Gainsay]

I have been wanting an SK-30 for probably 6 years. They're just so bulky, and they never come up when I have the dough. An SK-30 is worth money to me because it has a monosynth... a full synthesizer... atop the string synth, the lame polysynth, and the digital organ. Yes, digital organ. The organ section is digital, I'm to understand. Not like it matters... an organ is an organ, and sinewaves are sinewaves, but still.
The SK-20 just doesn't have enough going on to make it valuable from an analog fanatic perspective, and as such, should not be going for premium prices from that angle.

[OMNI26]

The organ section is digital, I'm to understand. Not like it matters... an organ is an organ, and sinewaves are sinewaves, but still.

That's true. In fact, from what I understand, the organ section uses FM technology that Yamaha later used in the DX-series synths. The organ on the SK-20 did sound great, though, but personally I think that the DX-7 is capable of incredibly accurate Hammond simulation. It is just sine waves, as you say. The Leslie effect that you choose to run it through, makes all the difference (The SK-20's built in Leslie effect is good, but not at all great, BTW).

[WhinyLittleRunt]

I had one at one point. Not being an organ player I found it pretty much useless because the string synth section wasn't all that great and the polysynth was a 1-osc joke. The organ itself did sound really good, but if you don't use it, it's just a heavy doorstop. Too much bulk for 1 halfway-decent sound.

I will admit though that if you run the string section with the organ mixed in slightly, and throw it through a phaser - it will sound cool. It has a leslie output too.

[Denms20]

200 dollars is a steal with a case in my area. I just traded an SK30 for a leslie a while back, the leslie was marked at 650 in the store.
Like others said, the hammond is so so, I actually have MP3's somewhere here of it. I'd put it somewhere between the roland RS-o9 and the old analog Korg CX3. The polysynth is limited, kind of cheezy. The strings are kind of thin, but if you like string machines you'll like them. The saving grace is you can layer sounds and get them sounding pretty symphonic.