Curious about Roland Jupiter 6

[rharris07]

I just came across a jupiter 6 on my local craigslist for 2000 bucks even. that sounds like a lot to me, is that way off or that about right? the pics aren't perfect, but the machine looks to be in great shape, and the owner says it was a gift from 14 years ago with almost no use. the power cord is missing, so there would be no way to test it - which to me seems a bit shitty since they want you to give them 2 grand for something they can't show you in working order...

but is it worth that? is this something so rare i should jump on it, or what?

[Z]

The JP-6 is pretty much my favorite analog poly, offering more sonic capabilities than its big brother, JP-8. If only it had the 8's discreet electronics and polyphony, it'd pretty much be the ultimate poly!

They're not too rare and often pop up for sale on eBay for under $2K, many times including the Europa upgrade. I'd say $1500 would be pushing the ceiling for a fair price on one these days.

The JP-6 uses the same 2 prong power cord that your DW-8000 uses, so you'll be able to test it out. Sweetwater sells new cords for under $10.

[rharris07]

ok, thanks Z. i would love to get something that historical, that powerful - but at the same time i don't want to spend two grand if i can find one elsewhere later on for 500 or so less, even if i have to pay for the shipping.

[Z]

I doubt you'll find one for $500, but you never know. I still seem to find some deals from time to time. I haven't seen one for under a grand in quite some time.

You'll definately want to get the Europa upgrade from Synthcom. Not only does it bring the MIDI specs into the 21st century, it adds additional functions. One bad thing about a stock Jupe 6 is that it powers on in OMNI mode, but you can set it to MIDI Channel One by plugging a MIDI cable into both IN and OUT, play a note on the keboard and then hook it into your MIDI rig.

[rharris07]

I doubt you'll find one for $500, but you never know. I still seem to find some deals from time to time. I haven't seen one for under a grand in quite some time.

heh no no sorry, i'm sure my words weren't very clear, i didn't mean for 500...i meant for 500 LESS than the 2 grand price of the one in question.

[Hybrid88]

Well, I paid the equivalent to 2,083USD and I think it was definately worth it, just check that *all* the sliders work - mine came with two that didn't work, and worryingly started to loose sound recently, but wierdly now it sounds ok again. Of course none of this was disclosed by the seller, but no matter, I plan to replace all of the sliders and knobs with new one's anyway, the old one's a ratty and the sliders are stiff - hopefully that'll fix the two non-functional ones.

I've now come to expect little things to not work on this old stuff when I buy them, they are vintage after all - I think almost every piece of vintage gear I've bought has had at least a few things not quite right, what gets me though is that all the sellers said stuff like 100% functional, no issues etc, etc - oh well, that's the price to pay for owning old stuff I guess

[Fogflip]

I aquired mine by accident one came up locally for $350 usd included a flightcase and some nice fx pedals . 2 grand is steep i would say between 1100-1500 is normal then 1500-2000 w europa. Mine has a normal three prong cord which you can find about any where. If you do end up purchasing one make sure you add europa it is essential and a worth while upgrade if your handy it should only take 30 mins or less to install.

Not really looking to purchase one im glad i did it really has some magnificent sounds a bit harsh but thats what makes it oh so very very special. Good Luck!

[Solderman]

My standard offering: A montage of excerpts from 2 sessions with Z's Jupiter 6 ~~~

I was suprised at the basses coming out of it. Not as beefy as some, but just a great sound. You'll notice at the end of the clip things start to get freaky. It's like the Pro~One in that respect, where you can have 3 waveforms simultaneously modulating the other VCO, but then you get the Highpass filter to boot. Great sound and good fun, the Jupiter 6.

[themilford]

Not sure if it's still available... but:

http://orlando.craigslist.org/msg/1563072140.html

[code green]

My standard offering: A montage of excerpts from 2 sessions with Z's Jupiter 6 ~~~

I was suprised at the basses coming out of it. Not as beefy as some, but just a great sound. You'll notice at the end of the clip things start to get freaky. It's like the Pro~One in that respect, where you can have 3 waveforms simultaneously modulating the other VCO, but then you get the Highpass filter to boot. Great sound and good fun, the Jupiter 6.

ha! thought of this as soon as i started reading the thread--thanks for reposting! love the crossmod stuff w/ th hpf in this demo!
e

[V301H]

The Jupiter 6 is my over-all favorite analog poly. There are other synths that sound fatter or have more functions, but there is nothing that sounds like the JP6. As a point of comparison, analog synths are not known for being able to do a credible grand piano sound. While it won't put any samplers out of business, the 6 is capable of the best piano I've ever heard from an analog. Even better than the Matrix 12, and the Matrix allows velocity control over VCA and Filter dynamics. One of the best-kept secrets of the Jupiter 6 is it's Oscillator Sync capabilities. One Osc has an ultra-high range and the other has an extended low range. In Sync mode this can give you a sparkle in the high end that rivals some digital synths as well as a wider range in the low end which makes the piano sound possible. As another point of comparison I think the JP6 comes closest to being a polyphonic ARP Odyssey with a better thought out range of functions. It rarely leaves me wanting for anything which I can't say about any other analog I own.

[rharris07]

My standard offering: A montage of excerpts from 2 sessions with Z's Jupiter 6 ~~~

I was suprised at the basses coming out of it. Not as beefy as some, but just a great sound. You'll notice at the end of the clip things start to get freaky. It's like the Pro~One in that respect, where you can have 3 waveforms simultaneously modulating the other VCO, but then you get the Highpass filter to boot. Great sound and good fun, the Jupiter 6.

very nice. i love almost all those sounds in there, especially with that filter. I am actually heading to Dallas for a few days starting today and talked to Z about maybe stopping by to check out a few synths PLUS that Jupe 6! If I have the time and he isn't busy, I'm quite excited to hear some new stuff. I might have to end up buying one of these things after all!

[Pulsar2010]

Current Price range for Roland Jupiter 6's

Craigslist:
Orlando, FLA. Fair/good $1500.00 (no europa) still available as of today.
Portland, Oregon. Mint.Sold: $1600.00 (no europa) Snapped up in less than 1 day.
San Fran, California. NM $2000.00 + Europa.
N Y C, New York. Near/Mint. $2200.00 (no europa) W Case/Tape/Original Manual.
Orlando, FLA. Mint....? $3500.00 + Europa....? (waaaaaaaaaay tooooooo much!!!)

EBAY:
>>>>>>>>>>>>> VG/NM Sold: $1650.00 + Ship. W/case 17 bids.
>>>>>>>>>>>>> NM buy now. $2100.00 + " " " W/europa. SOLD:
>>>>>>>>>>>>> G/VG Sold: $2425.00 + " " " W/Case+ Europa. 6 bids.
>>>>>>>>>>>>> NM... Active $1025.00 + " " " W/Case ( no europa) 8 bids (2 days remaining)

EBAY:
Roland JUPITER 8 NM SOLD. $5100.00 + Ship. W/case. 13 bids. SOLD: Jan 18th 2010.

[Pulsar2010]

My standard offering: A montage of excerpts from 2 sessions with Z's Jupiter 6 ~~~

I was suprised at the basses coming out of it. Not as beefy as some, but just a great sound. You'll notice at the end of the clip things start to get freaky. It's like the Pro~One in that respect, where you can have 3 waveforms simultaneously modulating the other VCO, but then you get the Highpass filter to boot. Great sound and good fun, the Jupiter 6.

Super Work!!! Were there really only 2000 of these made? Or does that only apply to Jup-8?
Yeah, Bass seemed a little trimmed to me as well... Not quite as warm as on some of the other Analog Rolands
of this era. Surprising really, but endless Sonic-Colouring-Swirling-Synth-Orchestration-Bliss...More than atones for any beefy-bass shortcomings... I gotta one!!!

[memory cords]

My standard offering: A montage of excerpts from 2 sessions with Z's Jupiter 6 ~~~

I was suprised at the basses coming out of it. Not as beefy as some, but just a great sound. You'll notice at the end of the clip things start to get freaky. It's like the Pro~One in that respect, where you can have 3 waveforms simultaneously modulating the other VCO, but then you get the Highpass filter to boot. Great sound and good fun, the Jupiter 6.

That's awesome! I never realized that the JP6 could sound like that. I played one briefly for half an hour when it was on display in a music store. I got some quite nice smooth pads and leads out of it but nothing like those sounds you posted. I'll have to try harder next time! The only thing that bothered me about the one I played was the lack of keyboard velocity. I'm impressed by the build quality of those old Roland synths, they are really well made compared to a lot of the other gear out there.

@Pulsar2010
I think only the Jupiter 8 was limited to 2000 units. The Jupiter 6 seems to be easy to find and the prices are much more reasonable than the Jupiter 8, so I assume a lot more than 2000 were manufactured.