Arp 2600 Value, price and functionality

dzlvs8 · Post by **dzlvs8** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:56 am

I am looking at getting an Arp 2600. I have two questions. The most important one is:

How much do they seem to go for on ebay. The buy it now prices are retarded. I cant find any recent ones that sold on there. I am looking to buy one for $2500. Is this an average price or a good deal for an Arp 2600?

Second questions: Can I run my minimoog into it just so I can use the sample and hold or something?

Thanks for any help.

snod_donkey · Post by **snod_donkey** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 12:19 pm

dzlvs8 wrote:I am looking at getting an Arp 2600. I have two questions. The most important one is:

How much do they seem to go for on ebay. The buy it now prices are retarded. I cant find any recent ones that sold on there. I am looking to buy one for $2500. Is this an average price or a good deal for an Arp 2600?

Second questions: Can I run my minimoog into it just so I can use the sample and hold or something?

Thanks for any help.

If you can get one at that price then grabb it!! You will pay double that price in most cases

Post by **meatballfulton** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:46 pm

The answer to "how much do they go for on eBay" is to check completed listings.

Often you will find super-high BIN items have not sold, but many do. There will always be people with more money than sense.

I agree with snod donkey, you will have a very hard time finding an ARP 2600 for $2500 these days. Remember the supply is extremely limited and demand is very high.

Sir Nose · Post by **Sir Nose** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:57 pm

This month there was a 2600 up on my local Craigslist for $6000. It was fully serviced by Phil C. the leading Arp tech in the U.S. It was truely beautiful and has many fully functioning years ahead of it.

I went to see if it was still up because of this thread. It appears to have sold.

Phollop Willing PA · Post by **Phollop Willing PA** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 5:02 pm

Here's one - not too expensive, not.

garranimal · Post by **garranimal** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 5:52 pm

Not all 2600s are created equal, some sounding better than others. Some have the lawsuit Moog filter, there's the grey meanie, blue marvin, black w/ orange and all of them fetching different prices. And outward appearance doesn't always mean the past owners kept the electronics original to that model. Research, ask lots of questions of sellers, get lots of good pics and good luck!

Z · Post by Z » Sun Feb 06, 2011 7:09 pm

Yes, you can run your MiniMoog or any other instrument into the ARP 2600.

You would be very lucky to find a 2600 for $2500. I have not seen one sell on eBay for under $5K in quite some time.

Automatic Gainsay · Post by **Automatic Gainsay** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 7:52 pm

If you can find an actual Blue Marvin or Grey Meanie (which should actually be called a Grey Marvin, as its distinguishing factor is that it has the Blue Marvin case, but isn't blue but grey), you're not going to want it if you're concerned about a $2500 price tag.

$2500 is a steal, even for one in not-great condition. You should buy it immediately. But be ready- there is simply no vintage analog monophonic that compares in regard to the combination of sound and functionality. Say goodbye to GAS in that one category.

dzlvs8 · Post by **dzlvs8** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:19 pm

OOhhh. Well, I hope I can get it for $2500 then. It looks like if I dont get this one then I wont be getting one in a while. My truck isnt even worth $5000. Thanks for the quick feedback.

Post by **gridsleep** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 3:20 am

Well, there's a 2600 right now on eBay for $11,500 OBO with $375 S&H if anyone wants to sell their Pininfarina for it.

Post by **meatballfulton** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 1:50 pm

OK, nothing else sounds exactly like a 2600 but with all the off the shelf modular gear available today WTF is with these $10K+ price tags?

Post by **shaft9000** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 8:14 pm

meatballfulton wrote:OK, nothing else sounds exactly like a 2600 but with all the off the shelf modular gear available today WTF is with these $10K+ price tags?

it's getting scary, yes, but is not so bad considering:
- inflation over the last 35 years. Iirc, new they were about $3k in early 70s. That's roughly equivalent to $15K-18K today. A high-end music instrument doesn't depreciate the same as other electronics, either.
- you'll still pay well around $10K (or MUCH more) for a comparable feature-per-feature modular system in any format (even .com), and you would STILL not have the pre-normalization and all those lovely sliders... the form-factor is unique.
- Buchla and Serge are $10k-$50K synths; new. They are not very comparable, but nevertheless $10K of Buchla or Serge is not going to be more than, oh, maybe half of the functions of a 2600, roughly speaking.
- there's nothing else even made today that is like it. MacBeth M5 and Vostok are very different in use, features and sound.
- it's an historical piece; possibly the first portable modular synthesizer w/ a keyboard. it debuted at 1970 NAMM along w/ the EMS Synthi and Minimoog.
- the usual qualifiers/inflators of "Who used it"(pun intended) etc, blah blah blah

yeah it's pretty shocking in light of "the great synth discount of '87-'92 years" when they could be traded for a DX7 or $500, but that blip in history is due to an anomaly called the 'digital craze of the 80's' and not a rational factor in the progression of price of classic analog instruments today.
Even the common SH-101s are creeping up to the $1000 mark and sure to pass it before long.

And we're not even CLOSE to the nutiness that is vintage guitars.....$50K for a '57 Les Paul, anyone? It will happen with an RA Minimoog or two, I am sure.

Post by **meatballfulton** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 9:40 pm

shaft9000 wrote:SH-101s are creeping up to the $1000 mark and sure to pass it before long.

Shoot me now. I had two, one cost $100 and the other $25. $1000 is insane, it doesn't sound that good.

BTW where did that $10K estimate for a dotcom equivalent to a 2600 come from? Trying to think of what's in a 2600 that wouldn't fit into a 22 space dotcom (entering rathole).

Yeah, I know all about vintage guitars...I own a few (well, basses) and I don't understand that market either.

hyphen nation · Post by **hyphen nation** » Wed Mar 16, 2011 4:13 am

meatballfulton wrote:
shaft9000 wrote:SH-101s are creeping up to the $1000 mark and sure to pass it before long.
Shoot me now. I had two, one cost $100 and the other $25. $1000 is insane, it doesn't sound that good.

Agreed. I got to play with one for a day or two in a three way trade I did on here a few years ago. Fun little synth...NOT 1k worthy at all. I'd pay $250-$300 at the most..but then again I am amazed at recent prices for a 707, or a Juno 6 for that matter...

Automatic Gainsay · Post by **Automatic Gainsay** » Wed Mar 16, 2011 6:22 am

meatballfulton wrote:BTW where did that $10K estimate for a dotcom equivalent to a 2600 come from? Trying to think of what's in a 2600 that wouldn't fit into a 22 space dotcom (entering rathole).

I sold my 44- space (not entirely filled) dot com to buy my ARP 2600 several years ago. My dot com blew my ARP 2600 away in regard to functionality.
I just did a little number crunching, and I think you could get what a 2600 has with a dot com for under $5000.

Arp 2600 Value, price and functionality

Arp 2600 Value, price and functionality

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Re: Arp 2600 Value, price and functionality

Re: Arp 2600 Value, price and functionality