s**t Luck With Vintage Gear

[nuketifromorbit]

On the Juno-106 once you replace or refurbish the 80017A voice chips it should be rock solid...

Honestly a lot of the old vintage stuff was made to last not like the cheap c**p made in China today. I've had more probs with newer stuff (Blofeld, Q, DSI stuff, Juno-D, Nords, etc) than a lot of my vintage 70s/80s synths. The other thing is at least you CAN work on the old stuff. Newer stuff is all tiny surface mount parts and the typical fix is a complete board swap. Good luck fixing that stuff in 10-20-30 years...

Everything DSI makes is built in the states, while Nords are made in Sweden, no?

[plus321]

I learned this lesson with motorcycles last year. I bought a 1975 CL360 and I spent hours and hours trying to get it into shape and then something goes wrong a month later and you're back on it with a wrench solving another problem. The problems never really end and that's why some people like those motorcycles, because they enjoy the process of keeping it going. Some people just want to ride it and not have to fix anything. Nothing wrong with either one of those people.

I decided that I don't like the maintenance. I have some stuff that's old that I really like and I'll try to keep it going, but if I ever buy stuff, I would rather have something new. Too bad I came to this realization after I bought an sp12 that looks like it was found in the trash, haha. But if I all of a sudden had no machines and had to buy more, I would buy all new stuff.

[Dr. Phibes]

I think I've been relatively lucky so far regarding older synths. Although, in a strange way I kind of enjoy the maintenance part: it's a challenge to overcome, I learn new things and I feel a bit more of a connect to instrument since I know more about how it works. If things get too much I can always swallow my pride and send it off to the repair man, after all, it's only money

[Sexor]

I concur with the others that it's just an inevitable part of the vintage game...

Here's some of what I've lived with for years:

Alpha Juno volume slider only works at max volume. Move it down at all and the sound dies.

Polysix = wasted

SH-101: broken pitch bend stick, weird tuning fluctuations which can be fixed by tapping the power switch.

SH-2: no osc 2 and LFO slider only works in the top 20% of the range

MS20: The jack for the Freq>Volt is busted, but if you hold the jack cable in a certain way, quite forcefully, it will work.

Pro-One: broken envelope mod, strange zip noises if the cutoff knob is set between 9-10, some strange behaviour in the mod matrix, super wonkey keys.

Prodigy: filter env pot needs replacing, randomly goes to full level.

Wurli A200: one reed missing, one key needs to be hit hard to play.

Ok, I'm going to stop now, starting to feel slightly depressed. Still, it hasn't stopped me from making music with these babies every day

[walkathon]

First off, OP, consider learning some cursory electronics knowledge and then just give the deep stuff to a learned tech ... look for Delton T. Horn's synth repair book, for example.

Agree w/ the thread responses above .... can't say I ever expect to receive a 100% flawless physically and mechnically vintage piece of gear whenever I buy a "new" piece, so that tends to keep my expectations grounded. However, it's also why I kinda like going towards the vintage "needs repair" pieces I know I can handle, too. Good gear deserves to be saved, though granted that probably makes me the music equivalent of a "cat lady" and will welcome an intervention if any of my best friends are so inclined ....

Case in point, just picked up a 1200 that needs some TLC, but is completely doable, so I can relate. Buttons/pads are fixable, and swap out that floppy w/ an HxC already!

It's still a golden age we're living in ... keep the tempermental JP-4 at home in the studio, tour w/ a Nord, etc.

[calyx93]

You have never owned a PPG -- or a CS80, for that matter.

Stephen

Comes with the territory - I really don't like thinking about the amount of money I've spent on repairs for two 2.2s over the years. However, the sound certainly makes it worthwhile.

Seems like every vintage "deal" I find these days has a problem - most are rather minor though. Easy things like dirty key contacts, osc/filter out of calibration, PSU age, wobbly/crackly/stiff knobs or sliders, blown fuse (some of my best deals have simply had a blown fuse), etc.

The maintenance is a hobby unto itself.

[phesago]

I guess I have been pretty lucky with my vintage buying. Only ever had to replace bushings or get contacts cleaned. Had a pro 1 that needed a new mod wheel once, but that was something my tech did for free. I guess I shouldnt speak so soon with my newly acquired sh7 in the mail


That being said, the day I need to hound dog up some CEM's for my two OB synths might be a bad day :/ Though they are relatively cheap now, so maybe I should get them now just in case.

[bhrama]

The maintenance is a hobby unto itself.

This.

[Sir Ruff]

To counter the last point, just because it's old, does not mean that it will automatically have "issues". There is PLENTY of vintage gear out there that works as well as they day it was sold because it was well taken care of. A lot of vintage gear sellers call something "mint" and then write-off any issues as just a result of it "being old", as if it would be impossible to find one in fully working condition these days. That's complete BS.

Of course some issues are inevitable with vintage electronics (aging caps, worn pots, etc.), but gear that's been taken care of will have a much longer shelf-life than a keyboard that's been played live for 10 years and then stored in a damp basement for 10 more. If you want to avoid getting a dud, you really just have to know what to expect/ask in the first place, or be prepared to deal with it if you don't.

[calaverasgrande]

it really varies a lot. I have had several Korg Poly 800's that worked great. Though even in brand new condition it can be debated whether ANY Poly 800 actually works.
I purchased a Moog MG1 a while ago. Worked flawlessly until a few months ago. It's on my fix itpile now. Bought a Korg Poly 61, still not sure what is wrong with it but it was only $100.
If you just want to do analog synthesis or maek beats there are cheaper more reliable solutions. The MiniBrute is fun as h**l. A Doepfer Dark Energy and a cheap controller is easily affordable too.