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Oberheim OB-Xa price / any advice?

Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 3:20 am
by loweprofile
What's a fair price for a mint condition Oberheim OB-Xa - 8 voice, 120 programs? I have an opportunity to purchase one for $3000 described to be in "museum quality." The owner has replaced many of the "factory" preset patches with his own. I am seeking general advice on buying an OB-Xa. And, does anyone know where I might find the OB-Xa data cassettes with original patches to truly restore the synth to "mint".

Re: Oberheim OB-Xa price / any advice?

Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 4:40 am
by xpander
loweprofile wrote:What's a fair price for a mint condition Oberheim OB-Xa - 8 voice, 120 programs? I have an opportunity to purchase one for $3000 described to be in "museum quality." The owner has replaced many of the "factory" preset patches with his own. I am seeking general advice on buying an OB-Xa. And, does anyone know where I might find the OB-Xa data cassettes with original patches to truly restore the synth to "mint".
mint condition stuff can sell for unreal money compared to the same thing with scratches. if it really is mint & you want an OBXa, you can't go wrong.

Re: Oberheim OB-Xa price / any advice?

Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 3:11 pm
by minime123
who determined it to be "mint"?
you should see some of the c**p we've gotten that was rated "mint" by the seller.
check analog.no for the patches.

Re: Oberheim OB-Xa price / any advice?

Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 5:30 pm
by JMP
Seems a fair price for one in good nic. They've ranged from £890 up to £2,095 in UK over last few years. Also depends on whether MIDI has been retro-fitted.... Encore/Kenton kits aren't that cheap, particularly the latter.

If you PM your email address I can send you the factory sounds as a WAV file (358kb). I'd save the sellers patches first though, they may be better....

Re: Oberheim OB-Xa price / any advice?

Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 7:30 pm
by loweprofile
The seller is also a keyboard dealer and describes this board as the cleanest OB-Xa he has ever seen. No 3rd party has determined it to be "mint".

A question for "minime123": What's your selling price on a perfectly functioning OB-Xa with retrofit MIDI? I haven't got any comparison to this unit and the seller's asking price.

Re: Oberheim OB-Xa price / any advice?

Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 11:01 pm
by mankindjj
Hi there, I bought that OB-Xa and it looks like it just came out of the box. Functions 10/10. Not to mention the DSX sequencer that came with it.

I am a collector of sorts, and this is the finest example of this synth I could have ever hoped for. And I've been looking :shock:

Just wanted to clear that up :D

Happy New year!!

Re: Oberheim OB-Xa price / any advice?

Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 12:14 am
by JMP
Nice one, get yourself a DMX drum machine and your away in style...!

Re: Oberheim OB-Xa price / any advice?

Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 1:34 am
by clusterchord
i think $3000 is way too much. regardless of its condition. but don't let me stop you.

even here in EU, which traditionally had 20 - 30% higher asking prices than US, you can get one for 1600 - 1700 eur. maybe not museum, but very nice and 100% working. indeed some polyphonics went sky high in price lately, like jup8, mm and cs80, but not ob8 and obxa specifically. except with these self-titled "reputable" dealers. oh i so hate this word..

if u put any muscle in it u can still source it for under $2K. they aren't exactly rare. don't just fall for the first guy tryin to rip u off.

best of luck.

PS you really dont need original data patches to "restore to mint". theyre c**p anyway. its a fairly simple arhitecture synth, with such an inviting interface. you ll be rolling your own patches in no time. dont worry.. :wink:

Re: Oberheim OB-Xa price / any advice?

Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2009 10:58 am
by JMP
clusterchord wrote:i think $3000 is way too much. regardless of its condition. but don't let me stop you.
Too late, he's already bought it.... that price in UK equates to £2,060 currently. You're right, this is top end and probably high for these in the US but for an 8 voice/120 program version in museum quality including the DSX sequencer, it's a fair asking price in the UK. Last comparable one on Ebay UK sold for £2,095 in April 2008 and as "reputable" dealers go, RL Music have one currently for £2,450 which you would expect to be high considering from where you're buying it, warranty etc.
don't just fall for the first guy tryin to rip u off.
Think it's really a case of buying a cheaper one needing fixing up or some TLC against, as he's said, one in museum condition. Mine cost a shed lot less but had £550 of repairs and a 12 month wait to get refurbished and I'm unlikely to do that again...
PS you really dont need original data patches to "restore to mint". theyre c**p anyway. i


I agree !