Korg Poly 61 for $300 too much?

synthmaniak · Post by **synthmaniak** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 7:10 pm

Korg Poly 61 for $300 too much?

Not sure if i should jump on it.

micahjonhughes · Post by **micahjonhughes** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 7:35 pm

Yes. Difficult interface, no midi, mediocre sound. Save your money.

Post by **rhino** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 7:45 pm

Almost any vintage synth in playing condition should bring $300, BUT:
The P-61 is a strange beast. You should do your homework and even play one before deciding. This dinosaur might not be your cup of tea. Seems to me like Korg cut too many corners on this one.

CS_TBL · Post by **CS_TBL** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 7:46 pm

Skip it.

I won't say it has no value at all, but $300 buys you something else, more.. better etc.

synthmaniak · Post by **synthmaniak** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 8:07 pm

rhino wrote:Almost any vintage synth in playing condition should bring $300, BUT:
The P-61 is a strange beast. You should do your homework and even play one before deciding. This dinosaur might not be your cup of tea. Seems to me like Korg cut too many corners on this one.

i did see a few youtube vids that i liked. Im really into dark synths, strings.

synthmaniak · Post by **synthmaniak** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 8:08 pm

CS_TBL wrote:Skip it.

I won't say it has no value at all, but $300 buys you something else, more.. better etc.

What would you recommend for $300?

micahjonhughes · Post by **micahjonhughes** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 8:09 pm

What are you looking for in a synth?

Jabberwalky · Post by **Jabberwalky** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 8:28 pm

Not worth it. I really like the sound of it but editing is pretty basic. I'm using mine for the DCO comp

Post by **rhino** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 9:14 pm

synthmaniak wrote:
CS_TBL wrote:Skip it.

I won't say it has no value at all, but $300 buys you something else, more.. better etc.
What would you recommend for $300?

Depends what you're looking for sound/feature-wise. My 2-cents:
Alesis QS6
Ensoniq ESQ-1, SQ-80, VFX(sd)
Roland JX8p, Juno 1 or 2
Yamaha SY-55, V-50
Korg 01W

EDIT: I'm biased in favor of keys... so I left out rack modules

2manydrummachines · Post by **2manydrummachines** » Thu Mar 06, 2014 1:45 am

How is the condition of that Poly 61? It's a funny build, I think it's particle board because it was too keep its price low. There is a Poly61M which has midi. If its in good shape $300 isn't awful. Check how the buttons feel. You could always sample the melodies with the patches you make. Where is this thing for sale?

Jabberwalky · Post by **Jabberwalky** » Thu Mar 06, 2014 4:16 am

I think it is particle board, but it's the same wood as used on the polysix and the mono/poly. Triggering the arp is also really fun to mess with.

ryryoftokyo · Post by **ryryoftokyo** » Thu Mar 06, 2014 2:25 pm

If it's in really good shape and has the battery changed, I would pay up to $250. Even then, I'd want a couple cables, an effect pedal (it does really well with a nice overdrive), or a stand. See if you can talk him down. In the future, try synthprices.blogspot.com

Programming is very basic and should be intuitive, but don't expect crazy live tweaking or anything like that. Personally, I love the P61 sound and could never remove the two I have from my rig. That joystick is a ton of fun, and chord memory can make some huge leads, and unlike the Juno 60, the oscillators can be tuned. As for the sound, to me it falls in between the Polysix and the Poly 800, so if you like that sound, you'll like this.

You can mod it to have MIDI, but from what I've seen, the mod kits are often as expensive as the synth itself! Regardless, I think it's a hidden gem that can be snapped up for cheap and as we see the older generations of analog polysynths become unobtainable or impractical to own, I think attention will turn to these. Check out what Jexus does with the P61 if you want an idea of what a properly programmed one does.

If you can't get him down, +1 for the Alpha Juno 2. Another DCO board that just screams, but in a whole different way.

synthmaniak · Post by **synthmaniak** » Thu Mar 06, 2014 5:08 pm

ryryoftokyo wrote:If it's in really good shape and has the battery changed, I would pay up to $250. Even then, I'd want a couple cables, an effect pedal (it does really well with a nice overdrive), or a stand. See if you can talk him down. In the future, try synthprices.blogspot.com

Programming is very basic and should be intuitive, but don't expect crazy live tweaking or anything like that. Personally, I love the P61 sound and could never remove the two I have from my rig. That joystick is a ton of fun, and chord memory can make some huge leads, and unlike the Juno 60, the oscillators can be tuned. As for the sound, to me it falls in between the Polysix and the Poly 800, so if you like that sound, you'll like this.

You can mod it to have MIDI, but from what I've seen, the mod kits are often as expensive as the synth itself! Regardless, I think it's a hidden gem that can be snapped up for cheap and as we see the older generations of analog polysynths become unobtainable or impractical to own, I think attention will turn to these. Check out what Jexus does with the P61 if you want an idea of what a properly programmed one does.

If you can't get him down, +1 for the Alpha Juno 2. Another DCO board that just screams, but in a whole different way.

Thanks for that info!, great info!. Yea he didnt want to go down from $300. I rather wait, from research ive done $300 is a little too much for the unit. Hasnt had battery replaced either. I will continue my search for it. I really like the sounds you can create with this machine. Ive seen several videos on the tube of people playing raw sounds and custom presets.

synthmaniak · Post by **synthmaniak** » Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:16 pm

ok so i talked him down to $280 but ge said it needs a cleaning, some of the keys need to be pressed on a bit harder than usual.

ryryoftokyo · Post by **ryryoftokyo** » Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:38 pm

Way too much. $125 or no deal.

Korg Poly 61 for $300 too much?

Korg Poly 61 for $300 too much?

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Re: Korg Poly 61 for $300 too much?

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Re: Korg Poly 61 for $300 too much?

Re: Korg Poly 61 for $300 too much?

Re: Korg Poly 61 for $300 too much?

Re: Korg Poly 61 for $300 too much?

Re: Korg Poly 61 for $300 too much?

Re: Korg Poly 61 for $300 too much?

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