roland jupiter 4 issues

[chiasticon]

so i bought this jupiter 4 on ebay... buyer claims it works perfect, etc. OF COURSE it doesn't and OF COURSE he's fighting me on returning it, getting money back, etc.

but anyway, i'd like to keep it if i can. hopefully i can fix the issues. which are:
- sub osc switch does nothing. at all. does it only work on certain octave/transpose settings or something? i can't get it to do anything regardless of that.
- release slider does nothing. in manual mode, i always have an abrupt release. always. with any of the stored memories, same deal. even "strings" has an abrupt release! so this is clearly busted.
- the lfo bend switch is broken off. i can probably source this, but any pointers on switches for these bad boys?

thanks in advance for any help i might get! MUCH appreciated

[maindeglorie]

I had the SAME think happen to me with my JP-4. I know they are delicate instruments, but come on!

I have similar problems with my sliders too.

Where are you located?

[chiasticon]

you did!?! oh man... tell me you were able to fix it.....

i'm in ohio. i've got an sh5 and sh7 and they're SOLID. sh5 came from japan too! but this is unfortunately not in as good of shape

trouble is, i don't even know a good spot around here to get these repaired. hoping i can do something myself but i dunno...

[T-John]

I'm having my JP-4 serviced next week, it's been faulty ever since I bought it off eBay (of course it was also in "perfect" working condition ) a few years ago. They really are some delicate beasts... Can't offer much in terms of advice, but you have my sympathy and understanding! Try the tech stickie for local repair guys, there's about 8 pages so there might be someone near you.

[chiasticon]

CORRECTION! the sub-osc does work. not sure what the deal is that i couldn't get it to last night. maybe just user error/vodka?

anyway, release is still acting funky. tried deoxit-ing the slider too, just in case. the filter env seems ULTRA touchy too. is this normal? what slope is it using (linear/exponential)?

[maindeglorie]

It's a board problem I think, and not a slider problem. My cutoff and resonance are stuck at almost full.

You could ship it to Analog Keys in Cambridge, MA to have it fully serviced if you are interested. I can hook you up with contact info.

[nathanscribe]

If the release (filter or VCA?) is not working on any of the presets, I too would have thought it would not be a slider issue. I don't know the guts of the JP-4 very well, but from what I recall the envelopes are clock pulses controlling CMOS switches - I would suspect the circuit around the envelope switching rather than the panel slider. The presets do not go through the sliders - none of the controls affect stored sounds in any way, except the performance controls on the left (LFO, arp and bender, etc).

As for the osc switch, it could just be dirty. Always suspect the simplest thing first. So yes, maybe vodka.

[chiasticon]

maindeglorie, that'd be great if you could. i called analogics in the cleveland area but he's not returned it yet (nor the email i sent him about another synth months ago). i'd prefer not shipping it, but oh well...

nathanscribe: it's the vca release that's not working. i know the controls (main panel) don't work with the presets. i figured it was just worth a try, really. plus the main volume was scratchy so i had the deoxit out anyway

i also tried reseating the cards (well, just pressing them in good), turning the vca release trim pot as well as making sure all the plastic connectors were seated right. nothing. looks like i need a tech...

[nadafarms]

yeah bummer to hear this guys, you definitely gotta remember that the Jup4 is like four vintage monosynths in one. So can't really be compared to the other sh series in terms of reliability. The very idea of seeing a packed up jup4 being manhandled by a UPS or Fedex worker sends chills down my spine...

I'm sure if you fight the guy through paypal you will win and be able to return it, in the end it's the sellers responsibility to deliver working gear. Is it that one that went for like $1000ish best offer? I was about to buy that one yikes.

[chiasticon]

yea nada, that's the one. good news is he's willing to do a partial refund. not sure how much yet tho. we'll see... also, if it's a decent enough refund then really once i get it repaired (assuming it's not too expensive) it'll still be a good value. it's in great cosmetic shape and all four voices work and are in tune, it just has these other issues.

i kind of wish you'd gotten it, since you live near some techs!

i don't think ups did any manhandling, honestly. the box looks excellent. and i don't think this guy is lying or selling faulty gear, i just think he doesn't know any better and didn't test it fully before shipping (he's owned it for 20 years but hasn't played it in several and he's a guitar dealer). he keeps calling vca release sustain, for example; because he's talking in guitarists terms rather than env/synthesist terms.