Roland SH synths... buy from Japan?

[8bit9bot]

Review of experience:
Roland SH-2 purchased from BuyJapan on eBay.

I was impressed by the price... it seemed very low considering the going price of an SH-101 in USA. The speed of the shipping was incredible... it literally took 3 days. The package arrived undamaged. That's the end of the "good" part of this review.

The packing was questionable... the SH-2 came with original hard case which simply had a layer of bubble wrap around it... It looks like the case also had some slight damage which was probably pre-existing... and one of the hinges is missing screws/maybe has stripped screw holes. Some oxidation on the latches... I could live with all this but here comes the part I didn't gel with:

I opened the box up to discover there was a modification on the front panel of the SH-2 which was not featured in the pictures in the listing. The front panel had a hole drilled in it and a switch mounted above the "VCO1" controls. I figured it was for oscillator sync or something... and I confirmed it is an oscillator sync mod. I don't like modified gear... at all... I go out of my way to buy gear that is in original form. So this really was a let down for me... I know some of you will think this modification greatly increases the possibilities of the synth but I intentionally wanted this synth for its simplicity and tone only... I have a Prophet-5 and TX-802... there are plenty of complex options available on those. Also one of the plastic cheek ends has a crack in it and the front panel has sort of a "loose" feeling if I put pressure on it... not cool... probably inexpensive to fix but I expected the condition to be better. There were no functional problems with the SH-2 what-so-ever.

UPDATE: I contacted the seller... they offered me a $250 refund instead of doing a return! So... I will keep it... That's a much better deal than losing money on the shipping. I'm considering "removing the mod" and plugging the hole in the front panel... also buying a replacement plastic cheek end.

And now a short review of the SH-2 itself... I didn't spend weeks with it... so don't get too pissed about my review: It sounds fantastic... there's nothing I expected that was missing. It wouldn't become my favorite synth but it definitely could find a lot of use from me while the P5 is in the shop getting an overhaul... which it is.

[Jabberwalky]

That's bullshit that the mod was not even mentioned, or the cracked side....but wow man. You got an excellent mod and paid $250 less! I would have been happy as a clam.

[8bit9bot]

That's bullshit that the mod was not even mentioned, or the cracked side....but wow man. You got an excellent mod and paid $250 less! I would have been happy as a clam.

yeah i cant say im super disappointed overall haha

[Nils]

FWIW that mod is probably an added value in many people's eyes, so with the $250 discount in mind you will probably get your money back and then some if you sell it on.

I also ordered an SH-2 from Japan recently, and everything went really well - condition better than expected, and for some reason I escaped taxes (I'm in Norway, import taxes are usually 25%).

I'm surprised the SH-2 is as cheap as it is compared to other SH synths. It still seems very good value for what it is. I'm considering modifying it with VCO2 CV in, VCF CV in, and FM of filter and VCO2 from VCO1, but I'll be replacing existing functions so no mods to the exterior will be necessary.

[8bit9bot]

you're correct - i did end up reselling it and getting all the money back in the process