Tom at Waveformless put together a fun post taking a look at going vintage on the cheap.
There are a number of really underrated synths that seem to go for consistently low prices. They’re awesome synths, but nobody seems to know about them, which means you can get a great deal.
Here’s the list of synths that he highlights:
- Casio CZ-101 (typically less than $100)
- Ensoniq ESQ-1 (typically $150-$300)
- Moog (Realistic) Concertmate MG-1 (typically $100-$500)
- Oberheim Matrix-6R (typically $150-$350+)
- Roland HS-10/80 (typically $25-$100)
- Roland HS-60 (typically $200+)
- Roland MKS-7 (typically $200+)
- Yamaha CS-01 (typically $150-$250)
- Yamaha TX81Z (typically $50-$85)
See Tom’s post for his take on each of these synths.
Are these great synths? No – but you can get great deals on them and make some great sounds.
As an alternative to the Casio CZ-101, I’d recommend the CZ-1, which has twice the polyphony plus a velocity + aftertouch sensitive full-size keyboard. And is still dirt cheap.
Got other ideas for cheap vintage synths that don’t suck? Leave a comment!
Thanks – now every one of these boards will be $500+ on eBay.
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You missed off the Poly800, DX100, Sequential Sixtraks and the SH09 (amongst others)
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the SH-09 isn’t really dirt cheap.. they’ve been going for around $500 recently, and i’ve seen some listed for $700-800. it’s a pretty fantastic deal for $500 considering the massive sound. wish i didn’t have to sell mine last year.
love the six trak.. i sold mine after getting a prophet 600 because they sound almost identical, but i miss it dearly.
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I second the Sixtrak. They're extremely easy to repair (socketed components) and it sounds fantastic, a real gem
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Good synths!
The Six Trak is a little cheesy since it's got only one VCO per voice, but throw a chorus or reverb on it and it sounds pretty good.
Love the "Record 6" tuning function!
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Good synths!
The Six Trak is a little cheesy since it's got only one VCO per voice, but throw a chorus or reverb on it and it sounds pretty good.
Love the "Record 6" tuning function!
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I also think the Roland Alpha juno 2 should be mentioned I purchased mine for 200 dollars
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the korg poly-800 is great!
also
Akai – AX 60, VCO, VCF, VCA + Midi, 6 voices, unison, HPF and one of the harshest most amazing low-pass filters ever
Plus a fader for nearly everything
such a good deal and one of the most slept on analogs
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I second that vote on the Akai – AX60. Great synth.
AX80 is also amazing but a bit more.
They we both very good but at the time people were in love with the DX7 so they we ignored.
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I think the point here is "cheap" and your Roland Alpha Juno 2 is covered under the banner of the HS10/80 which are the same thing with added speakers for the "home organ" market.
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Poly800 rules! DX100 is a TX81Z and I wouldn't have said SH09s are that cheap. In the UK they often go for £300 or 500 USD.
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My votes are:
Casio VZ-10m (same as FM but different)
HOHNER HS2e (a Casio VZ-10M with a different badge)
Yamaha SK10 or 15 (string machine)
Cheetah MS6 (almost a copy of the Oberheim Matrix 1000 but half the price)
Casio CT-410V (for cheese appeal but a real synth with a filter!)
Roland D-110 (if you can't afford a D50/550)
Kawai K4R (for usable nostalgia or a K1 for cheap low-fi dirt)
Evolution EVS1 (funny little thing but can produce some good sounds)
Siel Expander 80 (like a Korg Poly)
Ensoniq SQ-R
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Oh, and a Korg Wavestation SR; I know you can get a soft version but it's just not the same for noodling around on.
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A bit of a toy, but don't pass up on a Yamaha PSS-570 if you see one – it gives AWESOME FM sounds with both presets and manual controls. (And "awesome" is a word I never use.)
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Awesome!
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no no no the MG 1 does suck.
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MirlitronOne: Seconded.
I have a Yamaha PSS-470 that I picked up for $3 at a thrift shop and its pretty impressive for a "toy" (especially with a few well-placed bends).
The TX81Z is a great entry-level box. I'm glad to see that on the list.
Roland D-110s usually go for pretty cheap but they're such a pain to program that it kind of forces them into the 'suck' category.
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ROLAND ALPHA JUNO 2!!
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Korg X5D rocks my temple…
Got it for 175 Euro, say 200 $ or something.
Its newer but can be made to sound analog with some tweaking. ( It has some standard echo/reverb to it, sounds to wet, like a fucking digital cave)
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kawai sx240 best cheap analog synth going. also the k3 is pretty capable of analog sounding patches and some sounds a analog cant do
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I picked up a K1ii off craigslist for $55, pretty fun to play around with.
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Forgot to add: Ensoniq ESQ-1, AKAI AX-60, Korg DW-8000, Crumar DS-2, Crumar Performer for synths I once had and WANT BACK AGAIN!!
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WOW the prices went up pretty good lately on ebay and even on CL. I used to be able to find a Kawai SX-240 for around $250 or less. Now I see them for $400-600, same with Yamaha CS-01, CS-05 and the Korg Micropreset often pops up for $500, give or take a few (btw all synths I used to have and had to sell due to financial distress) Thanks alot showroom synth collectors for driving the prices to the moon.
My affordable synths are: Casio HT-6000 4-DCO beast, Casio HT-700, Yamaha PSS-680 fully programmable via SYSEX, Paia Fatman, Korg EA-1 now considered vintage, EMU MoPhatt love the Z-Plane filters.
Cheap synths I want or wished they were cheap again: Casio CZ1000 because it looks funky, I WANT MY YAMAHA CS-5 BACK!! Multivox MX-2000/Pulser had it, but had a dodgy VCO, Kawai SX-210/240, Teisco/Kawai SX-400 have one sitting around in Germany, collecting dust, Korg Maxi 800DV, Yamaha SK-30, Multivox MX-3000 and many, many more… bummer that I can only fork up around $200 at a time.
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I agree about “showroom collectors” here in Victoria BC Canada there’s one guy who keeps buying up all the used gear and then trys to sell it online for ridiculous prices.
Anyway, my favorite “cheap” synths are:
Roland Juno-6: Everyone wants the 60 or the 106 so the 6 is still affordable.
Moog MG-1: Got mine in 2012 for $100 in mint condition!!
Yamaha PSS-480: A toy? Maybe, but still a great source of tweak-able FM sounds.
Yamaha FB-01: FM synth module with great crunchy sounds that can still be found for under $100.
Yamaha PSR-36: One of the best “home” keyboards I’ve ever owned. FM programming made easy.
Casio SK-1: I carry this in my bag wherever I go. Mine has MIDI in and sounds great through a…
Korg Monotron: At $50 a pop I have several of these. Great for adding analog grunge to digital synths.
Finally, I briefly owned an Akai AX-73 which I sold in early 2012 for $200. It was an AWESOME synth and, as some have said, totally underrated. I would have kept it but with it 6-octave keyboard it’s really wide and I didn’t have a shelf long enough for it in my small studio. On the up side I used the $200 to buy a Univox Mini-Korg which is also a great, affordable synth.
Cheers!
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I’ve only seen the cs-01 for $400 or so. I picked up a cs-5 for the same price. Seemed like the better deal, ignoring portability.
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I’ve owned (and sold) the Matrix 6R and the TX81Z. The Oberheim sounds REALLY great unless you actually want to program it. Even with the awesome sysex controllers we have available now (Behringer BCR, iPad, etc.) it really REALLY sucks. Sweep the filter smoothly with a knob? Forget it. Control the extensive mod matrix from a controller? No chance! Much better off buying the Matrix 1000. You can use it as an analog rompler and maybe just tweak a few parameters. Still has that same great sound for pads and textures.
The TX81Z I really liked too but again I had trouble programming it with a MIDI controller. Constant ‘buffer overload’ errors. Unlike the Matrix 6, I wasn’t sure if it was an issue with the unit or with my setup. Either way it didn’t really matter as it only cost me $100! So I flipped it.
I would say the ESQ1 (and the SQ80) is the pick of the bunch. A genuinely great and very powerful synth at a bargain price. Great interface too. But I think the cat is out of the bag now. Prices are steadily climbing! Same with the KORG DW8000 and the Roland Alpha Juno/MKS-50. All great, charismatic 80s analog/hybrid synths!
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i also have a poly 800 BUT cannot get any good sounds out of it also i have a korg wave station
what am i doung wrong
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