Sunday 3 January 2010

ARP 2600

Mid-era 2600 in CA USA currently $4150 [£2550]




2 comments:

  1. sold for $5322 [£3295]
    15 bids
    san rafael CA USA

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  2. from ebayer:

    Up for auction is a vintage Arp 2600 with keyboard. As you can tell from the photographs, the Arp is in great shape and has had the same owner since the 1970's! Electronically, everything works wonderfully. Here is your chance to own a wonderful classic. This Arp is a gray face model with the 3620 keyboard that allows for duophonic playing and gives the user an additional LFO.

    For those unfamiliar with Arp 2600 I will give a little bit of information. The 2600, much like the Minimoog or the Korg MS 20 is one of those classic synthesizers responsible for some of the most revered synthesizer tones on many a beloved records. As much at home within the avant garde as progressive rock, the sound of the 2600 traverses the full spectrum of synthesizer sounds. What distinguishes the 2600 from many other synths, including software based emulations, is the sheer tone. It is full, present, and organic. When a bass note hits with a closed filter, the room shakes, when a three oscillator lead with a bit of portamento slides between high notes, eyes tear up. It is the kind of instrument that is unparalleled and has stood the test of time. The Arp is as relevant and usable today as it was when it premiered in the 1970's.

    The Arp 2600 is equipped with three oscillators, a 24db/oct filter, two envelope generators, an lfo (but each oscillator can function as an LFO as well), a sample and hold, a noise generator that can generate noise colours ranging between white and pink noise, an analog ring modulator with a preamp input for processing external sources, an analog voltage controlled amp, and a spring tank for adding spring reverb. Architecturally, the synthesizer is somewhat pre-patched but adopts an semi-modular format with 1/8 inch jacks for bypassing the pre-patching and allowing the user to build a synth structure of their liking. This modular format allows for nearly limitless possibilities and for all sorts of experimenting. Since the Arp was designed to be a teaching tool it is very easy to use and anyone looking for a doorway into modular synthesis should seriously consider this synth.

    As you can tell from the photographs, this Arp is in very good shape. All the sliders have been cleaned so that they operate smoothly and with no noise. The synth itself was checked out by a professional technician and has been fully calibrated. There is only one slider that is missing a slider cap on the main synth, and one slider that is missing a cap on the keyboard. This is a common problem on the Arp. However, this is merely a cosmetic and NOT functional issues as the sliders can still be operated. Also, it is worth noting that there have been some modifications that have been added. On the back panel there are XLR outputs and on the front panel there is some kind of a din jack. This modification is unclear as to what it does and the user is free to open the synth to see what it is wired to. The external tolex has seen better days but again, this is a cosmetic issue that plagues all Arp's of this age and era and in no way impedes on the operation of this synth.

    The only issues that have presented themselves are with the keyboard which needs some cleaning. Currently there is ONE dead key, and the keyboard contacts need to be cleaned as some keys double trigger and some of the higher octave keys don't track as well. This is not an issue with the actual synth as it tracked perfectly with a different keyboard. With some cleaning the keyboard should be back to excellent operation. Apart from that, all the other functions of the keyboard work as they should. The LFO, portamento, and all switches function 100%.

    Don't miss your chance to own an absolute classic and bid with confidence. This is a classic vintage synth and is being sold AS IS, however, all of the mentioned issues have been clearly outlined, and electronically, apart from the aforementioned keyboard problems, the synthesizer is flawless. This is one of those synths that don't appear too often and now you can own one from a good home

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