From mpulver@netcom.comThu Aug 10 15:01:44 1995 Date: Thu, 10 Aug 1995 17:40:40 EDT From: Mark Pulver To: Legion Cc: Analogue Heaven Subject: Re: Realistic Arp 2600 Price Needed At 03:40 PM 8/10/95 -0400, Legion wrote: > >I'm thinking about getting a 2600 and have some opportunity to do so. >Does anyone know what a realistic price should be for a unit in good >working condition? No pawn shop steals or braggart tales this time around, >just an acceptable going price for a unit. I figure a great condition orange/black one with a keyboard to run about $1000. A white/black with keyboard might be a bit less... If you're looking at a white/black one, make sure you have fine tuning sliders on the VCOs and VCF. If you don't, you're looking at a rev one and I suggest that you stay away from it short of using it as a collectors piece. > >In particular I'm looking at a grey unit with no keyboard but I'd like >prices on anything you can send and the more specific the better. >Anything in particular one should look at when checking these babies out? >Is one version better than another? The rev 3 (orange) has the epoxy sealed VOC and VCF modules which are basically impossible to repair and have to be swapped. The rev 2 has open modules that can be dealt with at the component level. Sans keyboard is how I run my rev 3... I have an internal Kenton kit in it, and it's great. You will loose a bit of flexability, since the LFO is in the keyboard. The Kenton internal deals with this by time-sharing a VCO in "Low Freq" mode, (or audio range!). The later keyboards, (3620 I think), were dual voice as well. When you run through a 2600, it's best that you have someone with you, 'cause there's a lotta stuff there that might be broke and it won't be apparant until you really start getting into the box. You wanna check that the noise source works, the S&H works, the inverters work, and the "Electronic Switch" works. You wanna be sure that you can hear each VCO separately via the mixer sliders under the VCF. Make sure that you can insert a plug into each jack on the box, and that the function returns to normal when you pull it out. Hmmmm... sorry, that's a bit unlcear... The 2600 is a "normalized modular". It has some pre-defined routings that are defined by normally closed 1/8" jacks. When you insert a plug, you break the connection, and depending on the jack being an input or output (or both!) you can define a new path in/out of the module. For example, bring up the VCO1 slider at the VCF, open the VCF up all the way, and bring up the VCF slider at the mixer on the right. With the internal speakers on, you should hear a tone. Now, insert a plug into the jack below the VCO1 slider. The tone should go away. More importantly, it should come back when you pull the plug out. The jacks that ARP used on the 2600 are pretty cheap, they corrode easily and the tip tines break off. If that happens, it can make you think that you lost a VCO when in fact it's a pretty easy fix. I've gotta run outta here, so I'm gonna cut this short... I'll send ya' more when I get home tonight. Bottom line, it's a great box dude, you'll love it. But you really wanna make sure that it's pretty clean before you pay $$$ for it. ---- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark Pulver/Chicago, IL analog analog analog and umm, analog mpulver@netcom.com Voyetra 8, Xpander, P5, MKS-70, 2600, stuff