EMS Synthi AKS

Came into stock: December 2014

Servicing Status: Full restoration by KSR has just been completed.

Remarks: A rare opportunity to own your EMS Synthi AKS in excellent pro-restored condition, and has some great modifications to extend it’s functionality.

This Synthi AKS has a really interesting and genuine provenance as it was purchased new by the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester (UK) from EMS back in the 1970s. The Synthi was used for electroacoustic educational programs right up until the 90s, but then stored. The person we purchased it from was a student there and acquired it from the college when they were upgrading their music department about 18 years ago, and it had remained unused since.

When KSR received the Synthi AKS, and they got on with some preliminary restorative cleaning work, it revealed a really lovely cosmetic condition machine, and the electronics inside were in almost pristine condition. We know that the college had some modifications implemented to the synth, which very nicely extended the functionality, but this instrument was clearly well looked after. As part of the restoration work KSR have carried out, all these mods have been tested and everything checked out perfectly.

There is no documentation on the modifications, but from what we can determine through testing, the following has been implemented:

>VCO 1 assign to LFO mode switch
>VCO 2&3 wave-shape invert switch
>VCO 1,2&3 wave-shape assign switch
>VCO 2&3 extended wave-shape control knobs
>Envelope auto-trigger disable switch
>Reverb dry/wet enable switch
>Multi-turn potentiometers on the Input Level 1&2 controls (very useful for fine tuning).

The Synthi AKS is an extremely powerful synthesizer in standard spec, but these mods can really take the synth to a different level altogether.

These iconic and truly amazing pure analogue music instruments are in great demand by professional users, and prices are being driven up fast on the second-hand market around the world, so now might be a good time to invest in one before they become ‘Vintage Buchla or Moog Modular’ prices.

This EMS Synthi AKS comes with a full compliment of Matrix pins. KS inter-connect cable, and of course the power cable. It can operate on either EU 220V or US 110V (switchable), and it is sold with our normal 3 month warranty.

Sales Price: £9,900 UK Pounds.

Availability: This Synthi AKS is now SOLD as at 22nd April 2016.

Pictures below of actual Synthi AKS for sale, so please click on the Thumbnails for higher resolution photos.