We are Brokering this vintage sampler/workstation for and on behalf of our UK client.

Came into stock: 

February 2022.

Service Status: 

Full service by KSR was carried out in Summer 2021, but a health check will be carried out post-sale.

Remarks: 

First released in 1987,  The Emulator III was the benchmark, state of the art pro-sampler/synthesizer/workstation.  This was a very expensive bit of high-end kit that was used by all the major artists of the day.  Fully utilised for integration with ‘Macintosh’ computers equipped with MIDI, SMPTE, SCSI etc.  Yes, we’ve all moved on from SCSI, and we use DAWs mainly for digital sequencing now, but this was a serious machine for serious musicians in the 80s and was used on countless hit records. 

Winding forward 35+ years, the Emulator III sampler/synth/workstation is still a revered machine, sounds superb with its 16 Curtis 3387 analogue filters, and for aficionados of this genre of equipment, is highly collectable.

Background:

Our client, the owner of this Emulator III, purchased it from a dealer in the USA a few years ago and then wanted to have it fully optimised with a brand new Nalbantov USB floppy disk drive emulator with library installed, a new OLED display and the 4Mb Ram card upgraded to 8Mb so these upgrades are included. 

Condition:

The cosmetic condition is excellent with just some tiny signs of wear to the case & control surfaces.  You can see from the pictures we took that this example is full 100% intact, and in really super condition overall.

Health-Check & Servicing:

As mentioned above, this Emulator III has been through the hands of Kent at KSR back in the summer of 2021, but we will have this fully checked again and any service items needed will be applied, but the PSU was recently re-capped & OLED Display fitted (2021).  Please allow at least 2 to 3 weeks delay once the EIII is sold before we can effect a hand-over to the new owner, or ship it etc.

The EIII operates on either US110V or EU220V. A UK type IEC cable will be supplied in the sale.

Packing, Shipping, Insurance and Warranty: 

We can ship this sampler worldwide, although the packing, shipping & insurance costs are not included in the sale price below, so are subject to quotation.  There may be some short delays in getting the packaging materials produced for shipping as they are custom ordered for the specific dimensions of each instrument.  We are happy to discuss your requirements so please email us if you have any questions on the logistics and/or need a quote.

As the instrument is being Brokered through RL Music, it will be sold with a full 3-month (return-to-dealer) warranty, covering all parts and labour.

Sales Price: 

£5,000 GBP

As this is a brokered sale, VAT is not applicable to UK buyers, however, the packing & shipping costs are subject to VAT @ 20%, should you need the goods shipped to you.  The EIII can be available for collection from us directly in the South of England (Reading, Berkshire).

Availability: 

This Emulator III is available for sale.

Click on the thumbnail for a higher-resolution photo of the actual EIII for sale.  If you require specific pictures not already featured of the instrument then please contact us so we can try and accommodate your request but there may be a short delay in getting this done for you as the instrument is currently in secure storage.

Came into stock:  January 2015

Restoration Status: KSR have completed the full restoration on this Rhodes Chroma CC+

It could be said that the Rhodes Chroma is an instrument that sits very much ‘on the fence’ of Analogue and Digital tech. The famous designer of this instrument had a moment of genius, whilst at the same time was watching the company fold, but somehow the magic came right with a truly superb sounding vintage synth, and thank goodness!

The Chroma was the last synthesizer ever designed by  Phillip Dodd’s at Arp, just before Arp went into bankruptcy. There’s a sonic-soul to the synth that’s distinctly Arp in nature, and we alway’s felt the “Rhodes” banner confused the identity of this instrument somewhat, although without CBS/Fender, the Chroma would never have made ti to market or course.

This particular example came to us from a long-time customer in France, who is a Music professional/studio owner. The synth needed a full overhaul, which KSR have meticulously carried out, and additionally, treated all the cosmetics, like the wood cabinet and other surfaces, although this Chroma’s front-panel does show signs of wear. We have included 2 pictures that clearly show the discoloration and a small crack in the plastic control-surface panel – for full disclosure. This means we would rate this Chroma as an excellent overall condition studio synth, but not collector grade.

KSR, our vintage synth restorers, have gone through the entire system in great depth on the Chroma to ensure everything is 100% perfect operationally. They have also fitted a ancillary 5 volt PSU to the system thus providing rock solid stability for the CPU and other critical functions of the Chroma system etc., and removes the need to replace the original main-system PSU.

Additionally, we have also purchased/installed the superb CC+ CPU upgrade. thus bringing the Chroma right up to date in every aspect of the systems operation and MIDI functionality. This upgrade is not cheap but offers a very high quality upgrade path securing the synths place in a modern studio environment, plus the obvious future resale value being increased significantly.

Please click here to find out all about the CC+ CPU Upgrade

The Chroma is a very well loved and supported vintage model within the synth community. Chris Ryan has an excellent website dedicated to the model which has been a, excellent source of knowledge and support generally: rhodeschroma.com

This Rhodes Chroma is sold with a 3 month warranty and operates on EU 220V. Supplied with the synth is the CC+ MIDI break-out-box.

Price: £5990 UK Pounds

Availability: This Rhodes Chroma CC+ is now SOLD as at 17th April 2015

Click on the Thumbnails for higher resolution photos of actual Rhodes Chroma CC+ for sale.