Yamaha CS60

We are Brokering this instrument for and on behalf of our UK customer.

Came into stock: May 2016

Restoration Status: KSR to service once sold, and prior to shipping to the new owner.

Remarks: This beautiful vintage synthesizer is in all original condition – all front panel surfaces, wood surround and tolex in very good condition, and showing only expected amounts of wear & tear for a 40 year old instrument. This is a ‘home only’ used instrument, so kept and used in a gentle environment which is clearly reflected in the condition. Also Included in the sale is the original Yamaha Accessories Bag which contains the legs, expression (volume) & sustain pedal (supplied as-is and untested/assembled).

The original owner has owned this CS60 since 1979, and was the first synth they ever owned. As a younger man, he applied some stickers to the synth, some of which you can still see in the photos below. We removed one of the large stickers but there is residue left, so these will need some gentle removal by whomever buys it.

The CS60 is a 8 note polyphonic system with velocity, after-touch and a ribbon controller which offers the player a really organic feel into the performance of the instrument. Other key real-time control facilities, such as the LFO/ring-modulator section really make the CS60 a great players instrument – it’s all about the performance with the big CS polys. 

The resonant qualities of the Yamaha CS series filter are unmatched by any other polysynth, so they sound unique. The CS60 shares the same architecture of the CS80 (including Memories & Ribbon Spring) which is why it offers an excellent way to dial into the CS80 sound potential for an awful lot less money.

This exceptional synthesizer will be fully serviced and calibrated by our tech, and Mr CS80 himself – Kent at KSR, prior to sale. This very good condition CS60 will represent an excellent investment and an everyday useable machine for any musician looking for a unique sound

Runs on EU 220V.

As with all Brokered Sales, the synth will be fully serviced post-sale before it’s sent to its new owner. We do this to ensure that the instrument leaves us in perfect operational condition, and it is backed up by our full warranty to give the new owner complete peace of mind. The servicing is carried out as a priority once the the sale has been completed, and although it will delay shipping/delivery by a short time, we know from experience that customers are happy to wait.

Guide Price Post-Servicing: £3995 GBP.

Availability: This Yamaha CS60 is no longer available for sale – as at 22nd June 2017.

Pictures of the actual CS60 for sale below.

BUY THIS CS60

Korg Sigma

Came into stock: Arrived at RL Music in October 2015.

Servicing status: Servicing was carried out by KSR late October 2015.

Estimated time from servicing: Available for sale now.

Remarks: We have just managed to pick up this really nice original condition Korg Sigma which is now ready for sale.

The Sigma is an unusual instrument that approaches the whole ‘being a synth’ from quite a different perspective, and these quirky instruments are what makes vintage synths so interesting. It’s bi-timbric for starters, meaning it can play its presents and the separate synth section simultaneously. It also has aftertouch and joystick controls for some really useful expressive input

The VCO/VCF combination are very powerful and pure in tone, so the Sigma has a nice raspy edge to it reminiscent of the MS20 in some ways. You can certainly drive some nasty Bass & synthy effects (ring-mod etc) out of it, along with more traditional synth-lead sounds. Hard to put a finger on the sound character to be honest but it’s different, and in todays music that’s just what musicians are looking for.

Why Korg produced something so unusual is a bit of a mystery, but the world is a better place for it.

Runs on EU 220V. The Sigma will be sold with a 3 month warranty & supplied with a user-manual (on PDF).

Guide Price Post-Servicing: £650 GBP

Availability: This Korg Sigma is now SOLD as at 25th August 2016.

Pictures of actual Korg Sigma for sale below, so please click on the thumbnails for higher resolution photos.

BUY THIS SIGMA

Yamaha CS80

We are Brokering this Yamaha CS80 for and on behalf of our customer.

This CS80 has recently been delivered to our restoration partners – KSR in Surrey, UK.

The CS80 is in pristine condition, has had MIDI and the Unison mod fitted, and has been previously fully cosmetically & operatonally restored by RL Music, was supplied to the current owner. The CS80 is now due service, and may need some other minor cosmetic refurbishment, but all this will be included in the sales price.

Here is some information on what we invest into these amazing synthesizers, and what our customers can expect to receive:

All the RL Music supplied CS80s are restored by the world renown CS80 expert Kent Spong of KSR (Kent Spong Restorations) in London. Sound on Sound magazine (SOS) did an interview article on Kent, which you can find here:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun13/articles/kent-spong.htm

Extent of full Cosmetic & Operation Restoration (Total Restoration):
All aspects of the CS80 cosmetic and operational integrity are addressed including re-tolexing all the exterior, re-painting and screen printing all control surfaces and considerable electronic overhaul and upgrade. This work can take up to 12 weeks to complete from receipt of deposit.  Additional upgrade options are available as well, these are all detailed below.

The restoration level that KSR apply to RL Music supplied CS80 is not commercially available to anyone else. If you want some of the technical detail of whats covered on the operational aspect then please let us know.

What you could get in our Total Restoration Option:

>A pristine and fully operationally restored CS80, which can be converted to run on 220V or 110V depending on the customers requirements, although the instrument is currently set up to run on EU 220V.

>MIDI Supplied and Fitted.

>All control surfaces stripped and re-sprayed, and then re-screen printed to factory spec.

>Both synth and lid re-tolexed.

>New solid Walnut wood Surround, hand-made by Lamond Design (our appointed specialist cabinet maker).

>Cascade Unison Mod installed.

>An ultra-high pro-restored vintage synthesiser which is cosmetically stunning, reliable, in tune and can meet the demands of a commercial studio environment and an excellent investment as a historic instrument.

Previous Customers:
For over a 13 years, we have sold CS80s world-wide to musicians, bands, composers, studios and synth enthusiasts in general. Clients include: Hans Zimmer, Coldplay and numerous MI professionals – both artists and producers etc.  All CS80 owners expect the highest quality, and are in out experience, very discerning buyers, so we work to a level that ensures the instrument is every-day usable for years and meets expectations.

Warranty:
The CS80 would be sold with a 6 month warranty as standard which covers all parts and labour and telephone/Skype technical support. KSR also provide full after-sales technical support for the CS80 by phone, email and Skype post-warranty. KSR are world renown CS80 experts and currently support hundreds of these models around the world for professional musicians/studios and enthusiasts etc.

Upgrade Option 1:
If Midi is required on the CS80 then we are able to supply and install the Kenton Midi retrofit Kits for an additional £850 GBP. Payment for the Midi Kits must be made in advance along with the deposit mentioned below.

Upgrade Option 2:
Wood Surround (in Walnut) beautifully hand crafted by Lamond Design for an additional £750 GBP.

Upgrade Option 3:
KSR have designed the special modification for the CS80 (The Cascade Unison Mod ) so that if you press a single note then you get all 16 VCOs but if you press 2 notes together then it’s 8 voices per note..then 4 notes its 4 VCO’s per note etc etc. Thus meaning that it’s a kind of polyphonic unison, and offers new creative control of the powerful sound the CS80 delivers. Nearly all CS80’s we have sold in the last few years have had these fitted and it definitely adds great sonic value with no impact on the systems reliability or longevity. The Cascade Unison Mod costs £850 GBP.

Items of Note:
Most CS80’s have lost their ‘Pedals, Music Stand and Legs’ over the years, so in most cases we are unable to supply these orignal accessories to the new owner. However, this CS80 we are Brokering does come with the original expression pedal, chrome stand and Its original lid. We get asked a lot about what modern stands to use for these mighty synthesizers, so recommend the Quik-lok Mixer stand WS-650, although the original CS80 stand will also be fine if preferred.

Terms of Deposit & Sale on the CS80:
The CS80 can be reserved on deposit (50%) payable by bank transfer. Once the deposit has cleared, then we can normally have the CS80 ready from KSR in from 6 to 12 weeks, depending on the restoration option chosen. The balance of payment is due once the synth is ready. You are welcome to collect from us in the UK but we can have them custom crated and shipped world-wide.

Why Buy from RL Music:
Most of the restoration work we undertake against any high-end vintage synths these days involves the same amount of effort we describe above, so the prices have to reflect the investment in time, resources and skill made to get them to the highest possible quality and finest condition possible, and we know you will not find better anywhere in the world.

Price: As this CS80 has been previously full cosmetically & operationally restored, and fitted with MIDI/Unison Mod, then the above ‘option prices’ do not apply. It has its original wood surround. The sales price is £14500 GBP. This is a considerable saving over the normal upgrade price options for us to supply a CS80.

Availability: This CS80 is now SOLD as at 20th January 2016.

Library picture here is of the last CS80 we fully restored. The shot was taken just before it was packed and shipped out to an overseas customer. We’ll organise some photos of the actual CS80 for sale shortly and include them in this page.


RESERVE THIS CS80

Yamaha CS70M

Came into stock: Due at RL Music late June 2013

Restoration Status: KSR will undertake full restoration once in receipt of instrument from RL Music in early July.

ETR (estimated time from restoration): September 2013

Remarks: We’re excited to be able to get hold of this super condition CS70M as they really are quite magnificent synths for a whole number of reasons. These were proper old-school designed analogue systems made in the early 80s, and it wasn’t long after these came out that the DX7 was introduced, which seems hard to believe really.

The CS70M has for many people been overlooked, or perhaps overshadowed by it’s bigger brother – the CS80, but time is a funny thing and we think this synth is about to become highly sought after.

6 Voice, dual channel (stereo), aftertouch, 30 memories, ring-mod, fully programmable and with a 4 channel polyphonic sequencer…sweet!

Those in the know will already tell you that this is one of the finest analogue polys ever made, and a work of audio art in its own right. It shares much of the same technology at the CS80 and many of the characteristics and tonal qualities as well. The other big ‘Hello’ is also the fact you can get really close to the CS80 sound for a lot less money…this makes it even more appealing.

There are a few demos on YT of these but we like this rather ambient-noodling one from ‘MoreAnalog’ because it demonstrates nicely how the CS70M has the CS80 vibe we are talking about: “Yamaha CS70M – an amazing legend”

Guide Price Post-Restoration: £ – to be confirmed

Availability: This CS70M is now SOLD on deposit, as at 24th June 2013.

Images of actual instrument below, higher resolution images will become available post-restoration.

RESERVE THIS CS70M

Ensoniq VFX-SD

Came into stock:  April 2013

Servicing Status: Currently being serviced by KSR

ETR (estimated time from restoration): May 2013.

Remarks: The evolution of the Ensoniq Synthesizers from the ESQ-1 developed strongly into the VFX, which uses wavetable synthesis – like the PPG et al.

This model was a powerhouse of synth technology and even featured polyphonic aftertouch, inbuilt effects and 21 note polyphonic keyboard. Even by todays standards that’s impressive, although poly AT is exceptional!

Even if you don’t use the fantastic synth for its sounds (and why wouldn’t you?), you still have an excellent MIDI keyboard controller for your soft-synths, and it transmits Poly AT & velocity.

Operates on EU 220V and sold with a 3 month warranty.

Guide Price Servicing: £590 GBP

Availability: This Ensoniq VFX-SD is now SOLD as at 31st July 2013.

RESERVE THIS VFX-SD