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

Servicing Status: KSR have carried out a full health-check on this DX-1 in June 2023.

Remarks: A good all original condition Yamaha DX-1, which we have previously sold to the current owner but they are now Brokering it back through us for re-sale.

What is there to say on this 1983 flagship synthesizer that has not already been written, but it’s a very rare machine with only 140 reported to have ever been manufactured, so a really unique find in 2023. I terms of some historic information, we have found a useful website that has a dedicated page to the DX-1, which also includes some videos.  If you would like to delve into the back-story on the DX-1 and understand more about it’s capabilities and sounds the please click the link below to find out more:

Classic Gear -The Yamaha DX1: Owning and Recreating the King of FM

We are not affiliated, nor have we contributed or edited any of the information provided in the link above, so this is an independent source for the DX-1 which we hope you find of interest.

Cosmetic Condition:

The overall condition of this example is very good, with the normal amount of wear we would expect to see on a synth this age, size and quality. We sold this DX-1 to our EU customer, so it was shipped out of the UK against the original sale and then was re-imported in May this year, having been sent straight to Kent Spong at KSR for some servicing, where the instrument currently resides. 

The photos below were taken at KSR, so are un-doctored and show the overall presentation.

Operational Condition:

The following declaration is made in good faith and is an honest account of the current operational condition of this example.  

All the controls, LEDs, functions of the control panel work as they should, so LED buttons are all operational.  However,  Bank A Voice 5 button feels slightly different to operate than the others which suggests the component is faulty, but it does function, although it can be intermittent. We are not aware of a replacement for this part as it would appear to be a DX-1 specific component but we are declaring this as a known issue.

The LDC display is fully working with all segments showing properly and brightness is perfectly readable.  The volume LED indicator on the right hand side, next to where to says ‘DX-1  ’ on the front panel has one of the tiny LED segments that is dimmer than all the rest (the 14db) and one that does not work (the 96 db) – I’ve attached a photo I took when we had it set up in the workshop .

The sliders top the right of the instrument all work correctly.

The modulation and pitch-wheel both operate correctly.

The DX- sound engine itself operates correctly.  There are some classic ‘DX’ patches loaded in the system, I did try to edit some sounds and all the edit functions were available are working, although I didn’t save those changes.

The professional weighted 73 note wood keyboard was fully working in terms of triggering notes, and the velocity was 100% working across all keys.

The Polyphonic After-Touch (Poly-AT) is not operating at more than 30% of the keyboard. Kent has gone though each key to check the after-touch sensors and there are many that simply are not working.  Kent at KSR does not currently have any supply for replacements, so this is not something Kent has a resolution for, but the owner is aware and this is factored into the sale price.

In consulting with Kent at KSR on the reality on getting the Poly-AT system fully restored, as I know this would be of interest to any potential buyer,  Kent told me that every DX-1 he had seen had similar issues as there are no replacement parts for the Poly-AT sensors at present.  He said that in the last 6 years he had serviced two DX-1 owned by MI professionals, and both those machines also had significant Poly-AT sensor failures, so it would seem to be consistent with the age of these machines.  I personally would be very suspicious of anyone selling a DX-1 stating that the Poly-AT system was 100% based on this reality.

Summary:

We have seen people advertising the Yamaha DX-1 from £60,000 to nearly £150,000 GBP in recent years, which is eye-watering, but with such a small production run plus is being such an historic instrument with A-list users like Dire Straits and Michael Jackson et al, it’s not hard to understand why people might value them this high.  With the declared operational condition of this particular DX-1 in mind, we have agreed with our Client, the owner, to price this example much more realistically. The price below is not subject to VAT in the UK as this is a commission sale but it might be subject to import duties in your own country, if you are purchasing outside the UK.

This DX-1 has multiple power settings so it’s able to operate in any country around the world without he need for any external power-supplies to step-up or down. We will also supply  a PDF copy of the owners manual.

As the instrument is being Brokered through RL Music, it will be sold with a full 3-month warranty and we can ship worldwide.  

Packing & Shipping: 

We can ship this DX-1 worldwide, although the packing, shipping & insurance costs are not included in the sale price below, so they are subject to quotation.  The synth is located with KSR in the UK, so you are welcome to collect it from then directly if you prefer.

There may be short delays in getting the packaging materials produced for shipping as they are custom ordered for the specific dimensions of each instrument, and for the DX-1, we would recommends having it custom crated and palletised.  We are happy to discuss your requirements, so please email us if you have any questions about the logistics and/or need a quote.

Price: £28.990 GBP

As this is a brokered sale, VAT does not apply to UK buyers. However, packing & shipping/insurance is subject to VAT @ 20% should you need the goods shipped.

Availability: 

This DX-1is available for sale now.

Click on the thumbnail for a higher-resolution photos of the actual DX-1 for sale.

BUY THIS YAMAHA DX-1

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.

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

Came into stock: Came into stock in July 2022.

Service Status:  

Full service by KSR was carried out in July 2022.

Remarks: 

It’s not often that digital synths make it into the ‘vintage’ club, but the JD-800 has long been recognised as one of those machines that really stood out. We think it was not just the sound engine but the control surface that pandered to our need for dedicated access to functions other than all the usual menu-diving synths made in the 90s, so this was a huge appeal.

Background:

Our client purchased this JD-800 in the last 90s, although it’s hardly been used in the last 10+ years, so he commissioned KSR to fully refurbish the synth, which covered the key-bed issues these models suffer with. The synth was never used outside the home and comes supplied with the M-512E Memory Card (512K).

Condition:

The cosmetic condition of the outer plastic case in general, all control surfaces and the keys is very good, with just some small signs of reasonable wear for a 30-year-old synth.  You can see from the pictures that this JD-800 is fully 100% intact. All its original knobs & slider caps are present, and the key-bed has had the well-documented ‘glue’ residue issue fixed by KSR.  

The JD-800 is a EU220V version, and we will supply the synth with an EU-type 2-Pin cable that Roland used for these.

Packing & Shipping: 

We can ship this instrument worldwide, although the packing, shipping & insurance costs are not included in the sale price below, so are subject to quotation.  There may be 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.

Sales Price: £1,700 GBP

As this is a brokered sale, VAT is not applicable on the sale to UK buyers. However, packing & shipping/insurance is subject to VAT @ 20% should you need the goods shipped to you.

Availability: 

This JD-800 is available for sale now.

Click on the thumbnail for a higher resolution photo of the actual JD-800 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.

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

Servicing Status: Full health check by KSR was carried out in January 2021.

Remarks: A really nice condition example of the sampler that started off the legendary series: The Emulators, from E-mu Systems from 1981 until the 1990s.

The Emulator 1 was a truly groundbreaking instrument that is commonly considered to have started a music revolution in the use of samplers in popular music. Early adopters were some of the biggest names in the industry, like Michael Jackson (Quincy Jones), Stevie Wonder, Genesis, etc. There’s plenty about the history that can be found online, but the Emulator 1 is something very special, for a number of good reasons.

The Model number of this Emulator 1 is 6008 (serial #242- out of 500 built), which makes this a later production version 8 Voice system, built around 1983. The unique architecture of the E1 delivers the 8 voices in a 5/3 keyboard split, so 5 voices in the lower half, 3 at the top above the mid-point keyboard split.

The E1 comes has been modified with a brand new HxC SD floppy emulator fitted, so it has a library loaded onto an SD card that boots up with the E1, so no floppy discs are needed.  The SD card modification/upgrade was carried out by Synthprof (Andy Jury) in the UK in 2019 (original printed receipt supplied upon sale).

This is a very useful modification and enables the loading of library sounds a quick and simple process, and the system boots up from the card. This E1 also has the RS232 port fitted, so with the right software/hardware, you can access normally the system remotely.

Our client has not owned this Emulator 1 very long, having purchased it as a fully serviced example from a UK synth dealer (not us) in August 2019, but he commissioned KSR to fully health-check the sampler in 2020.  Once this is sold, we will ask KSR to fully check the E1 for us to ensure everything is 100% before sending it out to the new owner.

It looks to have been well cared for and, cosmetically speaking, is in good condition with only the expected amount of wear to the painted metal cabinet, although it looks to have had some treatment at some point to the rear/back panel. All the controls work perfectly, and the load/play/sampling functions are 100% thanks to the SD card upgrade, so it’s good to go.

This E1 is also supplied with 24 original 5&1/4” floppy discs, although these library files are already loaded on the SD card. There is a switch on the back so you can toggle between using the SD or original floppy drive if you wish.

This Emulator 1 operates on EU220V or US110V (switchable). We will include an IEC power cable.

We can be shipped to most destinations worldwide.

Packing & Shipping: We can ship this worldwide, although the packing & shipping cost is not included in the sale price below, and is subject to quotation.  We are happy to discuss your requirements so please email us if you have any questions on the logistics.

Sales Price: £3,300 GBP

As this is a brokered sale, VAT is not applicable on the sale of this LAMM to UK buyers, however, the packing & shipping/insurance costs are subject to VAT @ 20%, should you need the goods shipped to you.  The E1 can be available for collection from us directly in the South of England (Reading, Berkshire).

Availability: This Emulator 1 is no longer available for sale – this page was updated on 4th August 2021.

Note on pictures, due to Covid: Click on the thumbnail for a higher resolution photo of the actual Emulator 1 for sale.  Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, Kent has offered to photograph the E1 at his premises in Surrey, so these photos come straight from him using the best photo equipment he has available. It’s our workaround for the Covid issues/restrictions and we’re very grateful to Kent for helping us all out.

If you require specific pictures not already featured of the instrument then please contact us so we can request that Kent at KSR can accommodate your request, but there may be a short delay in getting this done for us/you.

BUY THIS EMULATOR 1/button]

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

Came into stock: September 2017.

Restoration Status: A full service by KSR has already been carried out (completed on 11th October 2017), so this Chroma is ready for sale now.

Remarks: We’re are delighted to be able to offer you this rare Rhodes Chroma from our current stock list. This particular example being customer-owned is in very good and all original condition throughout.

This customer owned machine does NOT have the CC+ CPU upgrade so is priced accordingly, but the restoration work we commit to in preparing these machines for sale remains the same regardless.

This particular example came to us from a UK customer. The Chroma had been owned & used by their family member – Kwame Kwaten from D-Influence, and he played it on Funky Times, Hypnotise and Hold On. D’Influence is a British production team and acid jazz band. You can hear these tracks in the following links (audio only):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRFIpaHALxg Funky Times

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEhGZI_eLes Hypnotise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQUpgS4Uk4A Hold On

The Chroma needed a full overhaul, which KSR has meticulously carried out, and additionally treated all the cosmetics like the (lighter coloured wood grain) wood cabinet and other surfaces. The Chroma’s laminate front-panel is in very good condition across the main control surface with only some minor cracking showing around the left-hand side screw-points (see pictures below). The now re-finished wood cabinet itself is in great condition, and shows a nice aged patina, with only the front left-hand corner with some damage of note.

You can see for yourself from the pictures we took (below) that the cosmetic condition is remarkable for a 35-year-old instrument, and we would grade this as “very good original condition – 8.5 out of 10 cosmetically.’

KSR, our vintage synth restorers, have gone through the entire system in great depth on the Chroma to ensure everything is 100% perfect operationally. At some point in the synths life, a heat-sink was added to the rear of the instrument – this is actually not such a bad thing to have, and had been implemented well.

The patches already loaded onto the synth are really nice as well and show the current owner (our client) has a deep understanding of how to properly programme these beautiful sounding vintage synths.

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 an excellent source of knowledge and support generally: rhodeschroma.com

This Rhodes Chroma is sold with a 3-month warranty and operates on EU 220V. User & service manuals can be sourced from the rhodeschroma.com website as mentioned above. This Chroma is also supplied with its original dual-pedal controls (pictured below).

Price: £6500 GBP.

Availability: This Rhodes Chroma is no longer available for sale – as at 21st April 2018.

Pictures below of actual Rhodes Chroma for sale. Click on the thumbnails for a high-resolution images.

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

Came into stock: Due here w/c18th January 2016

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

Remarks: The Prophet VS – a classic & ground breaking synth by any definition, and this VS is available for sale.

Vector Synthesis was revolutionary when the VS was introduced in 1986 and opened up a whole new way of modeling sound in real-time. Using four oscillators per voice with 127 waveforms (of which 32 could be user), this 8 voice synth changed everything. It’s dynamic waveform crossfading via the joystick is a fantastic feature and mono-aftertouch and velocity brought Sequential into the modern age – just a shame this was their last synth.

These historic synths are rare to find in good condition but remain very popular with great EM musicians like Ulrich Schnauss etc. The use of the Curtis chipset for the filter IC successfully pulls the digital and analogue together to make the VS very musical.

The mono-aftertouch system is fully working, although typical to these models, is primitive and lacks the more sophisticated control of system like the T8 and CS80 etc. although It can be accessed via MIDI as an alternative.

Our restorers, KSR, are experts at preparing these models, and this superb example is in really outstanding cosmetic and operational condition. It has been fully serviced by another reputable UK tech fairly recently, although the VS will go though a full and extensive servicing again by KSR to ensure it’s ready for the new owner.

As with all Brokered Sales, the synth will be fully restored 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.

This Prophet VS is sold with a 3 month warranty and runs on either 110V or 220V.

Guide Price Post-Restoration: £2690 GBP.

Availability: This Prophet VS is no longer available (as at 15th July 2016), as the owner has withdrawn it from sale – sorry.

Library pictures supplied below of the last Prophet VS we sold, but high-res pictures of the actual synth will be organised and posted here shortly.

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.

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

Came into stock: 1st August 2013

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

Remarks: We’re are delighted, and honored, to be able to offer you another Rhodes Chroma from our current stock list. This particular example being customer owned, is in excellent and all original condition throughout.

Unlike our other Chroma for sale on th RL Music website, this customer owned machine does NOT have the CC+ CPU upgrade so is priced accordingly, but the restoration work we commit to in preparing these machines for sale remains the same regardless.

The key to restoring one of these fabulous instruments is finding a good quality example in the first place, and our customer machine qualifies beautifully. This superb example will be subjected to an extensive restorative overhaul, both cosmetically and operationally, to produce something similar to the library shot you can see below from a previous restoration we did. KSR, our synth restorers, will also fit a brand new 5 volt PSU to the system thus providing rock solid stability for the CPU and other critical functions of the Chroma system etc.

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

As with all Brokered Sales, the synth will be fully restored 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.

This Rhodes Chroma is sold with a 3 month warranty and has been converted to operate on EU 220V.

Guide Price Post-Restoration: £4500 GBP.

Availability: This Rhodes Chroma is now SOLD as at 22nd May 2014.

Library picture supplied below from previous Chroma we restored, but high-res pictures of the actual synth will be available post-restoration

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.