We are Brokering these instruments for and on behalf of our UK customer
Came into stock: March 2021.
Servicing Status: Full service by KSR has already been carried out in March 2021 and both units were fully health-checked again in June 2021, so both the VCS3 Mk2 (Serial #1308) & DK1 (Serial #2113) are ready for sale now.
Remarks: An EMS VCS3 Mk2 with a very interesting provenance.
The current owner has only owned this VCS3/DK1 for over 20 years and only used it at home, but had been stored for some time until KSR was commissioned to carry out a full service on the equipment to get it ready for sale through our Brokering Service.
The VCS3 was owned by Hans Zimmer.
Cosmetic Appraisal:
This VCS3 Mk2 is in good all original (operationally unmodified) condition, and although it shows some wear to the control surface, it’s in keeping with an instrument of this age (around 45+ years old). The wood case is in good condition and has not been ‘over-restored,’ so has a naturally aged patina to it.
There is an additional wood strip that’s been added to the bottom control panel, which is there to hide some graffiti that has been hand-etched into the metal panel. As you can see from the pictures, it claims to have been owned by Hans Zimmer, so we contacted him to ask if he knew anything about it…he did! Hans confirmed that that exact VCS3 was the very first synth he ever owned, although he couldn’t remember what happened to it after his time using it in the UK way back in the early days of his career, so a nice provenance.
The lower control panel having been hand-etched like this is certainly not something anyone would do these days, but the VCS3 was probably only worth a couple of hundred £-Pounds when this was defaced, so it’s relative. It would certainly be possible to get both the upper & lower panels restored to original if the buyer wanted, so it’s an option to consider, and the exceptionally keen sales price of this VCS3 has been agreed with our client to reflect the cosmetic blemish.
The other item of note is the right side of the Matrix Panel, where you can see that an EMS-supplied overlay has been stuck on. We’ve seen a few of these over the years and it’s always done because the original screen-print along that side has worn away through use.
The EMS Dk1 Keyboard is also in good original condition, although we’re still waiting for KSR to supply the pictures to us for this item, so we’ll update this listing as soon as the photos come through.
The sales price for this combo VCS3 Mk2 & DK1 represents outstanding value as it’s easy to see online that people are asking prices in excess of £17K GBP and all the way up to nearly £26K GBP just for a VCS3 alone. The DK1 is often seen advertised for up to £3K GBP alone.
This EMS VCS3 does come from the owner with a full complement of Matrix pins, although these are old originals, so we would recommend a full new set be purchased for this instrument for best results when patching it up, which we can still source from EMS directly for around £260 GBP. You can specify if you would like these supplied with the instrument upon purchase.
Also included in the sale is the cinch-jones DK1 interconnect cable, the proprietary EMS power-cable.
Service & Options:
The service by KSR covered all the critical items like replacement of old power-regulation caps, deep cleaning, and calibration, but In addition to the above, the following work can also be carried out by request. This is a costed option, so is additional to the sales prices listed at the bottom of this page:
*VCO stabilisation modification implemented in line with EMS guidelines = £480 GBP
This VCS3 Mk2 operates on 240V. Both instruments are sold with a 3-month warranty. We can also supply a copy of the user manual (PDF only).
Note on Demos, and because…Covid: The VCS3 Mk2 & DK1 is currently based in Surrey (UK) with our tech, Kent at KSR. Although there are strict Covid-19 restrictions in place throughout the UK at present, Kent has very kindly offered for anyone who would like to see and demo the synth before buying it, to demo it at his premises. Kent is able to set up the synth in a place that meets distancing rules, that’s safe for him and the customer, so if you want to check the synth out then that option is open to you.
Alternately (recommended), Kent can produce short video demo’s to show the working condition of the VCS3 Mk2 & DK1, but this is by request only. If we get a single request to do this then we will, of course, upload that to the KSR YouTube channel and probably just post it here in the listing, but Kent’s a very busy guy (good techs always are) so he’s not had the time to proactively do this for us and/or this EMS.
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. Again, the Covid issues are affecting our packing suppliers, so there may be some short delays in getting materials produced for shipping, although courier companies all seem to be operating normally. We are happy to discuss your requirements so please email us if you have any questions on the logistics.
Ordering From the EU (Post 1st Jan 2021):
Thanks to all those who voted us out of the European Union, we/you now have new levels of bureaucracy to deal with when you buy equipment from any business in the UK, for onward delivery to any destination in the EU. In order for us to be able to ship to the EU now, we will require you to supply an EORI number if you are buying from us as a business, which will be provided in the Commercial Invoice that goes with the consignment. Private individuals purchasing equipment from us will not require an EORI number but the goods will still be subject to VAT, which is charged by your own countries Customs, to clear the goods, so we now do not charge VAT on our purchasing invoice. The VAT rate applied upon import into your country will be set by your own countries applicable VAT rates.
Sales Price: £13,990 GBP – for both the VCS3 Mk2 & DK1.
Availability: This EMS VCS3 Mk2 & DK1 are now SOLD – this listing was updated on 1st July 2021.
Note on pictures, again due to Covid: Click on the thumbnail for a higher resolution photo of the actual VCS3 Mk2 & DK1 for sale. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, Kent has offered to photograph the instrument 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…but he’s like that.
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.
Click on the thumbnail for a higher resolution photo of the actual VCS3 Mk2 & DK1 for sale.
