Members gilwe Posted May 12, 2008 Author Members Share Posted May 12, 2008 I disgree with this. I think that there are plenty of builders that make quality strat-like guitars that play and sound as good or better than a vintage strat. I don't want to start a guitar discussion here, but I'm not sure you ever managed to play the "right" 60s start. I must note that with different setups checked, other '60s strats didn't sound as good. Actually they didn't came even close. So I assume there's much more to it than being a "vintage" guitar. It might be aging, or other parameters we all still explore. But no other boutique guitars have impressed me the same way so far, and I played tons of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Meatball Fulton Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 Today vintage keyboards still sell for less than they did new. With only a few exceptions (TB-303, VCS-3, etc.) vintage synths still cost less than they did when new even without the effect of inflation taken into account. Unlike an acoustic string instrument, synths can not sound better as they get older. All wooden stringed instruments improve with age, the more you play them the better they sound. This is true with electric guitars as well because the vibration of the strings (which is the source of the sound) is still dependent on the resonant properties of the instrument. As a result I think it's highly unlikely that synth prices will ever run up like vintage acoustic instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gribs Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 I don't want to start a guitar discussion here, but I'm not sure you ever managed to play the "right" 60s start. I must note that with different setups checked, other '60s strats didn't sound as good. Actually they didn't came even close. So I assume there's much more to it then being a "vintage" guitar. It might be aging, or other parameters we all still explore. But no other boutique guitars has impressed me the same way so far, and I played tons of them That is true. I have only managed to wrap my hands around a vintage strat a couple of times, and one time was when I was too young to really know and understand what it was. Willie's doesn't keep the really expensive vintage stuff out for people to play. My first decent electric was a 72 tele, not a pre-CBS. I didn't care much for the guitar and sold it as soon as I was able to afford a Gibson ES-335 (which I still own and is now technically "vintage"). My only comment was that I didn't have an instant bonding thing going on. There was a Melancon at American Guitar Boutique for a while here that just felt like gold in my hands when I played it and I am still kicking myself for not buying it on the spot. Everyone has their likes and dislikes I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zoink Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 not a chance- schematics + electric engineering background and you're golden, even if there are slight changes. they are not that complicated. I admire your optimism, but I live in a city with more electrical engineers per capita than probably any other major city in the US, and still I routinely run into people who can't find anyone to fix their analog synths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sponge2k Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 Supply & demand. I've been hanging on to my dear old Juno 60 (those who know, know it beats the 106 hands down for sound) because one day Duran Duran will be doing a reunion tour and they'll want it on stage. That synth produces some complex voices I haven't heard on today's boards. So as long as it's in working condition, and the right person comes along, an vintage synth could indeed compete with a classic guitar in terms of sell price. Also, someone mentioned "you're more likely to see a broken 30 year old synth than a working one. they just don't age well, hence prices will never skyrocket." If you're more likely to find them broken, then those that still work will become even more valuable. Again, if someone has been looking for that board and most are in bad shape, he'll pay through the nose when he finds one that still performs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gilwe Posted May 13, 2008 Author Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 AFAIK Duran Duran still record & perform http://www.myspace.com/duranduran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Meatball Fulton Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 Supply & demand. I've been hanging on to my dear old Juno 60 (those who know, know it beats the 106 hands down for sound) because one day Duran Duran will be doing a reunion tour and they'll want it on stage. So as long as it's in working condition, and the right person comes along, an vintage synth could indeed compete with a classic guitar in terms of sell price. So how much did that Juno sell when it was brand new? How much does it sell for now, 25 years later? Dream on. BTW haven't you seen the pics yet of Duran jamming out on Radiases and MicroKorgs??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Outkaster Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 Well I'll tell you one thing the vintage Hammond market is flat right now. All the dealers I know tell me all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tim gueguen Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 Nick Rhodes was gigging with a couple of Roland Jupiter 8s along with other stuff a tour or two back but lately his rig has been a pair of Roland V Synths, an Alesis Andromeda, a K2000, and a Microkorg. He probably figured he didn't want to get his valuable old analogs beat up on the road when he can pull off a reasonable approximation on gear that's fairly easy to replace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Real MC Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 Most EEs are not interested in the synth repair business. Al Pearlman said it best - it is unrequited love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zoink Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 Also, someone mentioned "you're more likely to see a broken 30 year old synth than a working one. they just don't age well, hence prices will never skyrocket." If you're more likely to find them broken, then those that still work will become even more valuable. Again, if someone has been looking for that board and most are in bad shape, he'll pay through the nose when he finds one that still performs. That's true, but this also means that if the majority of 30 year old synths of a certain model tend to turn up broken by 2008 that it's presumably only a matter of time before the few remaining units that work will also kick the bucket. In other words, exceptions (i.e. the minority of 30 year old synths that actually hold up and still work) don't really disprove the rule. A more recent example is the Roland JD800. I'd previously read that most of them have problems with the adhesive under the keys becoming unstable and dripping, and that the aftertouch wears out prematurely, and that the sliders are especially prone to malfunction because of dust. Well, I bought one anyway a few years ago, and sure enough, all of those things happened. But I knew better than to think that my JD would be an exception. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xpander Posted May 13, 2008 Members Share Posted May 13, 2008 and yes, i too have owned a minimoog, prodigy, rogue, pro-one, mono/poly etc etc and most all had issues that required shipping across state lines in order to be properly fixed. this to me is not "easily fixable"....a vintage synth has a tuning problem and you need an electrical engineering degree and basic foundation in analog circuitry to figure out how to fix it. not to mention know where to look to find the parts you need. these two things (particularly the last one) are why all pre-IC intensive synths will continue to rise is value over the years with you mystified as to why. places like Digikey, Mouser and Jameco will all continue selling new components all without your knowledge that most resistors, capacitors, transistors, etc., being used 30 years ago are the same basic components that are fundamental to electronics. when you throw up your arms and say "i can't afford to fix this" there is already a growing line of people ready to snatch it up, fix it, and use it or resell it as working while inflating their value. for popular synthesizers that use a few ICs you are going to see either new runs of old chips or circuit reworks. as for popular synths with more than a few ICs, i wonder. fast-forward 30 years: what would happen if every Juno-106 died (other than that less crappy music would be made)? there are a lot of those, if one individual could figure out how to fix most of them, suddenly you could justify the expense of fabricating new boards & components. i envision when this sort of thing happens (the death of most of any popular later analog synth), you are going to see drop-in board replacements- but in the simpler ones only. it's the mid-80s-to-present stuff that will be bricked for the same reasons you are never going to be able to fix modern computers. i don't think any of these things will affect the steady rise in prices of old analog synthesizers: - you can't find a local tech- you have to ship it to have it fixed- you don't have an engineering degree/electronics background- you don't want to look for schematics- you don't know where to find the parts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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