Surprise me, who knows what this is
It’s half broken unfortunately and i haven’t found any schematic on the web.
Surprise me, who knows what this is
It’s half broken unfortunately and i haven’t found any schematic on the web.
I’ve never seen the innards of a mellotron but that’s what I’m guessing.
It’s about the right width, but I think it’s something else. If I remember right, the mellotron has a long mechanical drive shaft to power all the individual tape loops simultaneously. I think the keys on the mellotron have some attachments on the back ends of them to push tape readers onto the tape.
This one has me stumped. I need to watch/read more synth repairs.
Hmm. Figuring this out seems like fun. Maybe a new game.
36 keys
Integrated into a case
Old enough to have a hinge for maintenance/repair
91o02 - PPS-1 (probably unrelated to the midi tape machine)
If you want to see the innards of a Mellotron, look here
Yes! That’s the one I saw!
I can rule a few things out. Too many keys for a mono synth, not a CS-80 because it doesn’t have the spaghetti wiring, no bars or strings so not a clavinet or a Rhodes-style unit. On the positive cues side, what I’m guessing is a discreet transistor oscillator at each key and it’s wrapped in Tolex with a handle and wood 'nards, so I’m going to guess an organ of some kind-perhaps a rare Bontempi?
Farfisa ? . driving me crazy , I have seen these insides before just can’t pinpoint what they are .
It’s not a Farfisa or Bontempi. I’ll give a hint every day. Hint #1 It’s from 1978.
Korg Poly Ensemble P? It doesn’t look like the same handle as VSE’s version. (And I totally didn’t just look at every keyboard on this page and compare them to you photo.)
Yes, 1978 yells Korg to me, although I don’t really know much about their gear around that time except the MS-20 and it can’t be that because that’s a well documented synth.
You are getting closer. Hint #2 A bit like the Trident but not from Korg.
Met a guy at a party and he told me he has this old defective analog synth. Never heard of the brand before so he sent me pictures some days later and of course I had to have it.
@Maxhirez It’s not in that vintagesynth list
The real stumper is that there’s no left modulation panel, which says “organ” more than synth, but string machines are in that area too. Arps have a blank or power-switch panel to the left of the keybed and more slider pots to the right. Might have to wait for a few more clues.
Maybe the Siel Orchestra (aka the Arp Quartet) or the Moog Opus 3 with the mod wheel on the panel instead of next to the keybed? All the pics I can find of either of those are either missing Tolex or a handle, but those could easily be after-market.
Makes mental note: maybe not a Minimoog after all.
I miscounted. It is not 36 keys. I forgot to count black keys. 61 keys. It’s 61.
There are similarities between it and the ARP Quadra, but I don’t think that’s it either.
@Maxhirez: the tolex and handle are original.
@heckseven: It’s very similar to the Quadra in design but no ARP either.
Okay this is fun, but we need a discord or something for coordination.
Logan String Melody 2 or 3? Is there a 3? That’s my last guess before the next clue…