Photos of the EMS (Cornwall) Synthi A 2011

supersounddesign · Post by **supersounddesign** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 11:29 am

Update:

Just got an email from Robin:

"All the remaining Synthi As with the original cases will have the original (pre-1974) off-white painted panels. This change was in response to requests by what seemed like the majority of customers.. This does not add a delay to deliveries.The prestopatch socket can be retro-fitted for an additional charge of 195 GBP."

It appears that I am number 4 in the current run and should be getting the Synthi around mid October. Anyone else here in this current group of four?

D

sascha.victoria · Post by **sascha.victoria** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 1:08 pm

I talked to Robin this morning. Looks like I got bumped back a batch. Theoretically due in November. I'll give that a 'whatever' considering how long I've been on the list. hahahah

supersounddesign · Post by **supersounddesign** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 2:37 pm

sascha.victoria wrote:I talked to Robin this morning. Looks like I got bumped back a batch. Theoretically due in November. I'll give that a 'whatever' considering how long I've been on the list. hahahah

I was told by Robin that I would get mine around the last week of sept so I have slipped as well. Again, after waiting 10 years it hardly matters.

D

mrfang · Post by **mrfang** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 2:55 pm

synthfanatic wrote:Robin started production mid-2011 and judging from my position in the queue, EMS will be able to manufacture all 41 of the Synthi A's (supposedly only 41 cases were left before they started manufacturing them again) by the end of the summer.

Summer 2014, if the pace holds. Fingers crossed.

synthfanatic · Post by **synthfanatic** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 4:19 pm

Have some faith. Robin pulled through for me, and the handiwork and attention to detail was amazing. I still can't believe I own a brand new EMS Synthi A. I wake up in the morning and see it on my desk and it puts a smile on my face. Have a little more patience... Trust me, it's worth it.

sascha.victoria · Post by **sascha.victoria** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 5:01 pm

I have faith. I just thought it was funny after years of phone calls to get a delivery window only to get pushed back again. I keep thinking it'd be fun to pay him a visit to pick it up if/when it gets made. But probably not

mrfang · Post by **mrfang** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 5:54 pm

sascha.victoria wrote: I keep thinking it'd be fun to pay him a visit to pick it up if/when it gets made.

Luckily by the time one of Robin's clones puts the finishing touches on my VCS3 in September 2054, I'll be able to just take a teleporter over to Cornwall to pick it up.

hocustotem · Post by **hocustotem** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:10 pm

sascha.victoria wrote:I have faith. I just thought it was funny after years of phone calls to get a delivery window only to get pushed back again.

I too had my delivery date pushed back-- rather, Robin held it for an extra couple days of testing, to prepare it for it's journey across the Atlantic. And those days turned into a week, and then longer. Then, another unforeseen delay-- what i call "EMS style."

It was truly maddening to wait 12 years, and then be so close, and then, what??!! Another delay?! I wanted to scream, it was so frustrating.

But the resulting machine did arrive, and it is really something to behold. It's so surreal, just looking at it, let alone playing it.

I think he works so hard on them that he becomes attached to each one, and it's truly hard for him to push them out the door. I guess it's the price we pay, for an amazing, almost mythological piece of gear.

RobJB06 · Post by **RobJB06** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:46 am

Whats Robin charging, just the base rate for the new Synthi A's and VCS3's?
Wasnt it Ã‚Â£3200 for the Synthi A and Ã‚Â£3500 for the VCS3?

Im in two minds about the new EMS units, of course it would be fantastic to own one and i am on the list...
But cant help wondering, i have a euro system with some nice Macbeth vcos and the AMSynth Diode filter, AS Trapeziod, Doepfer spring reverb and joystick etc.etc..
I wonder it its really worth it....
I have owned both the Synthi and VCS3 in the past and they did sound great particularly the early Synthi AKS, the later mk2 VCS3 didnt seem to sound quite as organic to my ears (but still great of course)
I think by the time he gets to my VCS3 (a year or so i would guess?) i think i might be in a position to buy one

Annwn · Post by **Annwn** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 7:03 am

RobJB06 wrote: But cant help wondering, i have a euro system with some nice Macbeth vcos and the AMSynth Diode filter, AS Trapeziod, Doepfer spring reverb and joystick etc.etc..
I wonder it its really worth it....

Not this old chestnut...

nathanxl · Post by **nathanxl** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 7:18 am

Annwn wrote: Not this old chestnut...

RobJB06 · Post by **RobJB06** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:09 am

Yes i know not the same.....
I guess im trying to talk myself out of coughing up Ã‚Â£3500 for a new one, but i still want one.....

Out of interest i wonder if the difference in components, transistors etc makes much of a difference in sound in comparison to the early 70's units?
Im guessing it will....
The early AKS i had sounded noticably wilder more "organic" than the later mk2 VCS3, i would imagine the new units probably sounded a little more clean and stable still...
Which is why i think new eurorack modules (built using old components from companies such as Macbeth, Bubblesound etc) and the 2x AS EMS clones can get you pretty close...
Anyway i guess this is the wrong place to be posting this.
Dont get me wrong, i love the new EMS gear and will likely get one when Robin reaches my position in the queue
Hate myself for selling that AKS, i remember patching some sounds from the manual and thinking how incredible it sounded

mrfang · Post by **mrfang** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 11:42 am

RobJB06 wrote: I think by the time he gets to my VCS3 (a year or so i would guess?) i think i might be in a position to buy one

Did you join the VCS3 list in 2003 or earlier? The wait time is ten years, and production won't even begin until after the Synthis are finished.

synthfanatic · Post by **synthfanatic** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 12:42 pm

Yeah I'm not sure if the new Synthis sound different than the old ones. I'd need to compare an original with my new unit I just received in August. I would imagine that there are more variables in an analog synthesizer that contribute to the sound than a digital synthesizer, and even 2 Synthis that were handmade in the late 60's or early 70's probably don't sound identical to one another even if they used the exact same components. This has been covered before, and many classic analog synths such as the Roland TB-303, Roland TR-808 sound slightly different from one unit to another.

Personally, I'd rather have one of the new units than the old, simply for the fact I don't have to worry about repairs or servicing for quite some time. Older analog synths, may have capacitor leaks or other issues, and it's very difficult to find a competent repairman who knows how to service these instruments in a timely manner. I imagine a lot of the older units probably need a checkup to repair the potentiometers, sealectro matrix, faulty boards, speakers, reverb tank, or the power supply.

Maybe a fellow forum member can enlighten us if they have an old Synthi and a new Synthi and describe any differences in the sound between the two units.

RobJB06 · Post by **RobJB06** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 3:51 pm

I thought Synthi A production run was all almost finished, then he's onto the VCS3's- so they should start rolling out soonish.
I got onto the VCS3 list in 2010, i dont think there are as many people on the list as people think, many will probably drop off the list for one reason or another. Not sure when ill get mine, but id hope within 2 years.
Dont know where you got the 10 year waiting from, more like *nothing* happened for 10 years or longer, but now it seems like its trucking along nicely.

mrfang wrote:
RobJB06 wrote: I think by the time he gets to my VCS3 (a year or so i would guess?) i think i might be in a position to buy one
Did you join the VCS3 list in 2003 or earlier? The wait time is ten years, and production won't even begin until after the Synthis are finished.

mrfang · Post by **mrfang** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:09 pm

RobJB06 wrote:I thought Synthi A production run was all almost finished

It looks like fewer than ten of the ~40 people on the waiting list have received theirs, but it's difficult to know exactly.

If you joined the VCS3 list in 2010, there are a few dozen people ahead of you.

synthfanatic · Post by **synthfanatic** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:22 pm

I was number 28 on the waiting list and my Synthi A shipped alongside a batch of a few others. I would imagine that he's got less than 15 Spartanite cases left, so I'm guessing that VCS3 Production would begin sometime in 2013.

mrfang · Post by **mrfang** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:33 pm

Was 28 your original number on the waiting list, or the number you were bumped up to after some people with lower numbers failed to respond? I was assuming the former. It doesn't seem like 27 people actually received Synthis ahead of you this year.

synthfanatic · Post by **synthfanatic** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:37 pm

No that was my original waiting list number. Robin has been making EMS Synthi's since early 2011. He ships them in batches of 3-4 at a time. On average it takes 6 weeks to complete a batch of units. If you do the math, that means he's finished completing roughly 32~ Synthi A's.

mrfang · Post by **mrfang** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:47 pm

I think it's reasonable to assume that many of the people ahead of you didn't re-establish contact, i.e., you were probably moved up to a number under 10. Haven't there been only two or three batches of 3 since last year? If 32 had actually shipped, there would have been much more discussion about them online, and several showing up on eBay.

synthfanatic · Post by **synthfanatic** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:15 pm

I think there's been definitely more than 2-3 batches. I'm not going to speculate on how many have been made, but I'm under the impression that a good percentage of people on the waiting list are buying them. If you want the details, you should contact Robin Wood directly.

RobJB06 · Post by **RobJB06** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 3:41 am

I think its also fair to assume that many people who get these new Synthi's dont feel inclinded one way or another to chat about it in forums and have no intention of selling them on ebay.

mrfang wrote:I think it's reasonable to assume that many of the people ahead of you didn't re-establish contact, i.e., you were probably moved up to a number under 10. Haven't there been only two or three batches of 3 since last year? If 32 had actually shipped, there would have been much more discussion about them online, and several showing up on eBay.

sascha.victoria · Post by **sascha.victoria** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 12:49 pm

Lots of assumptions by young Wigglers.

mrfang · Post by **mrfang** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 12:56 pm

sascha.victoria wrote:Lots of assumptions

We're assuming things because there's no official information, and Robin often takes months to respond to emails.

supersounddesign · Post by **supersounddesign** » Wed Sep 12, 2012 1:22 pm

mrfang wrote:
sascha.victoria wrote:Lots of assumptions
We're assuming things because there's no official information, and Robin often takes months to respond to emails.

Phone calls are much faster.

MUFF WIGGLER

MUFF WIGGLER

Photos of the EMS (Cornwall) Synthi A 2011