Synth Chaser Serviced Vintage ARP Omni 2 Analog Synthesizer Keyboard

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video upload by Synth Chaser

via this auction, also on Reverb

"This synthesizer has just been fully serviced by Synthchaser, the leading ARP specialist - recapped, new key bushings, sliders disassembled and refurbished, clean, fully functional, calibrated, in tune and sounding great. This keyboard is the sound of Joy Division and is all over The Cars' "Moving In Stereo", and many other late 70's/early 80's albums. It produces the lush Solina/String Ensemble sounds plus has a polyphonic synthesizer section with a voltage controlled filter, LFO, and ADSR, and a dedicated bass synthesizer section.

Good condition, scratches on the top as is common for these, see photos. This is an early model Omni 2 with the black buttons, power indicator LED, enameled ARP badge, and wood side panels. Left panel has some red sticker/tape residue on it and a chip on the bottom. See photos for condition.

Sliders refurbished - It's rare that Synthchaser will agree to restore the original sliders in these synthesizers, but when he does, he does it right! The sliders have been desoldered, disassembled, ultrasonically cleaned, lubricated, reassembled, tested and reinstalled. All original slider caps are present!
Power supply rebuilt - All tantalum and electrolytic capacitors in the power supply have been replaced, and high quality, high temperature 105 deg C capacitors have been used for the power supply filter capacitors.
All tantalum capacitors replaced - The tantalum capacitors in ARP synths are ticking time bombs. All of the over 100 tantalum capacitors in this synth, including the power supply and filter submodule, have been replaced with electrolytics to help provide stable operation for years to come.
Synthchaser 4075 Filter Enhancement Kit Installed - The ARP Omni uses the same 4075 filter submodule found in the Odyssey, Quadra, Avatar, and Pro DGX. This has been recapped, and enhanced to provide superior frequency response.
Keyboard rebuild - New key bushings installed, buss bar & key contacts cleaned and adjusted, keybed leveled, keys ultrasonically cleaned
Oscilloscope calibration - Fully calibrated to factory spec using oscilloscope and frequency counter."

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Serviced ARP Omni 2 Synthesizer with Synthchaser MIDI, LED Sliders & Anvil Case

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video upload by Synth Chaser

via this auction

"Here's a nice, restored ARP Omni 2... with MIDI!! This synthesizer has just been fully serviced by Synthchaser, the United States' leading ARP specialist - recapped, new key bushings, new LED sliders, clean, fully functional, calibrated, in tune and sounding great. And best of all, this has been fitted with the Synthchaser MIDI Adapter! This keyboard is the sound of Joy Division and is all over The Cars' "Moving In Stereo", and many other late 70's/early 80's albums. It produces the lush Solina/String Ensemble sounds plus has a polyphonic synthesizer section with a voltage controlled filter, LFO, and ADSR, and a dedicated bass synthesizer section.

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Vintage ARP Omni 1 Keyboard Synthesizer Refurbished with LED Sliders

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video uploaded by Synth Chaser

via this auction, also on Reverb

"This synthesizer has just been fully serviced by Synthchaser, the United States' top ARP specialist - recapped, new key bushings, new LED sliders, new reliable pushbutton switches, clean, fully functional, calibrated, in tune and sounding great. This keyboard is the sound of Joy Division and is all over The Cars' 'Moving In Stereo', and many other late 70's/early 80's albums. It produces the lush Solina/String Ensemble sounds plus has a polyphonic synthesizer section with a voltage controlled filter, LFO, and ADSR, and a dedicated bass synthesizer section.

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Restored Vintage ARP Quadra Synthesizer Keyboard with MIDI

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video by Synth Chaser

via this auction

"This ARP Quadra has just been professionally overhauled by Synthchaser, the foremost expert on ARP Quadras! Work done included new orange LED sliders (illumination can be disabled before shipping at buyer's request), recap of all tantalum and electrolytic capacitors, new touch sensor, keyboard refurbishment, new IC chips, reliability enhancements, and perhaps most unique of all... this may be the world's first ARP Quadra with MIDI!

While many synths are listed as "serviced" or "fully serviced", they are usually devoid of any details of what was actually done. Those that do provide details or service invoices often reveal that the synth was merely superficially serviced, and not genuinely "future-proofed". I have not only serviced this Quadra, I've taken it down to the chassis and overhauled it. Work done included:

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ARP Omni & Omni 2 MIDI Installation - Synthchaser #133

Synth Chaser

"In this video I show you how to install the Synthchaser MIDI Adapter for the ARP Omni in an Omni 2. The process for an Omni 1 is very similar. This is a user-installable upgrade that requires no soldering or modifications to your synthesizer (other than perhaps a hole to mount the MIDI jack/jacks).

The MIDI adapter is available on my website."

https://www.synthchaser.com

Synthchaser Restored Vintage ARP Quadra Synthesizer Keyboard with New Sliders

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
Synth Chaser

via this auction

"This ARP Quadra has just been professionally overhauled by Synthchaser, the foremost expert on ARP Quadras! Work done included new red LED sliders (illumination can be dimmed or disabled by control of a knob mounted just inside the synth), recap of all tantalum and electrolytic capacitors, new touch sensor, keyboard refurbishment, new IC chips, and more reliability enhancements!

Here is a video demo of the actual keyboard being sold:

While many synths are listed as "serviced" or "fully serviced", they are usually devoid of any details of what was actually done. Those that do provide details or service invoices often reveal that the synth was merely superficially serviced, and not genuinely "future-proofed". I have not only serviced this Quadra, I've taken it down to the chassis and overhauled it. Work done included:

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Vintage ARP Omni 1 Keyboard Synthesizer Overhauled with LED Sliders SN 2483 1698

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
Synth Chaser

via this auction

"This synthesizer has just been fully serviced by Synthchaser, the United States' top ARP specialist - recapped, new key bushings, new LED sliders, new reliable pushbutton switches, clean, fully functional, calibrated, in tune and sounding great. This keyboard is the sound of Joy Division and is all over The Cars' "Moving In Stereo", and many other late 70's/early 80's albums. It produces the lush Solina/String Ensemble sounds plus has a polyphonic synthesizer section with a voltage controlled filter, LFO, and ADSR, and a dedicated bass synthesizer section.

Has a some scratches on the case, which is common to these synths, see photos. However, the keyboard sounds great and has been completely overhauled inside with hundreds of dollars of new parts and many of hours of labor, including:

Synthchaser Precision LED slider upgrade. All 15 of the old original sliders have been replaced with new, smooth, high precision LED illuminated sliders. The difference in the way these sliders feel and perform compared to the originals is a huge improvement. The LED colors match the color scheme of the panel graphics.

Illuminated slider caps - Slider caps with a translucent plastic stripe that allows the LED illumination to shine through, while giving you something substantial to grip onto. I just started using these caps, and they look and feel awesome!

Synthchaser replacement pushbutton switches - All 10 of the original pushbutton switches (which are notorious for having the mechanical latches break) have been replaced with retrofits. The original switch caps are still installed so they look the same from the outside.

Power supply rebuilt - All tantalum and electrolytic capacitors in the power supply have been replaced, and high quality, high temperature 105 deg C capacitors have been used for the power supply filter capacitors.
All tantalum capacitors replaced - The tantalum capacitors in ARP synths are ticking time bombs. All of the over 100 tantalum capacitors in this synth have been replaced with electrolytics to help provide stable operation for years to come.

Synthchaser 4075 Filter Enhancement Kit Installed - The ARP Omni uses the same 4075 filter submodule found in the Odyssey, Quadra, Avatar, and Pro DGX. This has been recapped, and enhanced to provide superior frequency response.
Keyboard rebuild - New key bushings installed, buss bar & key contacts cleaned, key contacts adjusted, and keys ultrasonically cleaned

Oscilloscope calibration - Fully calibrated to factory spec using oscilloscope and frequency counter."

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Ex-Jefferson Starship ARP Quadra Synthesizer Serviced w/LED Sliders New Membrane

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
Synth Chaser

via this auction

"This ARP Quadra was owned by Pete Sears and toured with Jefferson Starship in the 1980s! It has just been professionally overhauled by Synthchaser, the foremost expert on ARP Quadras! Work done included a new membrane panel, new blue LED sliders, recap of all tantalum and electrolytic capacitors, new touch sensor, keyboard rebuild, dozens of new IC chips, and more!

While many synths are listed as "serviced" or "fully serviced", they are usually devoid of any details of what was actually done. Those that do provide details or service invoices often reveal that the synth was merely superficially serviced, and not genuinely "future-proofed". I have not only serviced this Quadra, I've taken it down to the chassis and overhauled it. Work done included:

New membrane panel - The membrane panel with the switches that enable the various features and pull up the presets is a known weak spot of the ARP Quadra, and many otherwise good Quadras have been turned into expensive doorstops due to failed membrane panels. A brand new (manufactured in 2020!) Synthchaser membrane panel has been installed. It looks just like the original! Have other "future-proofed" Quadras had this part replaced? I think not!

Synthchaser Precision LED slider upgrade. All 35 of the old original sliders have been replaced with new, smooth, high precision LED illuminated sliders. The difference in the way these sliders feel and perform compared to the originals is a huge improvement.

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ARP Omni 2 Keyboard Synthesizer Serviced with LED Sliders

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
Uploaded on Jun 5, 2020 Synth Chaser

via this auction

"This synthesizer has just been fully serviced by Synthchaser, the west coast's leading ARP specialist - recapped, new key bushings, new LED sliders, clean, fully functional, calibrated, in tune and sounding great. This keyboard is the sound of Joy Division and is all over The Cars' 'Moving In Stereo', and many other late 70's/early 80's albums. It produces the lush Solina/String Ensemble sounds plus has a polyphonic synthesizer section with a voltage controlled filter, LFO, and ADSR, and a dedicated bass synthesizer section.

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ARP Omni 2 Keyboard Synthesizer Serviced with Purple LED Sliders

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
Uploaded on May 4, 2020 Synth Chaser

via this auction, also on Reverb

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Vintage ARP Quadra Overhauled by Synthchaser

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
Uploaded on Oct 3, 2019 Synth Chaser

via this auction

"This ARP Quadra has just been fully serviced & overhauled by Synthchaser, the west coast's leading ARP specialist - recapped, new key bushings, new touch sensor, sliders disassembled, cleaned and refurbished, clean, fully functional, calibrated, in tune and sounding great. This synth was the final masterpiece of ARP Instruments and added a powerful 2 oscillator lead synthesizer to the bass, poly strings, and poly synth already found in the ARP Omni 2. Add in the lush 14 stage voltage controlled analog phase shifter, a sequencer (more like arpeggiator), assignable aftertouch, 61 key keyboard, and package it all into the coolest looking synth design ever and you have an ARP Quadra!

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Synthchaser #116 - ARP Synthesizer Mains Power Wiring Explanation & 240V Conversion

Published on Mar 31, 2019 Synth Chaser

http://www.synthchaser.com

"Before this Omni gets shipped off to the UK, I explain the mains wiring and show how to convert an ARP from 120V to 240V operation.

You will learn why the lamp on the power switch is meaningless as a diagnostic indicator, as well as where there is a dangerous wire that is color coded neutral but is actually hot mains level.

I sell, repair, and restore ARPs and other vintage synths for customers around the world."

Excellent ARP Omni 1 Keyboard Synthesizer Restored with LED Sliders

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Uploaded on Mar 30, 2019 Synth Chaser

via this auction, also on Reverb

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ARP OMNI II - Vintage Keyboard Synthesizer

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"If you are familiar with The Cars “Good Times Roll” or Joy Division “Love Will Tear Us Apart” you know the legendary sounds the OMNI II is capable of.

This unit was fully serviced and electronically restored by Synth Chaser in San Diego, CA. Nathan is one of America’s foremost experts on ARP OMNI repair (as well as other vintage synths) – and posts videos of his repair and restoration work (including this one) on Youtube.

Besides all the work done to bring this synth back to original ARP 100% glory I also had the optional 4075 filter upgrade done, as well as the SynthChaser Orange LED slider kit installed. Very helpful seeing all the slider settings onstage, having the sliders move easily. Plus having light-up LEDs that match the ARP color scheme looks cool.

As you can imagine, this unit sounds amazing - haunting and period correct.

Here is the rundown of this Omni II and what was done:

ARP OMNI 2 S/N #24734115 (OMNI II)

All polarized capacitors recapped – 106 caps total.

SynthChaser Orange LED precision slider kit upgrade.

Key bed refurbished: buss bar cleaned, key contacts adjusted, key bed leveled, bushing kit installed.

Switch board troubleshooting and repair. XLR jacks replaced.

Optional 4075 Voltage Controlled Filter Enhancement & recap performed

Two switches replaced.

All LED’s replaced to provide uniform brightness.

Keys removed, cleaned and leveled.

Synthesizer calibrated to factory specification.

Comes with vintage road case."

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Synthchaser #083 - ARP Omni 2 Repair - No Output / Lights On, Nobody Home

Published on Oct 16, 2017 Synth Chaser

http://www.synthchaser.com

"Wrapping up the restoration of yet another dead ARP Omni 2, I hook everything up for testing & calibration, but there's no output. Together we use some simple logic to figure out what's wrong and fix the synthesizer!

ARP Omnis and parts are available through my website. I also repair and restore ARPs and other vintage synths for customers around the world."

Previous posts.

Synthchaser #077 - ARP Omni 2 Phaser Repair

Published on Aug 25, 2017 Synth Chaser

http://www.synthchaser.com

"In wrapping up the restoration of an ARP Omni 2, I noticed the sound was ever so slightly off. Together we track down the problem and repair the culprit delay line on the phaser board of the synthesizer.

Parts used in this video are available at my website. I also repair and restore ARPs and other vintage synths for customers around the world."

Synthchaser #076 - ARP Omni 2 Wood Side Panels

Published on Aug 22, 2017 Synth Chaser

http://www.synthchaser.com

"I was restoring an ARP Omni 2 and one of the leather sides was damaged, as they often are, so I made some replacement side panels from hardwood. In this video I pop them on we see what it looks like when it's done. My video camera is lousy, and doesn't do the wood justice, but you can see the panels better in the stills at the end.

I have Omni synthesizers and parts available at my website. I also repair and restore ARPs and other vintage synths for customers around the world."

Synthchaser #075 - ARP Omni 2 Repair - Bass Note Problems

Published on Jul 30, 2017 Synth Chaser

http://www.synthchaser.com

"I troubleshoot and repair a couple of problems with this ARP Omni 2. First the lower bass voice is dead. Second, a weird problem with the low note priority circuitry of the bass notes is seemingly allowing more than 1 bass note through at a time.

Parts used in this video are available at my website. I also repair and restore ARPs and other vintage synths for customers around the world."

Synthchaser #048 - Tim's ARP Omni 2 Restoration & Repair

Published on Feb 15, 2017 Synth Chaser

Synthchaser #043 - ARP 4075 VCF Filter Enhancement for Omni 2, Quadra Odyssey Avatar Axxe & Pro/DGX

Published on Jan 28, 2017 Synth Chaser