MATRIXSYNTH: ARP 2500


Tuesday, September 18, 2007

ARP 2500



images via this auction

"super-rare ARP 2500 from the personal collection of Phil Cirocco of CMS / Discrete Synthesizers. It features a rare, vintage ARP 2002 cabinet, a 3000 series four voice keyboard and a full compliment of 1000 series modules. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to own a fully functional, killer sounding synthesizer, as well as a rare piece of electronic music history. The 2002 cabinet is in good condition. It is all original and has not been restored. It was made in 1970. It is a very early and rare version featuring 10 patching tracks on the top section instead of the 20 that later versions use. The top section of a 2500 is only used for CV, gate and trigger etc. so 10 tracks is usually adequate for most situations. It has 20 tracks on the bottom as all 2500s do. Also, this early unit is more compact and uses its space more efficiently than later versions. (Many people complain about the large amount of real estate that later version 2500 cabinets use up.) The power supply was upgraded here at CMS about 2 years ago to a 1.5 Amp, low noise high performance unit. The separate 12v lamp power supply was also recently rebuilt. The Keyboard is a standard ARP 2500 4 voice split keyboard. The rubber mounts of the key contact PCB have been replaced. The key contacts have been cleaned. The rubber pads of the keyboard are intact. The keyboard is fully functional. The keys are in very good condition. The hardwood keyboard cabinet is in very good condition. There is a very small ding on the left keyboard control panel. It includes the keyboard connection cables as well as the AC cable. The 1000 series modules are fully functional and have been meticulously maintained here at CMS for the past decade. The module compliment includes the legendary ARP 1047 Multimode Filter and the ARP 1027 sequencer. The 1004T VCO and the 1036 Dual Sample Hold were originally owned by the ARP factory as production samples. The dual VCO is a super-rare prototype developed at ARP by Roger Powell and Clark Ferguson.

1004T VCO
1027 3 x 10 Sequencer
1023 Dual VCO
1005 Ring Mod / VCA
1047 Multimode Filter
1033 Dual EG with delay
1016 Noise / Random Voltage
1006 Lowpass filter / VCA
1036 Dual S/H, Clock
1003 Dual EG
1002 Power Control

This system has been fully calibrated recently here at CMS. If you want to hear an example of a 2500 system in action go to: discretesynthesizers.com

Several modules have a former owners name and serial # engraved the corners of the front panels. The veneer cabinet has 2 corners that have been rounded slightly, but they are in the back. The left side has some broken veneer on the front edge. I was planning to refinish the cabinet myself, but I never got around to it. It’s quite easy to separate the electronics from the cabinet. When all the modules are out of the case, the matrix switch/shelf assembly slides right out the back. The upper left matrix switch assembly looks like it took a small impact at one time, but it functions normally. This is a vintage instrument from 1970"

17 comments:

  1. my pants are wet

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  2. Gawd!
    What a beauty.

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  3. Half past twelve
    And I'm watching the late show in my flat all alone
    How I hate to spend the evening on my own
    Autumn winds
    Blowing outside my window as I look around the room
    And it makes me so depressed to see the gloom
    There's not a soul out there
    No one to hear my prayer

    Gimme gimme gimme a ARP 2500 after midnight
    Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away
    Gimme gimme gimme a ARP 2500 after midnight
    Take me through the darkness to the break of the day

    ReplyDelete
  4. how i wish i had the free time jupiter8 appears to have....

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  5. phil should have never wasted his time putting this on ebay. i predict there will be a ton of phony 25 auctions after this. maybe even at the same time...

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  6. I'd rather get a CMS modular if i had that much to spend.

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  7. I would just want it to play the "Close Encounters" Theme!

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  8. wonder if ebay user 'hanszmusic' is gonna bid ;) i think he won the last 2500 on the bay.

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  9. very nice...a dream

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  10. yes..it's nice to imagine what mayhem could be created with such a beast.

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  11. OMG! anyone know how much their getting for a kidney these days?

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  12. hanszmusic has probably already made him an offer. hanszmusic owns the largest cms modular made to date. and its a beauty.

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  13. "no longer for sale" wtf i wonder what happened

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  14. someone with big money contacted him privately.

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  15. ""no longer for sale" wtf i wonder what happened"

    Hanszmusic bought it with his ubercash. Mere broke mortals stood no chance.

    ReplyDelete
  16. It was purchased by the guy who owns Barefoot Monitors, apparently.

    http://www.gearslutz.com/board/high-end/146048-arp-2500-a.html

    ReplyDelete

To reduce spam, comments for posts older than one week are not displayed until approved, usually same day. Do not insult people. For items for sale, do not ask if it is still available. Check the auction link and search for the item. Auctions are from various sellers and expire over time. Posts remain for the pics and historical purposes. This site is meant to be a daily snapshot of some of what was out there in the world of synths.

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