ARP Quadra - VEMIA

"Despite some initial appearances, this is a very nice example of a rare and characterful ARP. How can it be called 'good' cosmetically when it has two keys snapped off? Because apart from that, and a little paint damage around the 'polyphonic waveform generators' graphic, it is in practically near-mint condition. It comes with a new-looking case, not heavy-duty enough in our opinion to be a flightcase but excellent for storage without dust, or for taking in a car. When the Quadra arrived at VEMIA it seemed to have major working issues, but once we opened up the lid and re-seated some inter-board connectors, it sprung to life in a very un-Quadra-like way (they're not usually well-looked-after or very reliable in my experience). There are a couple of issues we found: the resonance control on the monosynth section doesn't seem to work (and the LED doesn't come on); the monosynth tuning has to be quite high on its range to be in tune with the rest; and the aftertouch is almost un-noticeable - quite subtle and musical on the detune setting, though. But compared with most Quadras, it is a gem. It is also pretty unique in its concept, and in the sounds that can come out of it once you get your head around the four sections, and how to play them, and decide which ones should go through the superb phaser. The arpeggiator is nice too. Lots of individual outs for further effecting; and loads of inputs and outputs for CV, gate, pedals etc etc. Looking at how bright the socket metalwork is tells you how well this has been looked after. All slider tops have a white colour-coding - not sure if that is original - but are all good. Some sliders are fairly resistant, but very smooth, not jerky or in bad condition. We didn't notice anywhere where any of the legend is worn. This is a very very nice synth, but you may need to do what we did and reseat connectors after transit. (We would also not recommend shipping it in its smart but lightweight case, because it would be safer in well-planned cardboard packaging. Extra packing here would be £10.) We discovered that there is a switch for 115 or 230V, and swapped it to 230V - but it also worked on 115V using our transformer. Uses a standard IEC mains lead. Best to provide your own (I bet that the paint damage mentioned above was caused by a carelessly place mains plug.)"
VEMIA - Click on Auctions, Search, and search for 5835.