MATRIXSYNTH: EMS Polysynthi


Saturday, May 30, 2009

EMS Polysynthi


via this craigslist post

"Designers: Peter and Rose Zinovieff, (Delay by David Cockerell)
Four Octave keyboard with Aftertouch.
Four Octave Oscillator Bank.
Noise and External input with envelope follower.
2 x VC LFO.
2 x VC ADSR.
2 pole/4 pole VCF.
VC Analogue Delay(This was the original design for what is now the ElectroHarmonix Memory Man) .
Less than 30 built.

This is a very special, obviously rare synthesizer. It is in excellent condition. I purchased this from Sonic Boom of Spacemen3 and Spectrum(I can provide proof/put you in touch to confirm this if you'd like). I had it serviced by a very well known EMS tech in August 2008. There is no serial number on this unit but Sonic was told that it was #1 when he bought it back in the mid 90's. Cosmetically, the biggest issue is that the plastic frames around some of the switches are gone. I never spent any time looking for these but I imagine that they are difficult/impossible to find. There are small tears in the tolex covering. All switches and pots are working 100%. The only thing worth mentioning is that during the shipment of this from the UK to SanFrancisco, the C key got pushed in about 2 millimeters and will rub against the C# key when pushed all of the way down. I'm sure that it would be a simple fix for anyone, but it never bothered me."

7 comments:

  1. Howard Davis designed the Memory Man

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cockerell and Davis are frequently both credited by different sources for the same pedals. Certainly the story of Cockerell bringing the delay boards to EMS from EH are an often repeated part of EMS lore.

    http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec00/articles/retrozone.asp

    ReplyDelete
  3. you can see the parker case for a 200e and pile of cables on it in the Background..i wonder if the sale has anything to do with a new buchla-crack habit

    ReplyDelete
  4. on a slightly different note, i just bought an EMS soundbeam controller here in Vancouver yesterday. i think i'd gladly trade it for this. :(

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think this goes to show how times change... back in 70s/80s when this came out it got a total well deserved pummeling from the press...

    lets not artificially inflate this gear because a) its EMS b) its retro and c) its analogue...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Rick,
    You nailed it! I should add that I am also accepting trades for Buchla stuff too.

    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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