Korg PE-1000 Vintage Analog Synthesizer, K-4 Polyphonic Ensemble SN 780191

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"Korg PE-1000 (also called K-4) analog synthesizer

Fully functional, cosmetically near mint condition other than some dust and very minor scuff marks. Comes with original case (a cover which attaches to the synthesizer) which probably explains how it survived the past 35 years in such amazing condition. All switches and knobs are present and work 100% with smooth travel and response - no unusual sounds or instability.

There's a lot of info about this unusual synthesizer on the Internet; here's some of my thoughts. Korg had their own unique approach to synthesizer deigns in the 1970's (miniKorg, MaxiKorg, Korg 770, etc) , and this synth is another great example. This is polyphonic, and to achieve polyphony Korg went ahead and installed 60 individual oscillators - one dedicated to each key! This approach is unique to say the least - the oscillators are completely stable, but they're also incredibly easy to access and tune. The front plate is removed with four screws and the tuning screw for each oscillator is located adjacent to each key. Using an electronic guitar tuner you can then tune each note - no need to bring this in to a shop for tuning/scaling, because it's that easy. This arrangement also enables the user to experiment with unequal temperament scales (arabic scales for example). I don't know of any other analog synthesizer capable of doing this. The controls are very self-explanatory and easy to program. This synth offers some great analog preset sounds, but also lets the user tweak them with the legendary Traveler filer, an EXCELLENT LFO with speed and depth and an interesting detune knob. The detune knob is able to do its thing because of the 60 seperate oscillator arrangement. Setting the sound selector to CONTROL lets you build your own sounds using the basic waveform building blocks along with the filter controls. There are a LOT of filter controls and their all very useful - this is another example where Korg was experimenting with synthesizer design rather than just copying everyone else. This is a K-4, which shows its historic place as a successor to the K-1, K-2 and K-3 synthesizers..."