MATRIXSYNTH: Re-Painted and Refurbished ARP Omni


Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Re-Painted and Refurbished ARP Omni

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via this auction

"This is a beautiful ARP Omni, Model 2483, completely refurbished to full functionality by Synthcave Sound. The restoration consisted of 40+ hours of work:

- All 15 sliders were replaced with brand-new, modern, LED-illuminated sliders; these are super-smooth and look fantastic!

- All 10 pushbuttons were replaced with modern pusbutton switches that have been retrofitted to accommodate the original Omni pushbutton caps

- All tantalum and electrolytic capacitors in the power supply have been replaced with new high-voltage electrolytic capacitors - additionally, the recommended power-supply mod as described in ARP's field change notice FCN0011 (addition of a pair of capacitors and a pair of zener diodes) has been performed


- New key bushings on all keys, bussbar cleaned, and the keybed leveled; all keys were individually cleaned and polished

- All tantalum capacitors throughout the synth have been replaced with new electrolytics

- The 4075 VCF module has been modded for improved cutoff range

- A design flaw in the Lower Bus Gate Detector was corrected

- The rubber feet were replaced with brand-new feet

- A dozen or so dead CMOS ICs were replaced

- Full calibration to service-manual specs

Cosmetically, the synth is in fantastic shape, a great improvement from when it came into the shop with its top having been painted with an ugly flat black paint, probably to cover up significant scratching that is quite common for the Omni, as people tend to set things on them that they probably shouldn't due to the flat surface. Also, the white logos on the top and back showed significant wear. To rectify the cosmetic condition, the logos were touched-up by hand, while the entire metal body was coated with a rock-hard, automotive-grade clearcoat, rendering a striking sparkle and shine to the unit and hiding the flat paint. Additionally, the wood endcaps were varnished with spar urethane that not only looks great but will protect the wood for ages to come. Finally, the wood bottom was repainted. Overall, it looks exceptional - probably better looking than most, if not all, Omni units you will find in today's market.

Note also the pushbuttons on ARP Omnis usually become somewhat "finicky" with age and either cease to function, function intermittently, or function only when pressed at a certain angle. This was the case with this unit, so all the pushbutton switches were replaced with brand-new switches retrofitted to accommodate the original black pushbutton caps. Same push-on, push-off latching switch action with a modern, reliable switch!"

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