Yamaha GS1 Super Rare 1981 FM Synthesizer with MIDI SN 1116

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"Ultra-rare Yamaha GS1 digital FM synthesizer from 1981 in good working condition. US Voltage. Apparently fewer than 100 units were sold worldwide, so you can imagine how many still exist and are actually playable 42 years on.

This instrument has been lovingly and painstakingly restored with the help of Rob Rosen (Rosensound) and Andrei Kudryavtsev (Deft Audio) over several years. I have gotten much enjoyment out of the instrument, and I also used it to create the Syntronik GS-V virtual instrument for IK Multimedia. Now it's time for this rare beauty to go to someone new.

An original Yamaha MIDI interface has been added. The memory strip reader and power supply have both been been rebuilt. The poly aftertouch works well.

The only thing I can find that does not work is the headphone output on the underside of the instrument (I actually never tried the headphone out until preparing the unit for sale here, but there you go, in the spirit of full disclosure). The wood is in generally in good shape with small nicks and scratches, the worst of which is on the front left side. There is some yellowing of the fronts of the keys, and the tops of the keys have lost their glossy shine and smoothness much as acoustic piano keys do over the years. The GS1 shows the expected wear of a 40+ year old heavy instrument. Please see the many photos.

Sale includes 2 books of memory strips (patches). The first book contains original GS1 presets along with some custom presets, and the second book is the GS2 Vol. 2 set. The 16 internal presets are loaded, and the AA batteries for the internal memory backup have recently been replaced.

Sale also included in the sale are two non-working Yamaha GS2 synthesizers that I acquired to use as parts donors for the GS1 restoration. The GS2s are in no way complete, and it's unlikely you can make a whole GS2 out of both of them. But they still have plenty of parts from keys to PCBs to single components that can be used for future maintenance of the GS1.

Please be aware that the GS1 will absolutely 100% most definitely no-question-about-it require future maintenance as connectors and components continue to age. Extreme care should be taken when moving the instrument. It is working beautifully now here in my studio, but of course I don't know how long that will last. It probably goes without saying, but a rare vintage instrument like this will require a serious commitment from an informed and experienced collector.

The unit weighs about 200 lbs. and is therefore available for local pickup only in Placerville, California (about 45 minutes east of Sacramento)."

Additional pics of the inside below.