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Remarks: A good all original condition Yamaha DX-1, which we have previously sold to the current owner but they are now Brokering it back through us for re-sale.
What is there to say on this 1983 flagship synthesizer that has not already been written, but it’s a very rare machine with only 140 reported to have ever been manufactured, so a really unique find in 2023.
Cosmetic Condition:
The overall condition of this example is very good, with the normal amount of wear we would expect to see on a synth this age, size and quality. We sold this DX-1 to our EU customer, so it was shipped out of the UK against the original sale and then was re-imported in May this year, having been sent straight to Kent Spong at KSR for some servicing, where the instrument currently resides.
The photos below were taken at KSR, so are un-doctored and show the overall presentation.
Operational Condition:
The following declaration is made in good faith and is an honest account of the current operational condition of this example.
All the controls, LEDs, functions of the control panel work as they should, so LED buttons are all operational. However, Bank A Voice 5 button feels slightly different to operate than the others which suggests the component is faulty, but it does function, although it can be intermittent. We are not aware of a replacement for this part as it would appear to be a DX-1 specific component but we are declaring this as a known issue.
The LDC display is fully working with all segments showing properly and brightness is perfectly readable. The volume LED indicator on the right hand side, next to where to says ‘DX-1 ’ on the front panel has one of the tiny LED segments that is dimmer than all the rest (the 14db) and one that does not work (the 96 db) - I’ve attached a photo I took when we had it set up in the workshop .
The sliders top the right of the instrument all work correctly.
The modulation and pitch-wheel both operate correctly.
The DX- sound engine itself operates correctly. There are some classic ‘DX’ patches loaded in the system, we did try to edit some sounds and all the edit functions were available are working, although we didn’t save those changes.
The professional weighted 73 note wood keyboard was fully working in terms of triggering notes, and the velocity was 100% working across all keys.
The Polyphonic After-Touch (Poly-AT) is not operating at more than 30% of the keyboard, although the DX-1 still received and operates Poly-AT via MIDI. Kent has gone though each key to check the after-touch sensors and there are many that simply are not working. Kent at KSR does not currently have any supply for replacements, so this is not something Kent has a resolution for, but the owner is aware and this is factored into the sale price.
In consulting with Kent at KSR on the reality on getting the Poly-AT system fully restored, as I know this would be of interest to any potential buyer, Kent told me that every DX-1 he had seen had similar issues as there are no replacement parts for the Poly-AT sensors at present. He said that in the last 6 years he had serviced two DX-1 owned by MI professionals, and both those machines also had significant Poly-AT sensor failures, so it would seem to be consistent with the age of these machines. I personally would be very suspicious of anyone selling a DX-1 stating that the Poly-AT system was 100% based on this reality."
Listed for $41,713.60
ReplyDeleteIf chonky was a word this would be it.