via this auction
SN ES 850111
"In 1985 Korg decided to challenge the personal computer market creating a competitor for the legendary Commodore 64 (which was born three years earlier, in 1982).
Rumors then began to circulate about a new musical personal computer signed by Korg, called KORG MC-4000.
Along with the Korg MC-4000, Korg had designed 2 units which were extra and integral parts of the personal computer: a music synth expander called Korg MU-5000 and a microdisk unit called Korg MF-1000.
The incredible fact is that the personal computer project signed by Korg (the first “musical” personal computer in history) has remained for many years as a fake, since none of these products has ever been marketed in the western world.
The only historical artifact related to this project is a Japanese advertisement, a printed ad by Ishibashi Gakki released in the April 1985 issue of “Keyboard Magazine”.
In this ad (please, see the original photos), there were showed 3 products: KORG MC-4000, KORG MU-5000 and KORG MF-1000. The KORG MC-4000 music computer was then presented as a "compact computer containing its own music system".
Korg MC-4000, Korg MU-5000 and Korg MF-1000, according to historical information, have never been marketed because then Korg decided not to challenge the personal computer market. We don't know why!
Today, after years of research, we at Re Seller are pleased to present you the only survivor in the world of that super cool project: the original KORG MU-5000 expander synth!
This find of ours is of fundamental importance as it demonstrates that the Korg music personal computer project would have been really close to being commercialized!
This impossible to find Korg MU-5000 has been tested and is still in working order! Cosmetically there are minor signs of wear due to age, but nothing serious. The power supply is compatible and is included in the sale (this unit works with any 9V power supply and center negative polarity).
This small desktop synth contains beautiful sounds at its core! It is a 16-channel midi expander capable of generating some mighty impressive sounds courtesy of the same Digital Waveform Generator System used in the DW6000 and in the best Korg sounds of the 80s!
What we were able to test is very easy: we connected a midi keyboard to the Korg MU-5000 and listened to 128 sounds preset via program change (we changed the program change directly on the MIDI keyboard).
There are probably many more features to discover, but we don't have the capabilities to test it 100%!
An incredible piece of history, for the most demanding collectors in the world. Impossible to find another in all of history!"
The pictures here, esp. the serial number, are from an ebay auction, which started at €10k in late 2023, then was reduced to €8k, and then sold for an unknown price. It is still (01/24) listed on Reverb. The seller seems to be a music store in Italy. However, I could not find any information about this device, anywhere. Not even a small hint. All textual information comes from these auctions/ads and the story therein. Now, a case, some electronics and a serial number on a sticker could be forged relatively easily. Therefore, this could be a hoax and the poor person who bought that item has now something that never existed. I won't deny that the seller could be unaware of the forge.
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