Custom Red / Silver Roland SH-101

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via this eBay listing

"Roland SH-101 Red & Silver Custom-Painted Mono Synthesizer

Where to begin...

I bought this SH-101 back in the 80's and used it quite a bit for bass patters and arpeggios. Then, MIDI happened and it kind of became obsolete for use in a live setup that relied heavily on everything being in sync.

I never liked the red color. So, after it became extinct, I spray painted some silver on it and we mostly used it like a prop on stage - hanging from the rigging or whatnot, being slung all about while playing leads here and there. It was a fun little monster and was on stage with all sorts of industrial bands back in the 90's.

That being said, this keyboard has not been pampered. It is dirty. It's been in smoky rooms. It's been tossed across stages. Yet, it still works. Kudos to Roland for that. The little guy is tough. But, be sure look at all the pictures closely. Many of knobs are bent and, obviously, there is spray paint all over the place. Most of what kind of looks like gashes on the silver in the pictures are just where the spray paint has been scraped or is caked up. Again, look at the pictures closely before bidding, please. I don't want you thinking you're getting an immaculate vintage synth here lol.

If you're into fixin' things and mono synths that aren't MIDI, this wouldn't take a lot of work to get back into traditional shape.

Things to know:
It's monophonic - that means you can only play one note at a time.
It's not MIDI - that means, if you want to sync to another device, you're going to need to go old school.
It does not have USB - if you're going to try to record it into your computer, you'll need to go analog.
I no longer have the power supply - generics are easy to find, though, and it can run on batteries (not included).
Missing a few screws from the underside - easy to replace.

I put some batteries in it just to see if it still worked and it does still power up and makes sound. That's all the testing I've done on it. So, it is being sold "as is" since it's so old and I have no desire to clean it up and test it properly."