Korg PE-1000 Polyphonic Ensemble P Synthesizer — EXC Condition with lid and key SN 770697

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this eBay listing

"Up for sale is a beautiful Korg PE-1000 — a.k.a. Polyphonic Ensemble P — synthesizer from 1976. This one is in excellent condition and comes with the original lid and — a rarity! — the key for the lock. PLEASE NOTE: The stand shown here is not included. It's for display only.

Everything is working properly on this, and it sounds great. Note that the Glide feature — essentially note bend up or down — is activated by a foot switch plugged into the back of the synth. This is by design per the PE1000 owner’s manual on the Korg site. No pedal is provided, but any switching or damper pedal (which I’ve used) will work fine.

I’ve had no reason to perform maintenance on this in the years I’ve owned it, aside from tuning it up prior to this sale. It’s been a very reliable piece of gear, like every other vintage Korg synth I’ve owned.

The PE1000 is entirely polyphonic, with a separate oscillator for every key. Each note can be tuned individually by removing the front panel and adjusting the internal trimmers (see notes below). There is also a global tuning control on the front panel.

The PE1000 has two features I’ve never seen on synths before. One is the Octave Coupler, which adds the sound of notes one octave higher. The control lets you blend how much of the sound you want. Note that it doesn’t work on the top octave because there is no higher octave to add. In addition, the PE1000 has Pitch Expand, which stretches the tuning downward and upward from the keyboard’s center by about one-half to one step (if I recall). The owner’s manual suggests this is to provide temperament adjustment, but you might find an interesting use for it.

Here are a few things you should know as they’ll help you with future maintenance.

- This is an analog synthesizer and — depending on the environment — requires anywhere from 1 to 10 minutes to warm up before it’s in tune.

- The synth has just been tuned and sounds great. I don’t think travel will affect it, but if so, tuning is very easy and straightforward with a chromatic tuner. Just undo the four screws on the front panel below the keyboard and remove the cover. You’ll see the trimmers for each note right behind it. Identify the correct trimmer for the note you want to tune and — using a jeweler’s screwdriver (or any narrow-tipped screwdriver) — give it a very gentle turn left or right. It doesn’t take much to get it spot on. The trimmers are arranged (left to right) from low to high, and it’s easy to locate the trimmer you need to tune.

The tolex is in very good shape, with a few nicks and tears here and there, mostly on the lid, as shown in the photos.

PLEASE NOTE
This sale includes the Korg PE-1000 with its lid, key and attached power cable. No pedals, cables or stands are included."