How do you feel about modifying vintage synths?

video upload by Soundgas

"How do you feel about modifying vintage synths?

Just got my EMS Synthi AKS back from a thorough overhaul and with a stack of mods added (it’d already had some historic and less than pretty ones installed).

People often ask whether modifying a synth like this affects value. While there’s no denying it can feel sacrilegious when you’re talking about an exceptionally well preserved example, I am 100% for anything that means old gear will get used more.

One of the worst things you can do with old gear is put it on a shelf and not use it. We regularly get contacted by collectors (or people who no longer use their now valuable vintage synths) expecting top prices for their precious instruments which come ‘serviced’ and ‘working perfectly - last time I used it’. A little digging usually reveals this to have been a decade or more ago and the service work is ancient history.

So if modding that classic synth means you’ll play it more and enjoy it, that to me is a no brainer.

I understand that this puts us at odds with many vintage synth collectors, but the majority of our customers - who want to use them (shock horror) for making music - seem to agree.

What do you think? Modify old gear or not?"

EMS VCS3 MKII

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via this Reverb listing

"Every Baby Needs a SYNTHI"

"EMS Synthi VCS-3 mk2 (Cornwall)

KS Keyboard unit not incl.

All tested and serviced all performing and works great. Comes with Eu type psu."

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Synthi VCS-3 "The Putney" with Synthi DK

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via this Reverb listing

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EMS Rehberg Synthi Logik *overhauled & calibrated*

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via this Reverb listing

"This is the rare Rehberg version of the legendary EMS Synthi. It has been professionally serviced and calibrated and is in excellent condition."

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EMS Rehberg The Cloney Project - EMS VCS3 Clone

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via this Reverb listing

1970´s EMS VCS-3 The Putney with DK Leyboard

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via this Reverb listing

"Very nice and rare original EMS VCS-3 The Putney with original DK Keyboard."

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Making Nuclear Music with Hainbach

video upload by Anthony Marinelli Music

"Join me for a rare opportunity to step into the incredible world of Hainbach at his studio in Berlin—filled with vintage nuclear test equipment he’s brilliantly turned into musical instruments… and plenty of other wild synthesizers!

Hainbach is known for making haunting, immersive soundscapes using everything from lab gear to tape loops to modular synths. His music feels like it's from another dimension—organic, rich, hypnotic and totally captivating. In this video, I explore his unique setup and we dive into a completely new palette of sounds together. It was inspiring to see how he breathes life into machines that were never meant to make music… and to try my hand at making "nuclear music" myself.

If you're into experimental sound design, synths, or just curious how scientific gear from the Cold War can become part of modern composition—this is something you’ve got to see (and hear)."

https://anthonymarinellimusic.com

Original EMS Synthi A AKS VCS3 Germon Owners Manual, Handbook, 2nd Edition 1980

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via this Reverb listing

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EMS Cricklewood

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via this Reverb listing

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Synthi 100 a rare vintage synth from the 1970s at the Townshend Studio

video upload by Data Child

How Synthesizers Changed Music History

video upload by Andy Whitmore

"🎛️ The History of Synthesizers
From the massive Telharmonium of 1901 to today’s sleek soft synths, this video takes you through 150 years of electronic music innovation. Learn how electricity first made sound, how Moog and Buchla shaped the synth revolution, how digital FM and sampling changed everything in the '80s, and how modern VSTs like Serum and Omnisphere continue the legacy.
Along the way, you'll meet legends like Robert Moog, Don Buchla, Wendy Carlos, and Dave Smith—and discover the instruments that changed the sound of pop, rock, hip-hop, EDM, and film forever.
🧠 Whether you're a synth nerd or just curious how your favourite sounds came to be, this video is your complete crash course."

Timestamps
0:00 – Intro
0:14 – Overview
0:47 – The Origins of the Electronic Sound
0:59 – Telharmonium
1:46 – Vacuum Tubes
1:54 – Ondes Martenot
2:10 – RCA Mark II
2:40 – The Moog Revolution
2:58 – Theremin
3:10 – Moog Modular
3:58 – East vs West: Moog and Buchla
4:53 – The First Synth Records
5:24 – Minimoog Model D
6:27 – EMS VCS3
8:14 – The Polyphonic Breakthrough
9:22 – Yamaha CS-80
10:12 – Digital Takes Over: FM Synthesis and Sampling
10:32 – Yamaha TX816
11:54 – Sampling
12:32 – Akai MPC60
12:43 – Software and the Analog Revival
13:32 – Impact / Outro

Dr. Who Daleks on the Ems Vcs3 and Moog Model 10

video upload by Rhythmicons

A Metallic Choir (soundscape) for VCS3, Arp 2600 and Percussion

video upload by R. Reger

"Original piece for analogue synths and percussion."

EMS Synthi VCS Field Trial

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via this eBay listing

"EMS VCS3 field trial by Studio Sound. Four large pages, b/w, Used, Good condition, 1971 vintage original, no punch holes, no writing, no highlights, no tears, no stamp. No returns, no refunds. Time keeps on slipping into the future."

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EMS Synthi AKS

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via this Reverb listing

Pic of the boards below.

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EMS Synthi VCS-3 II Cornwall 70's

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video uploads by holdontoentropy

via this Reverb listing

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Assembling An EXACT Replica of the Priceless EMS VCS3. The Cloney Project

video upload by LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER

"Time to build this beast! samples/livestreams and the mentionned longer videos are available here, which also supports the creation of these vid! not at all possible without it :D thanks. www.patreon.com/lookmumnocomputer"

LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER EMS posts

EMS VCS 3 Putney The Cloney Project SN 018

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via this Reverb listing

"This is an assembled EMS VCS 3 clone from the DIY Cloney Project :

This unit is number #018

The 3 PCB cards were recently serviced and retuned by Matt, the funder of the Cloney Project.

It sounds perfectly, exactly as intended.

Cosmetically i's in great condition, some scratches on the right panel and a visible nick in the wood on the front side below the pandl.

I've been moving away from synths for a while and sadly I need to part with it. I bought it a few years ago considering this would probably be my only chance to ever own and plan a VCS3. Turned out it actually was :) and now it's ready for a new home.

Hours of fun. This machine has a soul. It's unique."

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2 x VCS3's Plugged into My Synthesizer to Make Some Fat Drones - Asbestos Dunes

video upload by LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER

"Playing International drone day in show canterbury tomorrow! check below for more info! Download Song Here :- / 129132777"

1971 Vintage EMS VCS3 Synthesizer

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via this Reverb listing

"EMS VCS 3 II

A beautiful and original synth built in 1971

This is in incredible condition considering its age

Fully working condition with no issues"

Pic of the inside below.

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