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VEMIA is Peter Forrest's auction house. He is the author of The A-Z of Analogue Synthesizer Books.
"A GX1 is an iconic instrument in any condition, but this one has had the benefit of Colin (Sequentix) Fraser's close attentions over many years. It was bought by Richard James [Aphex Twin] at VEMIA many years ago from Mickie Most's studio. It spent some years in his studio, until it was transported to Colin and eventually to his studio in Berlin, with the principal aim of getting it 100% working again and installing MIDI.
It is complete, with the main console, bench, pedals, two massive speakers, two programmers, and all cabling.
Working order: after some painstaking work at the Sequentix studio it is in full working order as envisaged by Yamaha all those years ago. The two original programmers attach to the Tone Board (patch CV controller) for the Solo keyboard. That board connects on an internal loop to the other manuals, so the programmers can be assigned to any manual for patch editing.
Under the surface there has been an incredible amount of work from Colin: he is in the process of producing a preliminary brochure for his MIDI retrofit, which makes fascinating reading and shows the depth of his exploration of the GX1's architecture - and his huge ability to problem-solve and create new possibilities as well. This brochure would of course be included with the GX1, along with all other literature available. It can also be emailed to prospective buyers on request via Peter Forrest.
At present the polyphonic manuals have full MIDI control. The Solo and Pedal manuals have external CV input Colin has been driving from Cirklon CV outputs. The Rhythm machine has external trigger inputs added, and they are being controlled by a Cirklon D-mux drum trigger module.
Extras: there are a lot of further permutations that could be arranged direct with Colin after the auction. This would depend on the new owner's wishes. For instance one person might want the GX1 as original as possible, and another might want bells and whistles - Colin has designed and prototyped a programmer for the extended sound capabilities he has envisaged, and if required, could extend the MIDI capabilities to the bass pedals.
Cosmetic condition: please see the photos. It is generally in gorgeous condition. The louvred flap on top of the keyboard seems to have some paint damage on the two inner sections, but that looks simple to remove to respray if necessary.
Transport: this is not as daunting as you might imagine. Colin has devised an excellent system for moving it, so that either transporting it by road or crating it for air or sea shipment will be well practicable and safe.
Extras: if the new owner is tempted by Colin's possible add-ons, such as his improved additional Sequentix GX1 Programmer, MIDI bass pedals, or other add-ons, these would be negotiated separately directly with him after the main auction payment."
"The power cable is the original (rare).
