Hillwood Blue Comets 73 Analog Synthesizer

video by Moog Player

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Old 70's Hillwood Blue Comets 73 Analog Synthesizer

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Hillwood Blue Comets 73 Analog Synthesizer

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Hillwood Blue Comets 73 Super Rare Analog Synth SN 52009

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"Up for auction is the incredibly rare HIllwood Blue Comets 73 Synth for parts or repair. Very little is known about this synth. I'm sure there are very few in exsistence, it may be worth owning just for the bizarre name/collectibility.

"This is a single oscillator monophonic synth, made in 1973. It has a 12db filter. The oscillator has both sawtooth and square wave that can be selected individually or combined with the four rocker switches simply labeled "Wave 1", "Wave 2", "Wave 3" or "Wave 4". It can be modified with 7 presets assignable with rocker tabs labeled "Effect 1", "Effect 2", etc. There are no descriptions to the tabs as to what they actually sound like. Luckily there is a tab labeled "Control" that allow you to tweak the sounds with the control panel to the left of the keyboard. Select all four "Wave" tabs and it will randomly distort. Add in "noise" and "Growl" and it can get downright nasty. It has a retro white heavy-metal casing."

I found this demo on youtube, not the best, but you can get an idea of what it sounds like. Dirty lo-fi analog spacey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81QZOhiWlSg [previously posted here]

It powers on but produces no sound when attached to an amp. It has scratching and pitting on the faceplate and the control section as pictured below, it doesnt have any missing sliders or broken buttons. Seems to be totally intact but definitley with wear to the body. One of the wood sides is attached, but loose, like as if the wood needs to be glued back down. Sold AS IS!"

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HILLWOOD BLUE COMETS 73 SYNTHESIZER

YouTube Uploaded by nickyboyfloyd100 on Aug 24, 2011 "Some random noises from my Hillwood Blue Comets"

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" The Blue Comets is a single oscillator monosynth with a 12db filter. The osc has both sawtooth and square wave that can be selected individually or combined with the four rocker switches simply labeled "Wave 1", "Wave 2", "Wave 3" or "Wave 4". It can be modified with 7 presets assignable with rocker tabs labeled "Effect 1", "Effect 2", etc. There are no descriptions to the tabs as to what they actually sound like. Luckily there is a tab labeled "Control" that allow you to tweak the sounds with the control panel to the left of the keyboard."

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Hillwood Synthesizer, Blue Comets 73

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"Sie bieten hier auf einen Klassiker. Ein Hillwood Blue Comets 73 in einenm Super Zustand. Voll Funktionstüchtig. Ohne Anleitung oder Ständer. Schutzhülle vorhanden. Muß meines Wissens nach an eine Box angeschlossen werden. Strom zeigt es an. Vielleicht kann mir einer Weiterhelfen, stammt aus einer Sammlung eines Sammlers. Stelle noch mehr Keyboards ein und anderes Zubehör, wie Mikrofone und Boxen.Ware muß abgeholt werden. Artikelstandort ist Stuttgart."

Googlish: "You are bidding on a classic. A Hillwood Blue Comets 73 in einenm super condition. Full Functionally. Without guidance or stand. Cover available. I know, must be connected to a box. Electricity to it shows. Perhaps I can help one, comes from a collection of a collector. Place even more keyboards one and other accessories such as microphones and Boxen.Ware must be picked up. Item location is Stuttgart."

Hillwood Blue Comets 73

flickr set by transanalog (click for more including shots of the inside)

"WWW.TRANSANALOG.COM This is one of the rarest and most unique vintage synthesizers I own. It's one of those rare finds in that it broke back when it was new then put in storage for 30 years until it finally changed hands. it is in excellent condition, not only for it's age but also considering how awful Hillwood products were made. The Blue Comets is a single oscillator monosynth with a 12db filter. The osc has both sawtooth and square wave that can be selected individually or combined with the four rocker switches simply labeled "Wave 1", "Wave 2", "Wave 3" or "Wave 4". It can be modified with 7 presets assignable with rocker tabs labeled "Effect 1", "Effect 2", etc. There are no descriptions to the tabs as to what they actually sound like. Luckily there is a tab labeled "Control" that allow you to tweak the sounds with the control panel to the left of the keyboard. Not that any of this helps. This synth sounds aweful. The keyboard tracking is so bad that Hillwood included a knob labeled "Slope" so you can almost keep the keyboard in tune as you play. The filter only has decay, and the AR VCA is very limited. But it does have some charm. Select all four "Wave" tabs and it will randomly distort. Add in noise and "Growl" and it can get downright nasty.

The circuitry of the synth is definitely amusing! The circuit boards look hand made and the components look cheap, even by 1970 Japan standards. Each board is held by only two screws so I can't imagine any of these staying functional or in tune very long in a gigging environment. Still, if you want something very unique for ambient lo-fi bleeps and bloops, you can't go wrong with one of these."