Load of PPGs for sale

You don't see this everyday. Title link takes you to the post.

Analog Playground Items on the 'bay

In via AH. Analog Playground is doing some Fall cleaning. Title link takes you to some goodies including this Roland CR-78.

Bagpipe Synth

Update: Some more shots from Josue Arias. Thanks Josue!

Update: Via the comments, this is real. Very cool. Thanks Josue.

"Yes it real for sure... I trade it for some doepfer modules from the person who posted that photo in AH. Now is here in Spain.
I`ve not used it very much for now, but the thing is real strange, I think its a sort of comunnications encoder, for voice or morse messages, then there must be a similar "decoder" unit to bring back the message.
The thing is not blueish, but grey, its an effect because the ambient light. weight a ton and is fully discrete, no ICs inside. There are 5 diffrent cards inside, similar to those cards inside the EMS synthi.
The mic input is a 3/8 (?) jack like those used in the multimoog so I still not tried the mic input. there are two banana inputs that acept voltages for modulate. The "bagpipe" is a kind of sequence of pitches when you set it at low frequency. Is a good box for strange tone clusters, sequences and fx noises, not for melody ; )"

This came up on AH a while ago. I have no idea if it's real. It looks a wee bit photoshopped to me. Click through title link for a bigger shot. If anyone knows what this is, let us know.

Chromed 808

Chromed Roland TR-808 that came up in my picture collection. Not sure where I got this.

More Circuit Bending from GetLoFi

GetLoFi is on fire. The Circuit Bending world seems to be having a lot of activity lately, I can barely keep up. The cool thing is the majority of it is synth based. Check out this whacky looking sequencer. I couldn't find info on it but I'm guessing that wheel on top is what sets the pattern. Title link takes you to more.

Ultravox Synths

Update: See new post on Ultravox gear p*rn.

Update: Add the Oxford Synthesizer Company's Oscar to the list. Can't beleive I forgot that one.

Ultravox at one point was my favorite band growing up. They defined a pivotal period in my adolescence and had a huge impact on me. They are actually what prompted me into wanting to play synths to begin with. There is an excellent thread going on Vintage Synth Explorer on Ultravox and the synths they used.

Listed so far (the majority of credit goes to Micke:

• Elka Rhapsody 610 - first three albums (pre Midge Ure)
• Yamaha SS30 string machines - Vienna up until the mid 80s
• Yamaha CS80
• PPG Wave 2.2 - 1982/83 onwards
• Yamaha DX7/TX816 - TX816 sometime in 1984
• Oberheim OB-X - on 1981's "Rage in Eden"
• Emu Emulator I - Sampled Synclavier strings on Hymn
• ARP Odyssey - Lead on Hymn
• Emu Emulator II - Strings on Reap the Wild Wind live (the Yamaha SS30 was originally used - I always wanted to know what those beautiful strings were)
• Moog Minimoog - in Vienna

Amazing. I always wondered what they used. The strings in Ultravox's Reap the Wild Wind and early New Order/Joy Division are my absolute two favorite string sounds. New Order/Joy Division used ARP strings.

Yamaha SS30

Favicon!

No title link. This is a funny post for me, but Fernando Alves just sent me a favicon! I never really thought of having one. Well it's up, so enjoy. : ) Thanks Fernando!

Hillwood SY-1800

Update: From Mikael Lindgren via AH:
"Hi there,

It's a dual-voice synthesizer that dates from 1979 or 1980.
The same synth was also released as the Multivox MX-75 dual-voice synthesizer.
I'd say with 99% certainty that these were made by the Hillwood company in Japan.

here's a couple of pics. Aside from the different logos they look pretty much identical.

This example says Multivox on the front panel but "Pulser" on the backpanel:
(the ID plate reads "Model: MX-75")
http://hem.bredband.net/linmik/multivox-pulser_MX-75.jpg

and the front panel on this says "Pulser":
http://hem.bredband.net/linmik/Pulser_M-75.jpg
"

Update: Via slabman in the comments below. More on Hillwood featured in this Sound on Sound article titled A Tale of Two String Synths.

From the article:
"Flipping the lid on the [Multivox] MX202 provides a bit of a shock. I expected to see either the Roland or Multivox name on the circuit boards -- but I was disappointed. Instead, I found the name Hillwood, a little-known Japanese manufacturer who were active in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This was a company founded by a Japanese gentleman called Kazuo Morioka, whose name translates as First Man Wood Hill. Morioka thus gave his name to the Hillwood synths and keyboards released throughout the mid-to-late '70s, as well as the short-lived manufacturer Firstman. Furthermore, Morioka was working in partnership with other manufacturers, rebadging some Hillwood products as Pulsar, and developing yet more for another Italian company, Solton. But where did Roland fit into all of this?"

I checked my image stash for the Hillwood M-75 posted below. I didn't find any, but I did find some shots of the Hillwood SY-1800:

CLICK FOR MORE »

Hillwood Pulsar M-75

Update: It's actually the Hillwood Pulser not Pulsar.

Update: Some shots from Brandon Daniel via the comments of this post: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bdu/sets/1036641/. Very cool. Thanks Brandon.

In via Brandon Daniel on AH. Never saw one of these before. Anyone know what it is? The search engines are coming up nill. I'll post back if anyone on AH has more info.

Tim "Love" Lee - Electrocomp EML 100 & Macbeth M3X Musings

In via AH. Some interesting tracks by Tim "Love" Lee featuring an Electrocomp EML 100, Macbeth M3X and Roland TR77.

"While I'm in a posting mood, let me tell you about my new album (which was released last week):

It's called Against Nature (after the novel by JK Huysmans) and was made almost entirely with an Electrocomp EML 100 and a Macbeth M3X. You can check it out on iTunes, Amazon etc and at www.myspace.com/timlovelee. There's a tiny bit of Roland TR77 drum machine and some live kit drum and percussion (recorded by Pere Ubu's Tony Maimone no less !) but mostly it's analog synths.

cheers

Tim Love Lee

www.tummytouch.com"