For anybody looking for an ARP Odyssey...

[NWSooner]

I have nothing to do with this seller. Never bought from them, don't know anything about them. They have 501 feedback with 100% and have a history of selling musical instruments (Prophet 5's, etc.) but I'm not associated with them in any way.

Anyway, the reason for this post is that it took me about a year of watching eBay and Craigslist to find a really minty Mk. I Oddy at a reasonable price. I left my eBay search active and this Mk. III has been taunting me for about a week and a half. My Oddy has the 12 dB filter, this has the 24 dB filter so they would sound different enough, but I also have a 2600 with a 24 dB filter and my money would be better spent on a Serge or MacBeth.

So, before I fold and click BIN on this Mk. III I thought I'd bring it up here in case somebody has been looking. It's very well priced, and literally minty from the photos I see. So, if anybody has been looking for one, check this one out:

Arp Odyssey Mark III vintage analog synth MINT cond. - eBay (item 260822120686 end time Jul-28-11 15:05:32 PDT)

Mods, if there is a problem with me linking this auction feel free to delete, but again, I'm not associated with the seller and just want to help out any slutz that missed it last time it was on eBay. (It failed to sell for $2400.) Plus if somebody else buys it I won't have to worry about buying it in a moment of weakness. :P

Consider this the "eBay sellers not on crack" thread.

[Mr Arkadin]

Holy crap, that beauty looks like it just came off the production line.

[JEBEQ]

I know exactley your feeling, I had to have all 3 myself. My favorite is my MK3 I had had it serviced at Kurts keyboards & Amps and had the signal path mod done to it, wich gave it some amazing bass that my other 2 Odyssey's can't even come close to. I would have to say that I prefer the 4075 filter on my MK3 as opposed to the 4023 on my white face MK1. I love them all, I do wish I had a 2600 though

[JEBEQ]

I forgot to say that MK3 does look quit Minty and if i did not have an MK3 I would have snagged that in a heart beat.

[schmuck]

aaah...this cracks me up. I tore my hair out twice already about this specific one. Took two offers back (and they were above the buy it now price he is listing now) because I don't NEED it.

Nevertheless: here I go and I click on this thread...

[teamsterjim]

ARP Odyssey is still one of the finest realtime synths ever made. Sync is incredibly powerful, Ring Mod awesome, Envelope Mod options for pitch and rate make incredible sounds.

[NWSooner]

Somebody snagged it. If it was somebody here, please post some pictures in the August thread. It looked gorgeous to me from the photos in the auction.

[schmuck]

Originally Posted by NWSooner

Somebody snagged it.

[L-feld]

Oooh, this guy's in my neck of the woods.

I'll have to make friends with him. Looks like he has some fun toys.

[NWSooner]

Hah, I got a PM from somebody here, my thread pushed them over the edge and they bought it. Good, saves me from buying it as I came close to pushing the BIN button a few times myself.

[SWAN808]

how much do they tend to go for these days? are they hard to maintain?

[CfNorENa]

Originally Posted by JEBEQ

NICE. Which one of the three would you say makes the best complement to the Pro-One (i.e., which one is most different in tone from the raw/aggressive Pro-One)?

[NWSooner]

Originally Posted by SWAN808

how much do they tend to go for these days? are they hard to maintain?

I would say on average they go for around $2,200ish. I've seen them go as high as $3,200. $2,000 for one in this condition seems like a steal to me.

As far as maintenance goes they're like any 30+ year old synth. When you first buy them odds are you have to get some work done (replacing caps, bushings, etc.) but Oddy's aren't notoriously finicky like a Memorymoog or something. Once you get that work done at the beginning they're probably good for another 30 years IMO.

[JEBEQ]

Originally Posted by CfNorENa

NICE. Which one of the three would you say makes the best complement to the Pro-One (i.e., which one is most different in tone from the raw/aggressive Pro-One)?

I would probably have to say The MK2 black and gold would be the best complement to the Pro One. It has the 4075 filter, although I had this one completeley restored by Kevin Lightner aka Synthfool. He did a thorough job of re-capping it and going through the entire unit. It just has a smoother creamy sound and is not as aggressive as my other 2 Oddys. At times there are many patches that Just sound way smoother and more musical on the MK2 than the other 2 Odysseys I have.

[SWAN808]

Originally Posted by NWSooner

I would say on average they go for around $2,200ish. I've seen them go as high as $3,200. $2,000 for one in this condition seems like a steal to me.

As far as maintenance goes they're like any 30+ year old synth. When you first buy them odds are you have to get some work done (replacing caps, bushings, etc.) but Oddy's aren't notoriously finicky like a Memorymoog or something. Once you get that work done at the beginning they're probably good for another 30 years IMO.

not cheap then...bummer I'd be interested in up-trading my Source for the added versatility...but they are double the price...sliders make me a bit nervous also...

[monads]

That was a damn fine looking oddy! They're easy to maintain once serviced and probably the one that makes the most immediate results is washing the boards/keys.

[DedMousie]

Originally Posted by Mr Arkadin

Holy crap, that beauty looks like it just came off the production line.

Who is currently the rights holder to the Odyssey circuit designs? Seriously, a hardware clone or updated version (ala Moog Voyager) would at a reasonable price probably sell like hotcakes.

Surprised that nobody has done it (unless somebody REALLY greedy is hanging tight on all the rights outside of the few virtual versions of the Oddy or 2600 that's out there).

[L-feld]

Originally Posted by DedMousie

Who is currently the rights holder to the Odyssey circuit designs? Seriously, a hardware clone or updated version (ala Moog Voyager) would at a reasonable price probably sell like hotcakes.

Surprised that nobody has done it (unless somebody REALLY greedy is hanging tight on all the rights outside of the few virtual versions of the Oddy or 2600 that's out there).

In the U.S., the patent on the circuit design is in the public domain. Hardware clones would be as kosher as any other clones out there.

An "updated version" would require permission from the trademark holder, whoever that might be (maybe Fender? Maybe Roland? Maybe the current Rhodes Corporation?) It's been out of use for long enough that it might be considered abandoned and up for grabs.

I bet if someone wanted to make a clone, a lawyer could get them free and clear permission very easily and possibly for not that much money. It could be as simple as checking it out with the USPTO.

[atma]

Originally Posted by NWSooner

I would say on average they go for around $2,200ish. I've seen them go as high as $3,200. $2,000 for one in this condition seems like a steal to me.

As far as maintenance goes they're like any 30+ year old synth. When you first buy them odds are you have to get some work done (replacing caps, bushings, etc.) but Oddy's aren't notoriously finicky like a Memorymoog or something. Once you get that work done at the beginning they're probably good for another 30 years IMO.

holy shit! when i was shopping for one on ebay a number of years ago (i dont even remember how many..) they were selling for about 600-800. times have changed, i guess.

[Dave Peck]

Hmmm. You know, I bet a midified clone, with no keyboard, in a rack-mountable / table top enclosure would be a big hit. Especially if it had a switchable filter for MK1/Mk2/MK3 options.. and maybe some of the various aftermarket mods built in, like the hi-freq mod... and especially a patch point mod with lots of 1/8" jacks.....

[Franc]

Mk 3's are pretty rare and I would love to get one. $1900 is not bad. They sold new for what - about $1200?

[ahmo]

hey Jebeq, so your MK II doesn't have the 4035 transistor ladder filter? It has the same filter as your MK III?

I thought since you had all three, you had the 4035, might be why it sounds different to the mk III?

[JEBEQ]

Originally Posted by ahmo

hey Jebeq, so your MK II doesn't have the 4035 transistor ladder filter? It has the same filter as your MK III?

I thought since you had all three, you had the 4035, might be why it sounds different to the mk III?

Yeah my Mk2 2813 has the 4075 filter but I did't have any mods done to this one (except recapping) so it has its original sound. My MK3 2823 Odyssey also has a 4075 filter but was moded al la 4023 style by Kurts keyboards it also had the Audio path upgrade. This mod replaces critical signal path components in the synthesizer section of the Odyssey with audiophile grade components. Low end response is improved resulting in a more accurate wave shape.
So this is why my MK3 2823 Odyssey sounds very different than my MK2 2813. Also, I think the only odysseys that had the 4035 moog ladder filter were the 2810 models from what i have seen.

[analogholic]

Originally Posted by JEBEQ

Yeah my Mk2 2813 has the 4075 filter but I did't have any mods done to this one (except recapping) so it has its original sound. My MK3 2823 Odyssey also has a 4075 filter but was moded al la 4023 style by Kurts keyboards it also had the Audio path upgrade. This mod replaces critical signal path components in the synthesizer section of the Odyssey with audiophile grade components. Low end response is improved resulting in a more accurate wave shape.
So this is why my MK3 2823 Odyssey sounds very different than my MK2 2813. Also, I think the only odysseys that had the 4035 moog ladder filter were the 2810 models from what i have seen.

Hi, I PM:ed you about this.
When you say "audio path upgrade", do you mean that the "faulty" 4075 with limited freqency range was corrected or is this something completely different?

[NWSooner]

Originally Posted by analogholic

Hi, I PM:ed you about this.
When you say "audio path upgrade", do you mean that the "faulty" 4075 with limited freqency range was corrected or is this something completely different?

It sounds like he's talking about this mod I had done to my Oddy at CMS:

AUDIO PATH UPGRADE V2.0 - ALL MODELS - 99.00

This mod replaces critical signal path components in the synthesizer section of your Odyssey with audiophile grade components. Low end response is improved resulting in a more accurate wave shape. This mod now includes a high-pass filter bypass switch. Analysis using a good quality oscilloscope on the output of a stock Odyssey reveals that when the high-pass filter slider is all the way down, the circuitry is still removing quite a bit of low end from the signal path. This mod used to be called the "Low end wave correction mod" in the early days of CMS. High end response is also Improved.

ARP Odyssey upgrades and service

[ahmo]

Hey Jebeq,

When you say: "4075 filter but was moded al la 4023 style by Kurts keyboards"

Are you saying it was replaced with a 4023, or he added a 4023 that you can switch in, or??

Sounds cool. There aren't that many op amps in an Odyssey, so it would be fairly simple to replace those, and I suppose they might have swapped some other components too, who knows.

Did they do the hiPass bypass on yours? I wonder if that's necessary to get the best bass response, or if they just altered the circuit to lower the highpass frequency when in the lowest position.

I find the highpass filter pretty useless, the action is only heard in the last quarter of slider travel, and doesn't really do much for me. Do all your Odysseys have the same highpass response and sound?

[golden beers]

Originally Posted by NWSooner

It sounds like he's talking about this mod I had done to my Oddy at CMS:



ARP Odyssey upgrades and service

apart from the bypass this just sounds like bigger caps to me. and an IC or 2

[moonK]

Originally Posted by L-feld

Oooh, this guy's in my neck of the woods.

I'll have to make friends with him. Looks like he has some fun toys.

lol don't forget the fruit cake!

[moonK]

Originally Posted by Franc

Mk 3's are pretty rare and I would love to get one. $1900 is not bad. They sold new for what - about $1200?

yeah awesome price for what its worth.

i think they sold at 500 back in the days.

[JEBEQ]

Originally Posted by analogholic

Hi, I PM:ed you about this.
When you say "audio path upgrade", do you mean that the "faulty" 4075 with limited freqency range was corrected or is this something completely different?

Sorry I didn't respond sooner but I was trying to find out what was changed in the audio path so I can list it but unfortunately kurt has not gotten back with me.
This audio path upgrade has nothing to do with the filter at all. I believe what he did was replaced components in the audio path such as elctrolitics and caps with high grade components there for giving a much more acurate waveform and also improves both the high and low frequencies. I can tell you that this made a huge deference and is worth doing to any Odyssey.
As far as the filter mod that was done to it, Kurt did not replace the original 4075 filter but instead he moded the existing 4075 filter to sound more like 4023 filter. It does have a bit more aggressive sound than the original 4075 but I don't think it sounds Identical to the 4023 on my White Face odyssey.
He also turned the High Pass filter into a Band Pass which made it more useful than the original. All in all all these mods that were done to my MK3 made it my favorite Odyssey.