Roland TR 808 Price?

[LimpyLoo]

Originally Posted by deepfriedd

I was wondering what a good price for one is these days?

1 arm + 1 leg

[deepfriedd]

Im prepared to give those up! MAYBE! Anyone really know what they are going for?

[rarara]

in the uk it will be from a grand upwards. in this age who can justify that?!

[dougt]

Around $2k these days for one in good shape...

[Barfunkel]

Originally Posted by dougt

Around $2k these days for one in good shape...

This. Getting them cheaper is a steal.

[deepfriedd]

Yeah ive done some searching and the cheapest one i saw go for was $2,200 AU. I suppose it could be an investment perhaps?!

[Syn303]

Originally Posted by deepfriedd

I suppose it could be an investment perhaps?!

It could be an investment if you see it that way. But also be prepared to invest more money into an 808 in the form of servicing, repairs and sourcing of spare parts to keep it ticking over like a well oiled machine. After all the 808 is over 30 years old.

[binman_uk]

You could look into an Acidlab Miami maybe?

[deepfriedd]

Originally Posted by Syn303

But also be prepared to invest more money into an 808 in the form of servicing, repairs and sourcing of spare parts to keep it ticking over like a well oiled machine. After all the 808 is over 30 years old.

Very True! Do you have one?

[Syn303]

Originally Posted by deepfriedd

Very True! Do you have one?

Yes, that's my 808 in the pic.

[deepfriedd]

WOW! The more i see of them the more i want one! Have you had to do much repair, maintenance etc ??

[Syn303]

Not much maintenance really. Took apart and cleaned and added caikote to the inside of the start/stop and tap switches (those are usually the first things to stop working on an 808), replaced the tact switches with new ones in the step sequencer board, those can be had from mouser.com, and i also fitted an 808 midi kit from CHD.

As i do all my own servicing and repairs now, it only costs me spare parts. Although do not attempt repairs yourself unless you are confident in opening up such devices and know what you are doing and you are also handy with a soldering iron, if in doubt send it to a techie.

[NuG3nda]

is maintenance really becoming an issue for 808´s? mine still works flawlessly like new (one push per step operation), I´ve had it clean a few times moded with midi ect .. admittedly I haven´t used it much since 2002 due to my travels, but its analog board so it can be repaired again and again unlike a digital board,.. basically the ratio of broken 808´s is very small vs the number of units,.. with care I think it will run another 30 years..

I was recently offered a ridiculously high price for my 808 (its near mint) I could have bought two miamis or a miami and a jomox for the offered price, I was going to take the plunge (it was midified recently) then after I played with it via midi >>whole new macine,, MPC swing per sound, individual accents and it now sounds better than ever .. I don´t care about the money I care about my sound..

[BM0]

Originally Posted by Syn303

Not much maintenance really. Took apart and cleaned and added caikote to the inside of the start/stop and tap switches (those are usually the first things to stop working on an 808), replaced the tact switches with new ones in the step sequencer board, those can be had from mouser.com, and i also fitted an 808 midi kit from CHD.

As i do all my own servicing and repairs now, it only costs me spare parts. Although do not attempt repairs yourself unless you are confident in opening up such devices and know what you are doing and you are also handy with a soldering iron, if in doubt send it to a techie.

Sounds like a similar life as my 808. The start/stop was acting up a couple years ago, but once I opened it up and simply took the felt dust cover off and put it back on it was fine. What is caikote BTW, in case I ever have problems again with it? The tactile switches have been holding up well. I also installed the CHD MIDI kit. It was quite easy and I have very little soldering experience. I found a bug in the CHD v3.1 software and emailed the CHD guy. He fixed the bug (v 3.2) and sent me an updated ROM free of charge. Pretty cool of him.

Someone installed a second bank of memory on my 808, at some point in its life. It has a flip switch installed on the top to toggle between each bank. It works quite well.

[phreak260]

Originally Posted by binman_uk

You could look into an Acidlab Miami maybe?

THIS.

i have had several 808s. when i wanted "that" sound again, i decided to go with the miami. it sounds exactly the same as the 808, as it should as it has virtually the same internal circuitry.

the differences are the INSANE decay you can get on the kick drum and the more advanced features of the sequencer. oh, it can also sync to either midi or dinsync and it has a MUCH expanded memory section for your patterns. oh, and you can switch between modes as the sequencer is running, unlike the 808.

you basically get the sound for around half the price. i love the 808; it's sounds are indispensible for music that i love to hear. BUT the current $2K+ asking prices are just not justifiable for someone like me when the acidlab appliance is available.

all IMO, but i would strongly encourage you to investigate the acidlab

[deepfriedd]

Mmmm the acidlab Miami is very tempting! Do you think the tr 808 will go up in price over the years as I has been doing?

[nebelfrau]

Originally Posted by deepfriedd

Mmmm the acidlab Miami is very tempting! Do you think the tr 808 will go up in price over the years as I has been doing?

The only way the 808 price will drop is if some uber maschine is made that does exactly as he 808 does, same exact sounds, et cetera. It would have to make the 808 look like an antiquated piece of collector crap. But even then....

Yes, prices will continue to go up.

[javd007]

]I paid 2400 for mine in 2010. High at the time but its MINT!. Its also been the most reliable piece of gear i own. sometimes it has a few gremlins but overall its been very solid.

[MrTechno]

Originally Posted by deepfriedd

Mmmm the acidlab Miami is very tempting! Do you think the tr 808 will go up in price over the years as I has been doing?

Likely to continue going up yes.
I purchased mine for $1000 a few years back and now the going price is $2k up for a good one.

I cannot see you having to many problems with this thing in terms of maintaining either. Just as long as you purchase a good quality one you will be fine.

Good on you for wanting one, they are an amazing machine.

[RobJB06]

If you dont use it for a while the buttons can need a bit of working to get the contacts going reliably again.
Not had anything break on mine and ive had it for years

Originally Posted by NuG3nda

is maintenance really becoming an issue for 808´s? mine still works flawlessly like new (one push per step operation), I´ve had it clean a few times moded with midi ect .. admittedly I haven´t used it much since 2002 due to my travels, but its analog board so it can be repaired again and again unlike a digital board,.. basically the ratio of broken 808´s is very small vs the number of units,.. with care I think it will run another 30 years..

I was recently offered a ridiculously high price for my 808 (its near mint) I could have bought two miamis or a miami and a jomox for the offered price, I was going to take the plunge (it was midified recently) then after I played with it via midi >>whole new macine,, MPC swing per sound, individual accents and it now sounds better than ever .. I don´t care about the money I care about my sound..

[phreak260]

Originally Posted by nebelfrau

The only way the 808 price will drop is if some uber maschine is made that does exactly as he 808 does, same exact sounds, et cetera. It would have to make the 808 look like an antiquated piece of collector crap. But even then....

Yes, prices will continue to go up.

i'd stop short of saying that the miami makes the 808 look like an antiquated piece of crap, mainly because i would never call an 808 a piece of crap

BUT i can tell you the sound is the same. you can even change the sounds the same way you would with an 808 by adjusting the internal trim pots. it's virtually the same machine inside with a better sequencer, insane bass decay, and more memory.

IMO the only advantage a "real" 808 has is that it's a real 808.

[dimconcept]

I bought a beat up 808 for $1,100 a couple years back. Spent another $200 on replacement POTs and a new button strip (did the work myself). Sounds good as new and nothing sounds quite the same live. Yes, you can replicate the kick or any of the individual sounds, but when you hear the 808 doing it's thing live on a PA, there really is no exact duplicate (the Miami is closest)

These days, over two grand would be normal. In coming years, I'd expect the value to continue rising despite what other companies come out with. Much like vintage guitars..

[javd007]

Originally Posted by dimconcept

I bought a beat up 808 for $1,100 a couple years back. Spent another $200 on replacement POTs and a new button strip (did the work myself). Sounds good as new and nothing sounds quite the same live. Yes, you can replicate the kick or any of the individual sounds, but when you hear the 808 doing it's thing live on a PA, there really is no exact duplicate (the Miami is closest)

These days, over two grand would be normal. In coming years, I'd expect the value to continue rising despite what other companies come out with. Much like vintage guitars..

This^

[xanax]

Originally Posted by phreak260

BUT i can tell you the sound is the same. you can even change the sounds the same way you would with an 808 by adjusting the internal trim pots. it's virtually the same machine inside with a better sequencer, insane bass decay, and more memory.

IMO the only advantage a "real" 808 has is that it's a real 808.

cmon the sound isn't exactly the same, it's close..perhaps the closest, but like all clones including the x0xb0x, it sounds less organic/alive then the OG.. and the sequencer is far from better, it doesn't even have intro/fill or a/b switch which are essential to the 808 experience

[boomaudio]

Originally Posted by xanax

cmon the sound isn't exactly the same, it's close..perhaps the closest, but like all clones including the x0xb0x, it sounds less organic/alive then the OG.. and the sequencer is far from better, it doesn't even have intro/fill or a/b switch which are essential to the 808 experience

IMO most people don't own an 808 or have a trained ear to hear the little teeeeeny tiny nuances that make the Miami sound different from the 808. Only the nerds and the gear freaks who sit there and stroke their chin whilst closely examining a sound and who care more about discussing these minor differences and that magic fairy dust called "organic/alive" would notice...

[e-are]

Originally Posted by dougt

Around $2k these days for one in good shape...

Wow!! I had one years ago. Paid about $400 for it at a music store and sold it for $600. I should have kept it. Doesn't have midi tho. Had a sync that i used to use with a tr707. Imo, no way is it worth 2 grand.


Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

[xanax]

Originally Posted by boomaudio

IMO most people don't own an 808 or have a trained ear to hear the little teeeeeny tiny nuances that make the Miami sound different from the 808. Only the nerds and the gear freaks who sit there and stroke their chin whilst closely examining a sound and who care more about discussing these minor differences and that magic fairy dust called "organic/alive" would notice...

riiight.. well i guess ignorance is bliss

[phreak260]

Originally Posted by xanax

cmon the sound isn't exactly the same, it's close..perhaps the closest, but like all clones including the x0xb0x, it sounds less organic/alive then the OG.. and the sequencer is far from better, it doesn't even have intro/fill or a/b switch which are essential to the 808 experience

well bro i've had 3 808s, all of them had their own different sound, and this was all adjustable via the internal pots. it's the same with the miami.

i've had 808s that sounded thin and static, or harsh, or smooth and musical. it's all about the trim pots inside. i've probably used 6 or 7 different ones over the years.

the miami has the same trim pots.

the sequencer is WAY better. inserting fills is as easy as programming it in and you get the same effect.

the a/b switch? are you serious?

[NWSooner]

Out of curiosity, is there a 909 clone like the Miami? I know there are 909 "clones" in Eurorack for individual instruments, but is there a clone of the complete instrument?