Anyone own one of these?
I love the vsti version and I was thinking about purchasing one of these for my live setup.
I am a little concerned about the sliders, though, because a friend of mine has one and the sliders stick pretty bad.
Is this a problem with these synths?
What would you expect to spend on one in really good condition?
Any info on these synths would be greatly appreciated.
ARP Odyssey
-
- KVRAF
- 2017 posts since 21 Mar, 2002 from Hutchinson, Kansas
Ask me in a few days! There's one on the way to me even now... 
I have bought and sold a load of vintage synths (over 60 in my 25 years of playing!), and the ARP sliders are among the most problematic I have found. Sliders in general seem to tend towards scratchiness and poor resolution (and the Oddysey's sliders are notorious for being imprecise as it is).
Oh, and I have seen the go for anywhere between $500 and $1300 lately...
I have bought and sold a load of vintage synths (over 60 in my 25 years of playing!), and the ARP sliders are among the most problematic I have found. Sliders in general seem to tend towards scratchiness and poor resolution (and the Oddysey's sliders are notorious for being imprecise as it is).
Oh, and I have seen the go for anywhere between $500 and $1300 lately...
-
- KVRAF
- 12235 posts since 18 Aug, 2003
There's a white faced one on sale on eBay starting at $1000 USD. My guess is that it will be hard to find for cheaper, what with the rising analogue fetish prices these days, but that really strikes me as a big rip off. I'd guess you should aim for $800 USD. Even then, the VSTi sounds close enough to it, and patch memory is so much more useful, that I can't see the value. For that price, I'd consider looking at some of the new synths in that price range (Future Retro, Dave Smith Evolver, Vermona, Analogue Solutions, etc)
And from what I've heard, the sliders are always a bit of problem.
And from what I've heard, the sliders are always a bit of problem.
-
- KVRAF
- 6496 posts since 26 Nov, 2004 from Frederick, MD
I don't own an Oddysey but I own two ARP Axxe synths (single oscillator monosynth, the Oddysey's little brother). I've never had a trouble with the sliders sticking, but they are prone to dirty contacts and the knobs that were put on the sliders are notoriously fragile. The sliders are small and can be snapped off, though I've not had that problem on my synths (not having played live with them).
The worst part about these synths is the keyboard bushings get stiff over time and cause the keys to be uneven and unresponsive during playback. If you're planning on playing it live, then it's highly recommended that you have the bushings replaced. I haven't done it, but there's a place on line that sells them http://pw2.netcom.com/~arcsound. If you're going to put it under MIDI control via a MIDI-CV converter, then it's not a problem.
The worst part about these synths is the keyboard bushings get stiff over time and cause the keys to be uneven and unresponsive during playback. If you're planning on playing it live, then it's highly recommended that you have the bushings replaced. I haven't done it, but there's a place on line that sells them http://pw2.netcom.com/~arcsound. If you're going to put it under MIDI control via a MIDI-CV converter, then it's not a problem.
