#145

‘That’ price they were talking about was 8600 USD. People conveniently leave that little detail out when complaining about the new price.

image
9823B5E9-2D0F-4EEB-A18F-235ACB1A920A.jpeg1186×2586 735 KB

3 Likes
#146

Yes … That was totaly crazy … But I guess that people here are missunderstand two conceps: price and value. Prices depend on the demand, and I guess that if only one OP-1 unit were available in the world instead of going to eBay It would go to Sotherby’s …

Anyway, I’m Happy that the OP-1 is back on sale. That means still support from the company and service for repairs …

3 Likes
#147

Bought one new and it arrived yesterday, after three hours with it I can already say it’s the most underpriced piece of gear I’ve bought all year :wink:

15 Likes
#148

hey guys so I bought a used OP1 a while back on ebay (3 or 4 years ago now I think wow) for like 650

eventually a problem started to occur where it would randomly shut off and turn back on until eventually resting in the on state

sometimes it would just work when turned on and sometimes it would take 3 or 4 cycles
sometimes when plugging things in or brushing up against the side (with the connectors) it would shut off

so I got frustrated and stopped playing then came back and cycled on and off several times just like the broken OP1
going back and forth between selling it but it being broken which I would want to put on someone else
all while still kind of working and when it did it was great

so I bit the bullet and bought and OP1 connector replacement board from ifixtit
and about 10 minutes after getting it in the mail I had a like new OP1 again

what a small price to pay to feel like you aren’t conjuring a spirit each time you turn on the OP1 hoping it will work this time

all this is to say I’m very happy with this piece of gear and being able to easily replace parts myself without having to solder

4 Likes
#149

That’s great! Do you know where ifixit gets their parts from… Does TE supply them with replacement parts?

#150

In searching around I’ve read (when ifixit has been out of stock) that people have successfully contacted TE and gotten a part however I don’t know how recently that was and it didn’t seem like it worked all the time

I didn’t go that route though as it seemed like people always pointed back to ifixit

it came with the back connector (with the braille on it) the three screws and the little metal washer which I didn’t really expect anything but the board itself

just watch that the orientation on the plastic part of your power switch is the right way it won’t fit if you flip it around the other way (just look as you are taking it apart for reference)

#151

I actually sold my OP-1 because I was terrified of it becoming a paperweight in the not so distant future. The first one I had had an intermittent 5 key, a faulty mic and a dying speaker. The second one was much better but I had some issues with the battery and charging.

It’s really a shame because I honestly loved having it around. It is by far the best musical sketch pad I’ve ever seen, but TE’s customer service is pretty atrocious and it made me super nervous for the future.

Definitely an amazing piece of gear but I don’t think it’s a good investment.

4 Likes
#152

I’ve had that issue and have a new connector board waiting to be installed. I’ll likely sell it when it’s proven to be back in good shape, but I’ve had a wonderful time working with it on and off for 8+ years. If I can’t or don’t sell it, it’s an awesome little dude to have in the stable and I wouldn’t be sad to keep it :slight_smile:

1 Like
#153

Did the same thing. Replaced it with a digitone and a fun delay which has mostly covered it’s area of influence

3 Likes
#154

alright — it’s 2:30am and i’ve been through just about every post on every single op-1 thread on this website searching for something to help me make up my mind on this. i have consulted my partner, friends, and now i’m turning to everyone here.

i think it’s time to part ways with my op-1, but every time i think about packing it up to ship it out my heart sinks. i have had mine since 2017 and have made a lot of great music/memories with it. it’s travelled across the world and back with me for crying out loud!!!

i am super proud to own it, the same way i am to own my grid, my norns, etc. i remember when i first got it, it felt like a thing i’d keep around for a long long time (forever?). it feels like an important pillar of my synthesis journey and perhaps one of the most beautifully designed objects in my home. but it sits in a drawer for a few months in between uses these days, and my modular is becoming the instrument i reach for first these days. it never seems to incorporate into my workflow these days.

has anyone made the decision to sell theirs a tough one? i’m terrified of regretting my decision, but i do know that they are gonna continue to exist in the future, maybe just with a steeper price tag.

1 Like
#155

honestly it’s last thing i think to use when i’m noodling, but every time i see it and turn it on it promises something in the way a typewriter does when i don’t have anything to say. i think it’s a typewriter. so you can sell it like a typewriter; because you can still write without one. but when you have something to say it tends to be the first choice and not the last.

6 Likes
#156

you’ll regret it 20 chars

6 Likes
#157

Like a few others here I owned one earlier in the piece, around 2012 I think.

I think the weird thing about the OP-1 is it’s almost like buying gold. It’s this machined aluminium brick of value, that very rarely loses that value, and in fact has now doubled in value over the decade.

I sold mine and have no regrets. however, it is a truly magical instrument. I had an excellent time while owning it, but there were various things about it that made me feel like I could let it go. It gave me joy for a good few years, but after that time I felt like it was more of a trophy piece than something I regularly used.

I dunno what the cash ratio would have been for me to keep it, obviously I needed the cash for something else at the time. I don’t have any problems having sold the OP-1 and while it does have some nice unique features, there’s nothing about it that would indefinitely stop me selling it.

I think having owned and used an OP-1 is enough for me, having samples about the place of it, and used on various tracks and pieces. Having it committed to memory banks is enough for me, in the neurones of my mind lingers the memory of my time with the OP-1, and to me that is honestly enough.

But if ever desperate, well, there are certainly enough OP-1’s in the world to borrow as a loaner if needed in the studio, do a call out if need be.

I guess because it’s so so tiny one feels one must own it, but knowing the sound, I can’t see why an OP-1 couldn’t be tracked down or hired for sonic duties in much the same way as one might rock a loaner for a TB-303 or SH-101 etc

Is the sound palette of the OP-1 as iconic as other gear out there? It’s certainly a pretty broad spectrum, and can fill a range of shoes.

It’s up to the individual I guess. I think everyone should have an OP-1 for a time :slight_smile: I remember when I discovered it it seemed like such a bargain (these days not so much). And it just seemed like it was a thing from the future. One of the best electronic instruments invented ever, period.

2 Likes
#158

I had one for a while and when I see one on the interwebs, be it on youtube or offered in a shop I somehow regret that I gave it away. Though it is more like being torn to the design as it is a beautiful thing in nearly every aspect of it. Also definitevly a lovely instrument.

On the other hand the reasons I did not keep it are still valid for me. I loved playing with it while being in hospital (sounds a bit odd, I guess but that was the actual reason to buy one after just admiring it) or on the couch. But I did not like that I needed to use headphones with it. And when I connected it to my usual recording setup I found that it lost all its appeal. A real keyboard is nicer to play on, a dedicated sequencer is nicer to program and the sound is not that special that I cannot get there with my modular and/or a few small desktop boxes. Also recording and arranging a song is interesting and in a way fun on the OP-1 but also a bit tedious and limited. Maybe a nice sketchbook, but then I would have liked MIDI files to export for further use.

Still I need to say all this to myself when I see one, especially since they come up pretty often as reduced B-stock items with full warranty now. What helps is that I could not hold back two times and lost quite a bit of money in a stolen identity ebay scam and then bought one locally that had a broken headphone jack. The guy took it back without any problem but I makes me think twice before ordering a B-stock item. That and my quality impression of two OP-Z that I had later before giving up the warranty exchange game.
It was weeks before the new price policy and I guess the guy who sold it to me was happy to sell it to someone else for 300 EUR more after having the jack replaced.
He was a professional composer and was a bit in the same position of liking but not really using it for more than little random noodlings he just sampled into his DAW but preferred his organelle for that.

To me the typewriter analogy @notester brought up fits pretty well. It might be lovely to have one and feels inspring. But even when I needed a typewriter text for some artwork I always used a computer with trixie or courrier fonts and made a photocopy of it (or went the whole way and used letter stamps/blockprint sets for kids…holy hell, those were the times). Maybe a mixture of a typwriter and a 4-track cassette recorder.

3 Likes
#159

i did have one and i hate it. sold three days after and never looked back.
i kinda miss the portable side of it but… this year i just built a fates and a neotrellis grid. they fit in my jacket if i want to. doing crazy beats on the couch everytime, definetely the best alternative of an op1 in so many different ways

#160

what does your inner Marie Kondo say?

maybe you’ve outgrown it.

p.s. looks at own OP1… I think I know exactly how you’re feeling.

2 Likes
#161

OP-1 is the only synth I regret. There’s big nostalgia for it but price point is high but also when I heard the sound quality of my modular…I think I should just “grow” with my eurorack synth

#162

Based on everything you’ve written I’d say you should keep it.

I bought my OP-1 for $740 new and sold it a couple years later after the (first) price increase because I was worried it would break and become a paperweight. I was in the same position you are in - that it wasn’t necessarily an integral part of my setup but I really enjoyed having it around as a sketchpad.

I definitely regret selling mine, I miss having it around to jot down musical ideas and scratch takes. I also regret it because I know I’m never gonna buy one again at what they cost now, and buying used is a crapshoot.

I say keep it, unless you’re in a dire financial situation. If I’m having as many second thoughts about selling something that you are, it’s usually a pretty good indication that if I sell it I’ll regret my choice later.

2 Likes
#163

I bought one when they first came out and sold it maybe 1 or 2 years later. I didn’t end up making anything with it the first time around. Didn’t miss it either. Recently got one before the price increased and have been enjoying it since. I try to hold off on selling anything that’s unattainable again in the future and it seems like the OP-1 is here to stay in terms of availability.

If you don’t need the cash, I’d hold off on the decision, but I’m all in favor of selling things that are collecting dust and you can’t imagine using again. It’s really useful though as a midi controller, sampler, sketchpad, etc.

#164

last night I was playing my DIY Raspberry Pi Game Boy, and when I came out this morning I saw this nice little tableaux:

image
image4032×3024 3.19 MB

I talk about it a lot on here, but getting an Expert Sleepers FH-2 revitalized the OP-1 for me - a) you can sequence CV/gate and b) you can use a bigger MIDI keyboard to play its lovely sounds. I also have it perpetually hooked up to a reverb - it’s a mystery to me why they didn’t put a lush hall-type reverb on there.

why not loan it to a friend for a little while and see if you actually miss it? that’s what I did when I was debating selling, and I genuinely missed it.

4 Likes