FS: Refurbished ARP Omni 2 - $400

[Mark Smart]

I am a professional electronics guy who just finished overhauling this
synth. It is now electronically in much BETTER shape than when it left the
factory. Here's a list of what I did:

1. Replaced all blown IC's capacitors, broken keys, etc.

2. Power supply mod.
   As many people know, these synths have a reputation for unreliability.
   The reason for this is that the power supply was misdesigned such that
   it generates power spikes every time you turn the synth on or off. Over
   time, this fries chips and capacitors. In response to this problem, ARP
   designed a modification which was to be performed on all Omni's which
   came in for repair. It involved soldering some caps and transient
   supressors to the power supply and changing a resistor to lower the
power
   supply voltage to +/- 13 volts. I have performed this mod on this synth.
   Basically this means that this synth is in all likelihood immune from
   the problems which do (or will) plague any non-modified Omni 2 you can
   find.

3. I also performed the well-known filter modification which raises the
   cutoff
   frequency to what it was originally designed. This makes a very
   noticeable and positive difference in the sound of the "synthesizer"
   section. This mod has been discussed a lot on this list, and is also
   discussed in the book "Vintage Synthesizers" in the chapter about the
   ARP 2600 (some of the 2600's, as well as Odysseys, etc, used the same
   filter module as the Omni.) It sounds great.

4. Omni's frequently develop a "stuck notes" problem. This is from
   capacitors which blow up due to the aforementioned power supply problem.
   I replaced ALL these caps, even the ones which weren't misbehaving, just
   to prevent future potential problems.

5. I replaced ALL the 10 uF tantalum bypass caps for the same reason. They
   also frequently are victims of the un-modified power supply.

6. Of course, I cleaned up all the pots so they slide easily and do not
   crackle.

It is in good cosmetic condition with a few blemishes: there are some
scratches on the top where other stuff was set on top. They keyboard looks
great from playing position, but one key has a chunk missing from it which
you can only see if you look at the keyboard from underneath. All slider
caps are present.

Included with the synth is a really nice Calzone flight case.

I have reduced the price (again) to $400 + shipping.

A whole lot of work, care, and (dare I say it) LOVE went into this synth,
and I am quite proud of the results. It sounds fantastic!

I can provide a reference if necessary (another guy I sold a repaired
Omni I to)


************************************************
*     Mark Smart                               *
*     Electronics Engineer                     *
*     NovaNET Learning, Inc.                   *
*     smart at medusa.nn.com                      *
************************************************