[sdiy] ELMA 020-3325 + 041-3020 Classic Collet knob (or lookalike) source?

[Michael E Caloroso]

One of the design goals of the original SEM was to keep the control panel
small and compact.  That's why it used center tapped detent and ball
bearing reduction pots; today the former are extremely hard to find new in
low quantities and the latter, long out of production and only found in
NOS, are very scarce and $$$.  That's a challenge facing anyone who wants
to make a clone of the panel.

The Elma knobs are just as hard.  I have never found new Elma knobs for
1/4" shafts from any low quantity supplier.  I can find lookalikes for the
Rogan knobs on Moog synths, but I struck out for lookalike Elma knobs.

I have to believe that those were deliberate choices made by Oberheim, as
it was a few of their book of tricks to deter copycats back in the days
when the FVS/EVS SEM polysynths ruled the market.  Oberheim protected their
technology rigorously, even to the point of sanding off IC markings on
early builds of the polysynths.

I'm not mentioning this to label you or anyone else as ripoff artists, but
back in the SEM polysynth days they were a real problem.

MC

On Fri, Apr 4, 2025 at 4:40 AM mark verbos via Synth-diy <
synth-diy at synth-diy.org> wrote:

> oops, sent from wrong email
>
>
>
> Todd,
>
> I went through the same while restoring Marshall Time Modulators and EMT
> reverbs and compressors. It seems they are more available in UK and Europe.
> The EMT 156 uses 4mm shaft ones too (like that Electronic Surplus link
> has), which won’t work for you. I assume you want 1/4” or 6.33mm.
> Also good luck finding center tapped pots for the SEM. I bought 100 way
> back when Jürgen Haible had a custom run group buy like 20 years ago.
>
>
> Mark
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Apr 3, 2025, at 22:00, Todd Sines via Synth-diy <
> synth-diy at synth-diy.org> wrote:
>
> Just trying to spec out some costs on doing a reSEMble clone, and damn —
> these are expensive. Almost $7 a knob with indicator, more with larger
> coarse /cutoff / resonance skirted knobs: $200+ in knobs alone. FWIW, These
> are what Tom Oberheim used on the original SEM.
>
> Does anyone know of any suitable (with 95% accuracy) clone / lookalikes?
>
>
> Todd
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