luke_smithwick's Reviews
3 reviews Back to luke_smithwick's Equipboard
Still fun after all these years.
First keyboard I could afford. It still is a lot of fun to tinker with after 30+ years.
Great Vintage Board - Does not grow old well
My dream keyboard has become a boat anchor. Although this was a powerhouse from the 80s, it does not age well. There are numerous analog semis on the main board as well as the voice cards and they simply drift out of range over time. Since these are unique parts, replacements are sketchy and hard to find. My OB-Xa has reduced itself to a door stop.
220
that's a pity. you need to invest some time/money it can be as good as new. it's one of the easiest vintages to work on.
- it needs new capacitors, in PSU as well as voiceboard/motherboard
it needs new multiturn trimmers on vco pitch as well as linearity and high range
finally, if needed, new bushings, so your keys are evened out, and play softly without clunkiness.
all of it can be done in an afternoon with a capable tech. not a hundred bucks in parts all of the above.
cheers Tom
Best Guitar I Ever Owned
The Gibson Alex Lifeson Axcess Les Paul is one of the best made guitars I have owned. It is a bit on the heavy side, but that is typical for this style of electric. I believe they did carve out some of the interior to modify the sound to make the most effective use of the "Life-O-Sound" piezos. The use of this mode is more complex than one might expect due to the need to have two ¼" outputs in use at the same time. Furthermore, the use of the topside knobs is not intuitive as they have multiple push-pull combinations to achieve the mix between electric and acoustic. Regardless, this is a fine instrument that I will never part with and pass to my children some day. If you can get your hands on one, you will never regret it.