Turtlerock Forum

Hi guys, just curious to know what is the favoured version of the Odyssey, MkI, II or III. and why so, is there one to stay away from too, Nymo you seem to be a vintage keys hoarder....lol, what is your take.

Cheers and thanks
Dominic

First off, all three are pretty good choices really. My opinion is, Mk3's are probably the most stable, Mk2's have the moog filter which makes it great at more traditional moog type filtered sounds etc - and the Mk1 is probably the best at whacked out unpredictable FX sounds etc, but the filter is (for want of a better description) less like the minimoog filter - but still really good in a different way IMO. Also pretty much all Mk1's in original condition will need a fair bit of work, and sliders are notoriously sticky if they haven't been well maintained.

For quiet the time, I owned both a MK1 & MK2.

The MK1 is def my fav.. (They are ALL stable.. and if they are not, they need to be repaired.) The Filter has soooo much more character and ooozes warmth. It's such a kick arse synth. I can listen to that guy play a fifth all day long.

I really could be wrong, but that song by Pete Townsend "let my love open the door" sounds like a MK1 with that big bottom end, and that nice 'air' / 10k hiss while the sound is still dull.
(Prob is a 2600 tho..)

The MK2 I had sounded similar, but more of a funky machine with a more juicy/chirpy and roland like filter. It still has tonnes of balls though.

I sold my MK2, but kept the MK1. That'll stay with me till I die.

Futureman wrote:(They are ALL stable.. and if they are not, they need to be repaired.)

Yeah, but going by eBay, I'd say you'd be lucky to find a Mk1 these days that doesn't need some work - seems the Mk3's are at least a bit less prone to being flaky - maybe not ;)

Thanks for the replies, it helped a lot and explained a few things, muchly appreciated.

A couple of other Q's, what would you pay for a good condition one be it a MkI, II or III, are they similarly priced.

Also who services them (I'm in Brisbane) in Oz and is the upkeep of them expensive, i.e sliders etc, what is the most likely part to go and what is the hardest part to find, if any.

One last Q for now and this harks back to a post I started a couple of months ago, any ideas on what "Mk" Billy Currie used on the Vienna album?

Cheers and many thanks
Dominic

Prices can vary a lot, hard to say whether there's any difference between Mk's - but say anywhere from $800 > $1800 would be a fair price, depending on condition, mods etc.

As far as servicing, most stuff that commonly needs attention is simple things like, slider cleaning/re-lubing, new bushes for the Pratt Reed keys, upgrade of the old capacitors - you'd be surprised how neglected some synths that you'd buy of eBay are in this regard. Wouldn't surprise me if most haven't been serviced since new. But don't be put off, it's mostly simple maintenance that's needed.

As far as tech's go, if you're willing to post to and from Sydney you can't do better that Steve Jones.

Dominic wrote: what is the most likely part to go and what is the hardest part to find, if any.

None. I'm pretty sure there is nothing inside an Arp Oddy that you can't repair with enough time.

(ie, no very rare IC's)

The only component that would be difficult to get would be the dual FET in the CV sample and hold circuit. Every other electronic part is readily available.

Dominic wrote:One last Q for now and this harks back to a post I started a couple of months ago, any ideas on what "Mk" Billy Currie used on the Vienna album?

I think there was a thread recently over on GearSlutz about this... I'll try and find it for you if you'd like?

RustyO wrote:

Dominic wrote:One last Q for now and this harks back to a post I started a couple of months ago, any ideas on what "Mk" Billy Currie used on the Vienna album?

I think there was a thread recently over on GearSlutz about this... I'll try and find it for you if you'd like?

I have it on very good authority that it was a Black & Gold - MK II