Guest Kits Posted September 19, 2002 Share Posted September 19, 2002 A member of my family is traveling to these countries, anyone here know where in the far east I could get a good price on synths? I just had the thought that perhaps I could buy something at a much cheaper price than here(Israel).... perhaps in Tokyo or Hong Kong? Kits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin OOOD Posted September 19, 2002 Share Posted September 19, 2002 Yes mate, JAPAN... specifically Tokyo, specifically Akihabara and Shibuya. Japanese-made equipment can be bought for about half the price you can get it in in Europe. There are also places (if you can find them) that sell second-hand stuff even cheaper. There are some incredible shops with MOUNTAINS of vintage analog - ever seen 7 Prophet 5s in a row on a shelf? Be aware that new equipment bought in Japan will be 110V - you will need to spend extra on a power transformer which is often not cheap. Colin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Deep Kick Posted September 19, 2002 Share Posted September 19, 2002 I think its 100v... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kits Posted September 19, 2002 Share Posted September 19, 2002 Colin - do you know of specific stores? Can 2nd hand stuff be trusted there? The person going has no knoledge about synths so I'll just have to give him a few names and hope he finds something.... any recomendations of vintage stuff i should have him going for? New synths maybe? As I have no hardware other than a midi controller i thought of a few : TB - 303, Sh 101, Ms 2000 , Prophet5..... how much should I expect to pay? Any recomendation for a good vintage bass synth? Thanks for anyone's help Kits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest drav Posted September 20, 2002 Share Posted September 20, 2002 er....Moog? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nick Posted September 20, 2002 Share Posted September 20, 2002 fickin ell, dont mention the sh101 and ms2000 again!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kits Posted September 20, 2002 Share Posted September 20, 2002 hehe lol nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jikkenteki Posted September 21, 2002 Share Posted September 21, 2002 You of my favorite music shops in Akihabara is "Softmap". It is actually a computer store, but they have a second building dedicated to electronic music production and I have always had good luck shopping there. How to explain how to get there.....? Take the Yamanote line to Akihabara. At the station take the exit to the "Electric Town" (there are sounds all over for it as it is a huge draw. When you exit the ticket stalls go out the exit towards you left leaving the building and go left to the big street, which is called Chuo Dori (Chuo street basically). Turn right on Chuo Dori and go for several blocks. I can7t remember exactly how many, but I think it is at least 3 or 4. The store will be on the right hand side of the street and the store front on the street itself isn't huge, but there should be a sign for "Soft Map" and you can see lots of computers and music software all over the place on the ground floor. There are 3 floors and the 3rd floor is dedicated to used equipment and they have a goos selection and pretty good prices too (I got a Roland sampler there for $250 which I ended up not needed some much and sold on Ebay for over $500). I tried digging around in my receipts but can't find an exact address for that particular store so this is the best I can do. Akihabara in general is filled with electronic goodies so even if your friend doesn't find it, I'm sure they will find other cool things to waste time and money on in the process. Power in Japan is 100v, but check the product, because I have found some Japanese models of things have self adapting power (much like most laptops do). If not, hit ANY touristy shop in Akihabara and thell them you need a convertor. If you are getting it for one single piece of gear you should be able to get something good for $20-$30. I went nuts and bought a $150 one, but I could also power an entire studio's worth of gear on it too so.... Hope this helps some, Jikkenteki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kits Posted September 21, 2002 Share Posted September 21, 2002 Jikkenteki - couldn't ask for more... thank you very much mate Kits Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.