Rosen Sound is proud to also offer quality synthesizers for sale to the public under the moniker of Rob’s Rare Synths. Alongside dealing in synths, we’re also able to buy your gear whether it’s one piece of gear or an entire collection.
Click Here To Skip To Synths You Can Purchase From Our Webstore
As of 2022, RRS now handles the synthesizers that most players seek us out for on a waiting list basis. This doesn't mean you won't ocasionally find what you're looking for in the stock list on this page, but it does mean that in general, if you want one of the following from us, you can request to be added to the waiting list for that item. The lists are generally fairly short and we seek to stock these units frequently.
If you're trying to sell one of the below, please contact us as we may just be able to put money in your hand quite quickly.
Synths With Waiting lists:
ARP 2600*
Elka Synthex
Moog Minimoog*
Moog Memorymoog*
Oberheim FVS & TVS*
Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 (all rev's)*
Roland Jupiter-8*
Roland Juno-106*
Yamaha CS-50, CS-60, & CS-80*
Synths marked * indicate that the list is empty, so you would be next if you contact right away (9/29/22).
A note from Rob:
The waiting lists note only represent a collection of fine instruments, but also instruments others in know *know* they should be purchasing from Rosen Sound because of our reputation in the synth restoration world.
We have often joked that some of these units (specifically the minis, memorys, and SEM systems) are sold before we can even list them for sale.
The waiting list system levels the playing field for professionals and hobbyists alike to have a fair and timely opportunity to purchase one of the above from us. We hope to add your name to the list!
How The Waiting List Works
Fill out the form below with what list(s) you'd like to be added to. Once we receive your inquiry, we will let you know the price range of the synths you seek and what your position on the list will be. No deposit is collected to be on our list, but we ask that you only confirm your position if you are going to able to pay for it as soon as it's your turn.
Once we have stock of the unit you're waiting for, we will email you letting you know it's your turn and also pass along some photos and a description of physical condition. If there are mods or damage, we will mention those aspects and adjust the previously quoted price if necessary. We will also discuss any additions or requests you may have, such as installing midi and provide a realistic lead time.
If you agree to purchase the unit presented, you will then pay a deposit that is at minimum 50% of the purchase price. Since RRS pays very fair prices for the gear we stock, its possible the deposit may exceed 50% to reflect the cost of procurement. This is especially true of very high dollar synthesizers.
Once the synth is done, the remaining balance must be paid immediately. We will then discuss collection or shipment.
Please contact us if you are interested in any of the below. We will respond shortly with pricing and lead time. Please note we rarely have synths for immediate collection due to our insane restoration backlog. Items that are listed below as "available now" can often be purchased through this website. Scroll further down!
Arp Odyssey - Black Face. Great shape! 3 week lead time.
ARP Solina - 1 available in okay shape
Emu Modular - Not for the faint of heart... a truly rare and massive EMU modular synthesizer we are lucky to have on consignment. All modules are analog and was configured to be used polyphonically (4 voices) with the included 460 keyboard. Technicaly ready to go but we recommend a short shop stay post sale. This unit has an enourmous asking price, so please do not contact us about it unless you are a serious buyer.
EMS VCS-3 - Fantastic condition VCS-3! Ready to go.
Korg Mono/Poly - Decent shape. 3 week lead time
Korg VC-10 Vocoder - Decent shape with non original mic
Moog Vocoder - Original Moog Vocoder. Nothing beats an original!
Moog Sample & Hold - Good condition and rare accessory for your minimoog!
Oberheim Four Voice FVS-1 - 4 week lead time. Amazing condition with Kenton Socket modifications
Oberheim OB-Xa - 4 week lead time. Great condition with midi.
Oberheim OB-8 - 3 week lead time. Has page 2 graphics. Good condition.
Oberheim OB-1 - 3 week lead time. Fairly good shape.
Oberheim DMX - 1 week lead time. Very good condition!
Oberheim DSX - 2 week lead time
Roland Juno-106 - 4 available at $2600 each.
Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 Rev 2 - Good condition. 1-2 month lead time.
Sequential Circuits Prophet T8 – This is also a consignment piece from Huey Lewis & The News. Its a great condition T8!
Sequential Circuits Prophet VS - Good+ condition with new OLED display. Consignment.
Sequential Circuits Prophet VS Rack - 3 week lead time
Below is synths (and sometimes other relevant stuff) being sold by Rosen Sound technicians. While Rosen Sound will not warranty these the same as our proper stock list, we can assure you that these have been serviced just like anything else we're selling and the proceeds go directly to whomever is selling it. Also, the gear is available immediately. Contact us and we will put you in touch.
Synare 3 - Eli's
Korg Stage Echo SE-500 - Eli's
We go absolutely nuts restoring our synths. For most machines, they’re completely stripped down and cleaned out. Following that, each board is inspected and failing or problematic components are replaced for maximum reliability without any detriment to the sound of the unit. Our years of experience restoring these machines has bestowed us the knowledge to know what fails the most, from certain capacitors and resistors, to CMOS and op amps, etc. With that said, we guarantee the synthesizer to be free from work related defects for as long as you own the machine. Not just for 30 days or 3 months like other dealers. If you own it, you’re covered.
Whats not covered is negligence, accidents, and problems related to aging. This is vague, and unfortunately there is no way to draw a hard line on what qualifies as age related and work related issues. This gray area is where we excel in customer service. We stress that this is why it’s important to deal with honest and reasonable people, which we are. We can’t predict the future, and neither can you. Science says even brand new components can fail suddenly. If this is the case for your purchase, we’re happy to help you. If it was something we may have missed, there’s no charge. If it’s something age related or what we call “random acts of science”, you’ll also still be helped, potentially just for the cost of the part, assuming that part doesn’t cost $0.50 like most parts inside synthesizers.
We base our pricing on the sum of the cost of procurement, the cost of restoration, and of course a markup. This means that the synthesizers we sell end up being on the lower side of whatever you might see on reverb or ebay as far as asking prices go on those sites (but ours work much better). We make a point of not inflating our prices or furthering what we call “synthflation”.
Most synths above can be reserved with a deposit with the remaining payment due as soon as the work is finished but before we add additional functionality you may have requested. Deposits vary and generally reflect the cost of procurement + 10% of the total price. Some units cost us so much to procure that we may charge a large portion of the sale up front. This is a byproduct of the fact that we pay very fair prices for the gear we stock.
RRS is well financed to purchase one synth or an entire collection of them. The selling process is simple: just email us with what you have to sell and please also include an asking price. If you can’t think of an asking price, that’s fine, we’ll still be happy to make an offer. If you’re not in LA, it’s no problem. We have agents (okay, they’re just our friends or associates) in most major/somewhat major cities in the US who can handle the logistics for us if you’re not up for shipping. For certain synths, we may fly out ourselves to retrieve it. We can provide references who will speak of how easy it was to sell gear to us.
For the youngens, we are happy to pay via modern methods like paypal & venmo.
For the boomers, we are happy to walk you through electronic means of payment so you feel comfortable but can otherwise mail a check. We prefer to stray from wire transfers but they are possible occasionally.
We are not interested in purchasing gear for full value that you got fixed elsewhere.
As for trades:
RRS is happy to entertain your trade offers. Trades almost never work out, but we've also had some very awesome-for-both-parties trade scenarios.
A note on cash offers:
Our prices reflect the countless hours we invest in the gear we sell.
We believe we pay exceptionally fair (to you) prices for broken gear. That said, we are not in this business to spend a lot to make a little… Nor are we in the business of ripping people off for their valuable gear… Nor are we in the business of “flipping” gear for more than we paid for it without doing any work to it.
Other sellers see our pricing and sell the same models at our prices with considerably less work and “future proofing” done to the electronics. We take pride in what we do and price accordingly, putting our reputation on the line every time we sell gear. Please understand the offer we make or accept for your gear will reflect “the road ahead” for us, and not the full market value.
Sell to us if you want a fair price and the peace of mind that the gear will be taken care of by professionals, put into the hand of artists, and when they’re done with it, well serviced (or as we call it, “good gear”) will continue to circulate for time to come on the used market, which is good for humanity.
ARP 2600 (any rev)
ARP 2500
ELKA Synthex
Moog Minimoog
Moog MemoryMoog
Moog Modular
Oberheim OB-X
Oberheim OB-Xa
Oberheim OB-8
Oberheim Two Voice, Four Voice / Eight Voice or any SEM System
Roland Jupiter 4
Roland Jupiter 8
Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 (any rev)
Sequential Circuits Prophet 10
Yamaha CS-50 CS-60 CS-80
4/22: Looking to trade one of my personal ARP 2600’s grey face (G Clef logo) for an ARP 2600 black/orange in fair shape. Straight trade preferred. I will not add cash to the deal and I would not ask you to add cash to the deal either. This is a technically a downgrade for me (value wise) but I do have a desire to own an orange 2600. Will include keyboard if you also include/have the keyboard. My consoles and keyboards have lids, so I would hope yours do too, but it’s not a dealbreaker. Happy to trade even if yours has some issues.
Looking for the following and may be willing to trade some gear for them with cash involved on either end
– Roland Promars
– Yamaha CS-60/80
– Prophet 5 Rev 3
– Oberheim SEM or TVS/FVS
– Moog Modular
Please read the below carefully before contacting us to help you sell your gear.
“Can you sell my gear for me?”
…The short answer is yes. The long answer is you may be better off just selling it to us or selling it on eBay (though eBay and Reverb come with their own set of risks in that their systems are a bit bias’d against sellers). We operate consignments on a strict and little-wiggle-room fashion simply because consignment really isn’t the best idea for most gear. Please read on.
Consignments can go 1 of 3 ways with us with little leeway
Consignment scenarios:
1. Owner pays us for repair work at normal rate and schedule and then asks us to sell the item on their behalf. We charge 15% of net sale amount and buyer receives the remainder. This is paid out as soon as new owner receives and accepts the machine. This 15% covers our efforts to resell and warranty transfer to new owner.
2. Owner does not pay us for our repair at all. We repair and resell the gear at our own cost and schedule and receive 40% of the *gross* sale amount. This covers our efforts in repair and risks associated with the repair process, parts that may be needed/added, and of course performing work without immediate compensation.
3. The “all I need is $X” scenario. This has historically worked well for both parties, in which the owner states a price they wish to achieve, and anything above it we keep. This works especially well for rarer (more expensive) pieces in need or moderate repair work that we may not want to purchase and the owner may not want to pay to repair.
If you find yourself with a rare and house-priced synthesizer in your possession that you wish to sell, you may stop yourself from following through with selling it after considering the liability and risks associated with high-value sales. We can help!
We can act as a brokering service exclusively for items worth in excess of $50,000. We charge 15% of the net sale amount in either of the 2 following scenarios:
1. Unit is working/previously restored by us or other reputable shop and we are brokering/advertising the sale while also offering the following service: technical and physical appraisal and certification of what is being sold. This helps the prospective buyer feel more comfortable making a sizable purchase.
2. Unit is -not- working/not restored. Two separate prices are then drawn up, a sale price and a restoration price (or price range). The buyer has the advantage of buying from a reputable dealer (us) and confident in the restoration process (also by us). We charge 15% of sale price and of course keep 100% of restoration fees.
We have experience brokering single item sales in excess of $100,000. Rest assured Rosen Sound / Rob’s Rare Synths is your most fruitful option for selling high end, rare and expensive synthesizers.
Type of machines likely to be sold under brokerage terms: Arp 2500, EMS Synthi 100, Roland System 700, Yamaha GX-1.
We ship using a few different methods. Our preferred method is via air cargo which is strikingly inexpensive and arrives to you the same or next day, and allows the buyer to pay for the shipping charges instead of it being middle-man’d through us. We stress that the cost of shipping same/next day via this method is exceptionally safer due to the shorter handling times, and surprisingly cost much much less than traditional shipping… and you get your synth faster!
We are currently offering free shipping in CONUS if you utilize air cargo.
We also will ship UPS if going to the airport is not an option or you prefer it. We know everyone has their opinion on UPS/FEDEX, so we should note that we are UPS people.
Want it to ship in a brand new hard case?
We work with an awesome local flight case maker who’s been in the biz forever. The prices are reasonable and he has measurements for the most common gear we sell. A new hard case will run $2-600 generally and be ready within a week or two. Note that this service is only offered to those who are purchasing gear from us or repair clients.
Yes, thats right! Below is a collection of synths you can buy RIGHT NOW through our webstore while also utlizing Affirm & Shop Pay!
The prices are marked up to account for the additional fees imposed by the webstore engine. If you don't need financing, contact us directly to pay a bit less.
