Should I buy an LP?

[roboctopus]

Hey gang. I have a dilemma. My Prodigy stopped working mysteriously (Like, it was fine and one day I turned it on and no sound comes out ). I have had to get it repaired twice in the last four years, and though I love it, repairs are a pain (and I just moved to a new city, leaving my trusted synth tech hundreds of miles behind.)

I'm contemplating just selling my broken Prodigy and picking up a Phatty instead. And that CP-251 deal is mighty tempting (I have two Foogers that would love to meet it...)

So LP users, would you ditch a Prodigy for an LP? I've demoed one, and the sound is great, but the lack of knobs weirds me out a little, like I don't have as much of a connection with the synth. Do you get used to using just the 4 knobs? Or will I be longing for knobs and chagrined by patch memory?

Any thoughts? To modernize, or not to modernize...

[Brian G]

I would go for it. Maybe keep the Prodigy and fix it later, you can never have to many analog synths laying around . You could of course use what you get for a dead Prodigy help fund the LP purchase though, but a lot depends on what the repair cost will be. It may be worth it if not too high, was the repair problem the same the last two times ?

For me I had no problem getting used to the four knobs, in no time you’ll be flying around the panel press the desired button and twisting the knob.

[EricK]

Yeah, I think that if you are looking at a Phatty then youll be happy with it. I don't own one but the layout is very intutiatuive. Just push a button for filter cutoff, push the button again for resonance. Its pretty fast, though not as fun as having a million knobs gleaming in the light.

I agree, keep your prodigy. Perhaps email kevin lightner on here and see what he would charge to service it. I pretty much guarentee that when you get it back it won't break again. Kevin is simply the most trusted in the biz.

I think that if you can hang onto as much Vintage stuff as you can you won't have any regrets later.

Also, start a new thread about your issues and see what people say about it. It could very well be that your tech didn't know what he was doing.

Eric

[Brian G]

It could be something as simple as a cable that went bad over night, odd i know but it happens . Make sure the cable is inserted all the way on the Prodigy, mixer and or amp. It is still plugged in right ? :)

Check the amp and or mixer are they working with other gear. Try a pair of head phones to see if you have audio. It could very well be a simple fix, but for sure grab an LP while you can get a free CP 251 . With it and the MoogerFooger you have you're in for a lot of fun.

[roboctopus]

I agree, keep your prodigy. Perhaps email kevin lightner on here and see what he would charge to service it.

Also, start a new thread about your issues and see what people say about it. It could very well be that your tech didn't know what he was doing.

Eric

I think the only Moog Kevin services are Minis, but I could be wrong. But for clarification, a tech didn't mess it up. I had the Prodigy serviced in June to fix a problem with oscillator one not scaling properly, and to fix a problem with the attack (it had slow [~1 sec] attack no matter what). In August I moved from Austin TX to Alabama. The prodigy worked fine, solid tuning, no problems, until two weeks ago, when I turned it on and no sound came out. The light powers up, but nothing happens. So now I'm faced with the prospect of finding a synth tech in a town that seems to have zero music stores that sell synths.

So here I am, mono-synthless in Alabama. I would probably need to sell the Prodigy, though. And thus the dilemma.

[roboctopus]

It could be something as simple as a cable that went bad over night, odd i know but it happens . Make sure the cable is inserted all the way on the Prodigy, mixer and or amp. It is still plugged in right ? :)

Check the amp and or mixer are they working with other gear. Try a pair of head phones to see if you have audio.

Yeah, I have tried all of that, several times over. And I know zero about electronics, so I'm hesitant to take it apart.

[dave500]

So you moved to Alabama what a drag.

[roboctopus]

So you moved to Alabama what a drag.

Ha ha, I see a fellow Alabaman. Yeah, my wife got a good job in Huntsville. It's not bad, but it's a big change from Austin, TX. And the music stores have banjos where I think the synths should be...

[Bryan T]

In my uneducated opinion, it makes sense to get the LP. You'll get a synth with a warranty and have the CP-251 (what a sweet deal, no?).

Consider buying the LP from a vendor on eBay, as you can take advantage of the Microsoft Live Cashback deal and get $200 back on the purchase.

Bryan

[EricK]

Novamusik also has some wonderfully exceptional deals on Moog gear.

[Bryan T]

Novamusik also has some wonderfully exceptional deals on Moog gear.

Yeah, that's where I got my LP (through their ebay store). Open box buy, plus the Microsoft cashback deal made it a no-brainer. Fast shipping, too.

Bryan

[Brian G]

Yeah, I have tried all of that, several times over. And I know zero about electronics, so I'm hesitant to take it apart.[/quote]

Unless you really know what you're doing and are familar with the inside of the Prodigy you can do more damage just messing around.

Did you have a big screw driver than 10 pound hammer at it yet ?

[roboctopus]

Well, bigcitymusic has a Stage 1 on their ebay store for $1,119. I have an ebay coupon that would get it to $1,019. The stage 1 can be updated to get all the functions of the stage 2, correct?

[roboctopus]

Did you have a big screw driver than 10 pound hammer at it yet ?

Well, I tried kicking it a couple of times, but no dice.

[Bryan T]

Well, bigcitymusic has a Stage 1 on their ebay store for $1,119. I have an ebay coupon that would get it to $1,019. The stage 1 can be updated to get all the functions of the stage 2, correct?

Not sure. Don't forget to do the Microsoft Cashback deal, too. You could get that synth for $819.

FWIW, my LP2 (open box, but new with warranty) was $1100 from Novamusik. After the cashback deal I got it for $900. No upgrades needed.

I'm not sure if you get the CP-251 with the Stage 1 - you should clarify that before buying.

Bryan