Prophet 5 2.0

[present]

First, I'd like to apologize, because I know this is only moderately appropriate. But I've been trying all day and I haven't yet managed to find a source for the information I need. From a couple of threads here I have gotten the impression that you guys might be that source. I Know A Guy who has a Prophet 5 2.0 that he wishes to sell. ONly trouble is, we don't know how much the accursed things are going for. It's in decent shape, and does work, though I myself am not sure of every aspect of its condition. How much do people pay for such things? Should we try to go through a music store, a website, or finding individual buyers? Advice? Anyone? Anyone?

Thanks in advance.

[Keith collins]

past auctions on ebay are a pretty good source for what you can expect to get for it.
and ebay is probably the best place to sell it.

[Sweep]

Somewhere in the back of my mind I have the idea that people tend to recommend the Rev 3 Prophet and shy away from earlier ones, but I'm not sure and I'm certainly not offering that as advice. It might be worth checking that out, though.

You may get the info you need from the Analogue Heaven Yahoo group. I wouldn't recommend that group normally, and I'd take any comments with a pinch of salt, but some of them do a lot of buying and selling and they may be useful for prices and for things that buyers look out for, and questions they may ask.

Also, where are you located? If you're in Britain there's a place in Reading that services and sells old synths. I haven't used them, but I'm intending to check them out with a Korg MS20 I want to sell. They recently sold one at a ridiculously high price on behalf of a private seller, so it may be they'll give you what you'd get if you sold it privately.

In case you're in Britain, the link is

http://www.rlmusic.co.uk/mals_site/sale_stock_01.html

[minime123]

some rev 2s can be a lot of trouble. i recommend either learning about its features and figuring out whats wrong with it (most p5s need some kind of service at this point in time) or finding someone who can assess its condition. either that or risk having an upset buyer.
mini

[rogs]

One of the biggest problems with the rev 2s is getting the SSM chips -particularly the SSM2040 filter.

But it was that filter that makes many folk reckon the rev 2's were the best sounding of all the Prophet 5s!

There is a guy in the UK with some SSM chips (including 2040s) for sale, so if you know you can get them, it might help with the sale price!!

Check it out here

[GregAE]

First, I'd like to apologize, because I know this is only moderately appropriate. But I've been trying all day and I haven't yet managed to find a source for the information I need. From a couple of threads here I have gotten the impression that you guys might be that source. I Know A Guy who has a Prophet 5 2.0 that he wishes to sell. ONly trouble is, we don't know how much the accursed things are going for. It's in decent shape, and does work, though I myself am not sure of every aspect of its condition. How much do people pay for such things? Should we try to go through a music store, a website, or finding individual buyers? Advice? Anyone? Anyone?

Thanks in advance.

According to 'Vintage Synthesizers' by Mark Vail , a rev 2 Prophet can be worth anywhere from $400 to $1200 depending on the condition. But that book was published back in 2000, so that's a six year old estimate. Still, I'd consider it a 'data point'.

Regardless of their condition, note that all Prophets will need a battery change. This battery is used to back-up the patches when the power is off, and is good for about 8-10 years, no more. If it's never been replaced then you'll need to have this done. Since the battery is soldered on the circuit board, I'd suggest having this done by a professional. This will be an additional cost for you above and beyond the cost of acquiring the instrument.

To add some detail to someone else's comment here: Rev 2 Prophets (S/N 0183-1300) were built with SSM chips, while the Rev 3 Prophets (S/N 1301 and up) used Curtis chips. This accounts for the difference in sound between them. Rev 2 Prophets are said to sound ballsier, but rev 3 Prophets are supposed to be more reliable. Regardless of the rev, realize that even a dead Prophet has value for the spare parts alone. In fact, if you buy it and it dies soon thereafter, you might actually get more for the space parts than what you paid for it in the first place.

G

[ARP]

I had a rev. 2 years ago and it sounded nice, it also had the ability to heat a small room. There is no heat sink on the rev. 2 and it could generate some serious heat as a result. I used to wonder if that heat was bad for the electronics inside. I sold the rev.2 and later got a rev.3.3 with midi, overall my favorite of all the prophet synths.

[GregAE]

I had a rev. 2 years ago and it sounded nice, it also had the ability to heat a small room. There is no heat sink on the rev. 2 and it could generate some serious heat as a result. I used to wonder if that heat was bad for the electronics inside. I sold the rev.2 and later got a rev.3.3 with midi, overall my favorite of all the prophet synths.

Heat IS the number enemy of electronics, for sure. I had forgotten about that on the Rev 2. Maybe that's the reason why the Rev 3 Prophet has the rep as being more reliable.

[mee3d]

Can you imagine... the Prophet synth original was designed as a 2 manual unit called the Prophet 10 but the thing was so hot it use to just melt which is why the single manual Prophet 5 was born.

Revision 2s have a ballsier sound then the later rev 3s, as stated in earlier posts because of the SSM chips and many people prefer this sound to the later Curtis chipped P5s.

I don't personally think that there is that much of a price difference between rev2s and rev3s... if anything rev3s would be more expensive as these are the models people want to buy but a restored and services Rev2 could be seen as a collectors item.

Be aware that if a rev2 fails... it's likely that it will be in service for some while... that's if you can get a technician to look at it in the first place. In contrast, rev3s are quite easy to fix.

A company like rlmusic would probably sell a fully restored and serviced P5 (any revision) for approx. 2300 UK pounds but in reality you could probably buy a secondhand unit for about 1200 - 1500 UK Pounds.

My advice would be to make sure you spend a lot of time with the unit before you part with your money... go through every parameter, turn every knob, press every button and see how she stays in tune over a period of a few hours (if at all)... move the unit into a drafty position like next to an open window etc.

With regards the cosmetic condition, the Prophet series are one of a few older synths that you can still buy pretty much all the external parts for... like nameplates, keytops and knobs etc so it's very easy to recondition a P5.

Mal

[Brian G]

I think the P10 single manual came out after the P5 was released only a handful of the single manual ones where made due to the heat problems, it then evolved into the two manual Prophet 10 which also had a built in sequencer.

Brian

[MC]

Yes the original Prophet-10 was a single manual machine. Of the handful that made it out the door they were returned for conversion to Prophet-5. Very few escaped that conversion and I don't think there are working examples anywhere.

There was a later prototype dual manual Prophet-10 with SSM ICs for sale a few years back, the predecessor to the production CEM-based Prophet-10 with sequencer. SCI finally gave up trying to make SSM VCOs stay in tune and switched to CEM chips.

While the Mark Vail book was printed in 2000, those price lists are the same as appeared in a 1993 Keyboard mag issue so they are way out of date. Almost everything in that book came from Keyboard mag articles.

[i satellite]

I've owned 3 Rev. 3 Prophets and one Rev. 2. There is a big difference in sound between the revs. I kept my Rev. 2, and sold all my 3's. They sounded muffled and dull compared to the 2. I had more problems with all 3 of my Rev. 3's than I have ever had with the 2.

The last Rev. 3 Prophet I sold went for $2800. I'd say a fully functioning near-mint condition Rev. 2 Prophet-5 with no issues and MIDI could easily sell for $3500 (at the least) on the used market.

[GregAE]

While the Mark Vail book was printed in 2000, those price lists are the same as appeared in a 1993 Keyboard mag issue so they are way out of date.

Thought for sure they would have updated the book to reflect the then-current prices. Shame on 'em if they just reprinted a price list from a 1993 issue.

G

[miket156]

I still have my Prophet 5 Rev 3.2 that I bought brand new in 1981. I only recently had it worked on for a few things that needed to be repaired. I used it for 3 years when I was on the road FT as a solo musician. Played it for years on weekends as well as during the week in my music room. It was VERY reliable considering the technology at the time. I had checked out the Rev 2 previous to buying the Rev 3, in a few music stores. Back then, I had numerous players tell me to stay away from the Prophets because they just weren't reiable for full time players to use on the road. So I waited, then I bought my P5 that I still have.

The rev 2 certainly had a great sound, but I felt it wouldn't be a good investment at the time, I needed a synth that WORKED. I had similar reliability problems with an early Mini Moog (wouldn't stay in tune very long) so I didn't want to go through that again.

If you're going to get a Rev 2 these days and just use it in your home studio, are willing to invest in spare parts, and have a good tech to work on it for you, it can be a lot of fun to have around to play and enjoy.

The Rev 3 sounds excellent too, and would be less trouble. Either way, having ANY working Prophet 5 will give you some insight into how the synth market developed back in the late 70's and early 80's, and can still provide you with years of musical enjoyment.

Cheers,


Mike T.

[minime123]

Yup. ANY Prophet 5 that works well is a pleasure to use. Just be careful, there are a lot of broken ones out there. If you're going to buy one get it from a reputable source that's had it serviced.
mini