I’m fairly certain it has been this way across all the LEM218 modules/boats. On this one the seem to have inset it a tiny bit so maybe you are just seeing it now? End of the day it is a module in a boat, so it has to go in and come out from the top. I suppose they could have put a little metal lip around the edge to hide the edge of the pcb but I have my doubts any added drop protection that might add but it would have been a nice touch.
That is the V2 which had actual overhang from the boat.
what ? not sure what you mean ? The Easel Command is the steel 208C top plate, in a lovely steel boat with nice adjustable wooden end cheeks ? There’s nothing remotely cheap or flimsy about it …
pretty stoked for this but wrestling with my own Buchla demons at the moment. when I’ve beaten those, I’ll prolly pick one up. I’m also waiting to hear how it does for people ground-wise. I had all sorts of problems with my BUSA 218/Easel and grounding. I had to play it with a ground strap, or stick a banana cable down my sock to ground it. they claim they addressed this issue, but the manual says some folks may need to use grounding straps.
I don’t know why Make Noise and Serge and all sorts of other manufacturers can figure out proper grounding for touch plate modules but Buchla apparently can’t.
Yup. I think a lot of us are. Suffice it to say I would have bought a SAModular 218 had it still been available. 
I didn’t know it wasn’t but I’ve been following his fight with Buchla over at MW. so that could be related. especially since they just released their own (again).
I’m having trouble with updating 200e modules firmwares. so another fun fight entirely!
I’ve had plenty of gear just cause Make Noise touch stuff just stop working from grounding issues… I think it is an unavoidable issue with touch plate stuff unfortunately.
Hopefully it using grounded power helps (I think normally touch stuff uses you as the ground, so maybe this works a bit differently?)… 0-crtl doesn’t and it definitely has issues if you bring USB powered or slightly unusually synths into the mix
oh weird. I’ve had no issues with a few Pressure Points and 0-Ctrl. also my TKB has been fine. I know it can be sensitive to the environment, and the owners before and after me of the Easel I owned had no issues. while I had it, I verified all plugs in my studio were properly grounded, plus it’s on its own circuit. and again… no issues with other touch plate gear in there. 
This and the Easel Command would be fun entry into Buchla or the Tip Top audio modules. I dream of a Buchla and Serge setup one day.
by “classic” do you mean the original vintage ones? those were Zero/Halliburton style cases. you can still get such a thing made, by the way, and just put a 208 and 218 into it. but you’ll wait a year and price is “if you have to ask…” territory.
I liked the BUSA and BEMI variant. maybe it’s less classic and vintage chic looking. but still has a fun vibe about it:
the new one is fugly though. the squared-off corners really kill it for me. the rounded corners are kind of what kept the previous generation of them fun and quirky looking. I also don’t like forcing people into extra modules, but that’s another story…
I really liked the look of the BUSA/BEMI variant. That new one, though… 
Yeah I am half tempted to pull my ALM case off of for sale and fill it up with tiptop buchla stuff
…I wonder if you took the 1U rail out of one of the intelijell performance cases if it would be possible to rig up a “suitcase” system with the LEM218 boat in it.
Those intelijell performance cases are super nice, buchla should have commissioned them to do the new easel case!
Really? that’s really strange, a friend has it and his case is from plastic, cheap looking plastic. The wooden cheeks and the actual 208c module are top notch indeed.
I don’t like the Bemi case, a bit too goofy for me. By classic I m referring to the og, indeed.
However, I never saw the one you posted, that’s really pretty. I only saw pictures with the silver case:
As for the new one I have mixed feelings, I don’t mind the corners and it seems really useful to have space for another module but the exterior/color seems basic af.
yeah the first dozen or so that Don Buchla ever made in the 70’s were like the one you posted. then they were in the Zero Haliburton style cases. you can read more here:
https://waste.org/~knobs/buchla_easel_cases.html
I’m surprised you associated the one you posted with the original, as the most-prominent recent artists (or so I thought…) using the original are Alessandro Cortini and Charles Cohen and theirs were the Halliburton style.
Cortini:
Cohen:
I guess I’m weird, I like the new one the best… It really had some serious added functionally, I guess that’s what I’m most excited for… the mixer and inverter are pretty great. That’s the kind of stuff that really can change things into an environment instead of just a mono/duo synth. It seems more of a nod too the first ones with the power supply plug coming from the top. I was all set to get one Intel I found out how rotten they have acted. I just can’t support people liked that though. It is my dream synth though, I may go for it begrudgingly… or by a custom one at some point.
I’m honestly totally happy with my microvolt currently though… it is about 75% there already and I’m not even sure I need much more.
Yeah, I think the only thing I don’t like is the squared corners. I don’t get the hate for the I/O being on top…it allows you to have a case that’s better sealed against the elements vs the old BEMI style with the giant exposed hole in the side, and the visual feedback seems better. The extra 200-series slot also seems like a fun opportunity to add an onboard X/Y controller, signal delay unit, etc.
Then again, I’ve never owned an Easel and all my experience with one revolves around playing with one at Perfect Circuit years ago, so maybe I’m operating out of ignorance and idealism.
How fast we ship time? Paint job looks good
Very quick… 3 days to ship to CA… the build seems nice, super heavy for its size. I briefly had a future retro 512 and this seems much nicer. The texture on the keys is a nice touch, the arp is very fun and the touch strip for pitch bend doesn’t “jump” like the arturia keystep touch strips instead it bends from where you place your finger and you can set the slew of its return on release. No grounding issues so far. Seems pretty much to be exactly what I wanted.
basically me just messing about with the directed arp mode with the pads also transposing octaves at the same time.
