Omnichords
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I feel like the SH101 still is not that expensive if you look at its cultural importance and compare it to other Roland products from the same time. It was a major part of 90s electronic music, and keeps getting used on all sorts of stuff still to this day. The interface is brilliant, and the sound is extremely versatile. Realised recently that it is the main synth used on Silent Shout by The Knife, which for me was one of the key tracks of the ´00s.
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I got my sh101 for just over £100 and when I sold it I thought I did well getting £150. I was saving for the newly released Yamaha a3000 which I never raised enough for so I bought a new mixer and a more basic sampler.
Since then the a3000 and everything else I bought went down in price while the 101 kept rising. I wish I kept the 101 but I got plenty of use and fun with the other things I bought.
Hindsight and such things
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Korg Op Six
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Anything that requires an Apple lightning connector.
I guess it depends on when a company decides to discontinue a product, no one could expect something like that easily ( seriously, who could predict the actual prices for machinedrum and mono??). Imo a good candidate is some of the device from Polyend if they keep a boutique-like style of business.
Opsix and Hydrasynth
Clean water
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Ooooh do you have a Töörö?
I’ve been thinking about getting one. I got the Buzzy
I don’t currently but had one for a year or so. The UI is dinky (overly so) but the sounds I got out of it were fantastic… plus 4-way multi! Would be a killer companion to a DN.
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FM modules like the tx81z and FB-01 I think will continue to go up in value. There are lots of great FM plugins but once you’ve played the real thing it’s hard to go back. The Arturia dx7 presets sound convincing, but as soon as you start tweaking parameters and fascade falls pretty fast.
In general I think 19 inch and eurorack modules will be more desireable as they’re easier to maintain and folks generally have smaller living spaces.
Pocket Operators. They’re cute, desirable, losable, breakable, lots of nostalgia, lots of “first love”, likely to go out of manufacture, probably slightly hard to copy.
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I’m not sure I agree. Part of my motivation for getting rid of my Euro is that most of it is just PCBs bolted to aluminum faceplates with zero consideration to mitigating shock/vibration. I unmounted all of my modules and packed them individually in anti-static bags for the SF -> Chicago move. (this wasn’t the deciding factor - I wasn’t using my Euro much, didn’t have room to set it up, and the combination of Syntrx Mk1 and Lyra more than covers the ground I wanted the Euro to cover)
It is easy to be surprised by how large vintage rackmount gear often is. While the front panel is usually just 1u or 2u, the whole box is usually as deep or deeper than a 1990s desktop computer. A TX81z looks small in photos, but it’s a massive piece of gear. Unless you are willing to cut a hole in your desk you can’t really tilt it back for a nicer viewing angle.
More recent stuff like the MOTU 828 series or the cheap Lexicons (MPX500/550 in my case) aren’t as deep, but are also at the tail end of the rack era.
Ultimately, I suspect that rack and euro gear will still go up, but for the opposite reason: it is bulky and fragile and requires dedicated space. Difficulty often increases prestige, even if its nothing more than impracticality.
OPSIX might be a diamond in the rough for a long time. I miss my TX-81z, TX-802 and TG-77, but the compact size and flexibility and even the “awful” keys make it much more practical than those old devices in my studio. I hope OPSIXes stay cheap so the collectors can chase the vintage stuff and musicians have an affordable FM powerhouse available.
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I think that the Xenophone is already unobtainable, not in terms of price but of availability. Anyway, I am curious what you think of it.
That’s one that I’ve never personally owned, but almost traded for one a few times. But it has future classic written all over it… same with the Majella Implexus and Norand Mono actually.
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Yeah, I’ve always been intrigued by the Xenophone, but have never seen or touched one.
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All the behringer clones
Sike
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When the weird rubber coating elektron and others use inevitably crumbles off almost every existing example, and reserves of the replacement buttons are no more, i’d say legible working like-new elektron machines.
I imagine the Behringer clones will be in demand by people actually making music. No point in risking a $50,000 OG TB-303 when a $3000 TD-3 will do the job.
You can 3D print replacement buttons right now. If you have a large enough budget, you could even have custom-milled aluminum or steel buttons.
I think the least expensive Speedios sell for $60k or so. Assuming $40k for tools and installation, you just need to sell 100 button sets at $1000 each to end up with a free high speed CNC mill. 