Regardless of what someone thinks of Elektron workflow, it’s hard to argue that they have some of the best built chassis in the industry and 90% of their products (with the exception of buttons and knobs) having full metal construction. There are a few other makers metal chassis “keyboard versions” I can think of, but still a lot of those are also mostly plastic.
I noticed a lot of manufacturers (especially of desktop synths) are more like 90% plastic, 10% “other material” and while this doesn’t represent the entire market (some sequential for example), it’s a large portion of it.
So who else is still building desktop synths with metal chassis? Or, in your opinion, who else is building products that will last?
I think it tends to track with price to some extent, but Dreadbox comes to mind at the affordable end, their stuff is all metal and solidly built, good components etc.
I don’t know for sure but my OP1 (original) looks like it’s been milled from a solid block of metal. It’s way heavier than something that size ought to be.
Once I stumbled upon my USB cable and my Syntakt slammed on the floor. But it turned on just like that, as if nothing happened. However I noticed it wiggled on the desk, … because the whole case was bend @.@
I was devastated since I never had problems with it, perfect encoders and all.
Without thinking, I did actually bend it back in shape using the edge of the desk …
I like my all-metal Elektrons, but I’m not convinced they will be more robust in the long run than something like a TR-8s.
I can point you at marinas full of 30+ year old boats where most of the metal parts have been replaced or need replacing, but (except for manufacturing defects) the fiberglass is close to new.
Plastics are a vast category and the main problem is they tend to last much longer than intended.
