I've been following the prices of low-end (<$200) tone modules on eBay for about

three years.  For the past 18 months, they have been steadily rising; generally

up about 30% for the same item over several years.  For the TX81Z, the average

price has almost doubled from $30-$40 to $60-$80.  As we all know, they are

wonderful synths and no one is making any more of them.



   But in the past week, I have been winning a lot of eBay tone module auctions

with bids that are about 25% lower than the average price of the past few

months.  I picked up an E-Mu Mo'Phatt for $61 and yesterday an identical

Mo'Phatt actually sold for $49!  They normally have final bids around $120.



   Granted the Mo'Phatt is a weird tone module. But it does have 1024 internal

samples, arpeggio generators, 12dB morphing filters, dual effects DSPs,

real-time controllers, and MIDI control over every possible parameter.  So even

if it is a just a box of sound effects (as it is derided to be), it still has

potential according to its specs alone.



   I also got a mint-condition Yamaha TG77 for $145.  I haven't seen one sell

below $150 for several years.



   Are the tone module prices falling?  Is this a ripple of the general collapse

of the economy?  Or, is it because these auctions are ending in the middle of

the morning when no one is on-line to eBay to bid on them in real time?  I time

all my eBay auctions to end at 7:30pm Pacific time.  Which is 10:30 East Coast

time.  People there are still awake and at their PCs online.  The West Coast

people have finished dinner and are sitting down to their PCs for a serious

shopping session.



   Should we dump our 'surplus' tone modules now or hang on to them for a few

more years?  Do you think that the prices on Yamaha DX units are going to rise

or fall in the next year?  And by how much?

As the economy continues to contract will the prices of the high-end modules

like the Yamaha Motif series fall by 40% or more?  Or will they stabilize and

possibly rise?



   Any thoughts? Anyone need a spare Mo'Phatt?

There's been a rise in price for 1000 series Kurzweil modules recently as

well. On the Kurzweil 100-1200 group we thought it was due to scarcity and

the folks who are buying up multiples of them to set up polyphony farms.

(You can use up to 12 of them to create absolutely huge polyphony for piano

or harp sounds that don't ever steal notes, and since Kurzweil has allowed

the group to burn upgrade chips these modules have really been taken to as

far as they can go by group members) But this trend indicates to me that

something else may be going on.



-----Original Message-----

From: YamahaDX@yahoogroups.com [mailto:YamahaDX@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf

Of alan_probandt

Sent: Monday, June 29, 2009 11:11 PM

To: YamahaDX@yahoogroups.com

Subject: [YamahaDX] Tone module price cycles







I've been following the prices of low-end (<$200) tone modules on eBay for

about three years. For the past 18 months, they have been steadily rising;

generally up about 30% for the same item over several years. For the TX81Z,

the average price has almost doubled from $30-$40 to $60-$80. As we all

know, they are wonderful synths and no one is making any more of them.



But in the past week, I have been winning a lot of eBay tone module auctions

with bids that are about 25% lower than the average price of the past few

months. I picked up an E-Mu Mo'Phatt for $61 and yesterday an identical

Mo'Phatt actually sold for $49! They normally have final bids around $120.



Granted the Mo'Phatt is a weird tone module. But it does have 1024 internal

samples, arpeggio generators, 12dB morphing filters, dual effects DSPs,

real-time controllers, and MIDI control over every possible parameter. So

even if it is a just a box of sound effects (as it is derided to be), it

still has potential according to its specs alone.



I also got a mint-condition Yamaha TG77 for $145. I haven't seen one sell

below $150 for several years.



Are the tone module prices falling? Is this a ripple of the general collapse

of the economy? Or, is it because these auctions are ending in the middle of

the morning when no one is on-line to eBay to bid on them in real time? I

time all my eBay auctions to end at 7:30pm Pacific time. Which is 10:30 East

Coast time. People there are still awake and at their PCs online. The West

Coast people have finished dinner and are sitting down to their PCs for a

serious shopping session.



Should we dump our 'surplus' tone modules now or hang on to them for a few

more years? Do you think that the prices on Yamaha DX units are going to

rise or fall in the next year? And by how much?

As the economy continues to contract will the prices of the high-end modules

like the Yamaha Motif series fall by 40% or more? Or will they stabilize and

possibly rise?



Any thoughts? Anyone need a spare Mo'Phatt?

lol Alan

..my opinion is everything now seems to have 'a loss', but its really not. its

just whats being said.

do you think the value of the first fm synths of the world will ever be

unvaluable? naaahhhh!

its always funny, but the buyer and the store both have their own prices.

...my price is i keel you if take my DX11 away!! haha!



Nicole, how many Polys do you think would it take

to make a PolyPhonyPharm of MoPhatts?











--- In YamahaDX@yahoogroups.com, "alan_probandt" <alan_probandt@...> wrote:

>

> I've been following the prices of low-end (<$200) tone modules on eBay for

about three years.  For the past 18 months, they have been steadily rising;

generally up about 30% for the same item over several years.  For the TX81Z, the

average price has almost doubled from $30-$40 to $60-$80.  As we all know, they

are wonderful synths and no one is making any more of them.

>

>   But in the past week, I have been winning a lot of eBay tone module auctions

with bids that are about 25% lower than the average price of the past few

months.  I picked up an E-Mu Mo'Phatt for $61 and yesterday an identical

Mo'Phatt actually sold for $49!  They normally have final bids around $120.

>

>   Granted the Mo'Phatt is a weird tone module. But it does have 1024 internal

samples, arpeggio generators, 12dB morphing filters, dual effects DSPs,

real-time controllers, and MIDI control over every possible parameter.  So even

if it is a just a box of sound effects (as it is derided to be), it still has

potential according to its specs alone.

>

>   I also got a mint-condition Yamaha TG77 for $145.  I haven't seen one sell

below $150 for several years.

>

>   Are the tone module prices falling?  Is this a ripple of the general

collapse of the economy?  Or, is it because these auctions are ending in the

middle of the morning when no one is on-line to eBay to bid on them in real

time?  I time all my eBay auctions to end at 7:30pm Pacific time.  Which is

10:30 East Coast time.  People there are still awake and at their PCs online. 

The West Coast people have finished dinner and are sitting down to their PCs for

a serious shopping session.

>

>   Should we dump our 'surplus' tone modules now or hang on to them for a few

more years?  Do you think that the prices on Yamaha DX units are going to rise

or fall in the next year?  And by how much?

> As the economy continues to contract will the prices of the high-end modules

like the Yamaha Motif series fall by 40% or more?  Or will they stabilize and

possibly rise?

>

>   Any thoughts? Anyone need a spare Mo'Phatt?

>

I don't know how voice splitting works in those modules, so I couldn't say.

I know that no one need buy more than two TX802's because it only does

Odd/Even poly splits, so unless you want more channels more is not better.



-----Original Message-----

From: YamahaDX@yahoogroups.com [mailto:YamahaDX@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf

Of Farmer

Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 5:03 AM

To: YamahaDX@yahoogroups.com

Subject: [YamahaDX] Re: Tone module price cycles







lol Alan

..my opinion is everything now seems to have 'a loss', but its really not.

its just whats being said.

do you think the value of the first fm synths of the world will ever be

unvaluable? naaahhhh!

its always funny, but the buyer and the store both have their own prices.

...my price is i keel you if take my DX11 away!! haha!



Nicole, how many Polys do you think would it take to make a PolyPhonyPharm

of MoPhatts?



--- In YamahaDX@yahoogroups.com <mailto:YamahaDX%40yahoogroups.com> ,

"alan_probandt" <alan_probandt@...> wrote:

>

> I've been following the prices of low-end (<$200) tone modules on eBay for

about three years. For the past 18 months, they have been steadily rising;

generally up about 30% for the same item over several years. For the TX81Z,

the average price has almost doubled from $30-$40 to $60-$80. As we all

know, they are wonderful synths and no one is making any more of them.

>

> But in the past week, I have been winning a lot of eBay tone module

auctions with bids that are about 25% lower than the average price of the

past few months. I picked up an E-Mu Mo'Phatt for $61 and yesterday an

identical Mo'Phatt actually sold for $49! They normally have final bids

around $120.

>

> Granted the Mo'Phatt is a weird tone module. But it does have 1024

internal samples, arpeggio generators, 12dB morphing filters, dual effects

DSPs, real-time controllers, and MIDI control over every possible parameter.

So even if it is a just a box of sound effects (as it is derided to be), it

still has potential according to its specs alone.

>

> I also got a mint-condition Yamaha TG77 for $145. I haven't seen one sell

below $150 for several years.

>

> Are the tone module prices falling? Is this a ripple of the general

collapse of the economy? Or, is it because these auctions are ending in the

middle of the morning when no one is on-line to eBay to bid on them in real

time? I time all my eBay auctions to end at 7:30pm Pacific time. Which is

10:30 East Coast time. People there are still awake and at their PCs online.

The West Coast people have finished dinner and are sitting down to their PCs

for a serious shopping session.

>

> Should we dump our 'surplus' tone modules now or hang on to them for a few

more years? Do you think that the prices on Yamaha DX units are going to

rise or fall in the next year? And by how much?

> As the economy continues to contract will the prices of the high-end

modules like the Yamaha Motif series fall by 40% or more? Or will they

stabilize and possibly rise?

>

> Any thoughts? Anyone need a spare Mo'Phatt?

>