How to: Buy cool vintage audio gear cheap

Here is a great post from the increasingly great Analog Industries blog about the clever way to buy vintage audio gear: You buy the modules ripped out of old recording consoles, then mount them in racks from Vintage City. He managed to put together a very high-end EQ for $400. The real trick is to use eBay Germany (because it's cheaper, and has cooler stuff than US or UK) and to be really patient when you're waiting for your bargains to come along. The only thing he doesn't mention is that PayPal is pretty rare in Germany (due to a slightly different credit card system, I think), so you often have to pay by bank transfer. Still, they seem like a trustworthy bunch. PS: While you're at Analog Industries, check out the awesome comic-book style GUI for DubStation, their new delay plugin (scroll down when you get there).


Comments:
so much for the cheap prices now that the word is out =P
 
it's like putting something up on AH as a "found" bargain
 
In Germany bank transfers are usually free or very cheap (and the fee for bank transfers inside the EU must be the same by law), so there's just not the need for PayPal like elsewhere.
 
In Germany bank transfers are usually free or very cheap (and the fee for bank transfers inside the EU must be the same as inside Germany by law), so there's just not the need for PayPal like elsewhere.
 
Are these old EQ's and compressors really any good? I would think that the noise floor would be pretty high, and the devices would be pretty non-linear since parts in them would have worn out. Didn't they use electrolytic caps? Wouldn't those have to be replaced by now?

If it's a circuit that's worthwhile, why not just publish it and let people make them?
 
Sweet. Isn't vintage audio gear supposed to be cheap anyways?
 
Dude, this is such OLD news. Ebay is totally saturated with overpriced modules and has been for a couple years. The best bet is to go for the less-famous brand names. (i.e. NOT neve, api, calrec, telefunken, etc...)
 
But did you try the tomatoe soup?
 
Interesting post :)

Jusr because the API 550B EQ is a thousand dollars a cartridge, doesn't mean that it's worth it.

There's so much gear out there that's sold for 10X what it's actually worth. I'd love to see some blind testing done on all this 'must have' vintage gear.
 
The dubstation looks great! The 3D tilt look is a little odd. Is it just me?
 
http://www.schematicheaven.com

A great FREE download resource for thousands of classic era Amplifier & Effect Schematics.

Keep that vintage gear alive and well!
 
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