It’s an addiction -this Craigslist bargain hunting bug.  You’re not looking for anything in particular, just something interesting to act like a piece of chewing gum for your brain.  In such a fashion this Akai AX-60 came into my life.  A quick VSE search led me to believe they were worth buying and the price was right on this one.  It had two physically broken keys, the big display window had detached from the front panel and it was dirty but all the sliders were present and all voices and filters worked.

Silly me I didn’t take an overall before picture -this is a way after, it’s up for sale era picture.

Sadly a proper vintage synthesizer in the wrong hands is treated like one of those plastic Casio’s you can buy now that plays ‘She’ll be coming around the mountain’ and a bunch of other hits.  This guy got off easy compared to my Juno 60.  Note separated key.  Was like $9 from Syntaur.  I replaced a while key -I think it was a D- that had a chip while I was at it.

Wood sides are available from ‘themilford’ on VSE.  Well worth the expense as they really dress it up.  Sliders on these synths are a little touchy -not as smoothly transitional as a Roland Juno for example.

Lots of presets.  This guy had a few I really liked.

Interesting trivia -the picture often seen on the ‘net of an AX-60 is a prototype mock-up of some sort.  This is how they all look.  Someone got paid to spend weeks designing the layout, color scheme etc for this.  Awesome!

Oh, and it has Midi.

Sadly this synthesizer has gone off to a new home in far north California, but it’s departure opened the door for my CS-50.  Worth it I’m sure.