The next live Soundgas Recording, Instruments & Studio Equipment Sale is happening on Wednesday 27th September 2023 at 16:00 BST / 11:00 EST. Scroll to the bottom of this post for all the important links you need to keep up to date.
Viewing goes live on the weekend of the 16th of September but this is your early look at a sale which amounts to a roll call of dream synths, rare and exotic electronic instruments, and also includes over 60 lots of eurorack modular, plus "techs' corner" for those who like a project/challenge/adventure...
Image above: a restored, super-rare PPG Model 1002 Synthesizer which is up for sale.
The first live auction run on the new soundgasauctions.com site was a great success with a winning mix of bargains and high end vintage synths including a Yamaha CS-80, Sequential Prophet 5 Rev 2 and an Oberheim Four Voice that drew a crowd.
The September auction features over 200 lots including more show-stopping rare and desirable synths, and plenty of the vintage/classic/weird studio gear and instruments for which Soundgas are well known. This time there will also be a Eurorack & modular synth section with over 60 lots available: a mix of Doepfer and other manufacturers, including some uncommon modules. Plus as mentioned above this is the first time we will be putting a large number of lots together that are definitely in need of work and/or are useful parts.
Tax, Fees & Bidding From Outside the UK
A short note only! Please skip past to see more synthesizers. You’ll find more about this on the Buying page, but as this is new territory for a lot of people we wanted to summarise some important things here.
Firstly, if you intend to purchase at the auction we recommend you select the FLAT FEE option when you register to bid with Easy Live Auction of £3.00, as the alternative is to pay 3% of the hammer price on any winning bids. If you are just at the auction to browse then the percentage option is the one to choose.
When you win an auction, regardless of where you are located all items are subject to a 15% Buyer’s Premium, plus 20% VAT is charged on that amount (so the total added comes to 18%).
Additionally, some lots may have been entered into the sale by business sellers. In this case for UK bidders ONLY there will be 20% VAT added onto the hammer price of the item.
IMPORTANT: Bidders outside the UK do not pay this additional 20% VAT on these items, however the "total fees" shown on the item include this which is somewhat misleading! Apologies for this confusing situation - we are required by law to show the full fees as payable by UK bidders and the website does not currently have the facility to detect bidder's location. If you have any questions or concerns at all please get in touch!
Highlights (aka Dream Synth Shopping List)
The online sale catalogue goes live to view on Saturday 16th September. Vintage and exotic (mostly) analogue synthesizers & drum machines that will be up for sale include a Yamaha DX1, Moog System 35, Buchla Skylab, Cwejman S1, Maplin 5600S (see image above), Synton Fenix II & III, PAiA Modular, OSCar, Roland TR-808 & 909, almost the entire range of Korg MS synths and accessories (see image below), and a Yamaha CS-80 (tbc).
In addition there are some highly sought after effects units including a Marshall Time Modulator, a pair of Countryman Phase Shifters, Moogerfoogers, a Mutronics Mutator, and from our shelves a selection of weird and wonderful boxes for adding what we refer to in polite company as "character" (aka filth!).
One highly significant lot is a prototype Eventide Instant Phaser. Dating from 1971, this Eventide is of historic importance: it has been confirmed as being one of the first two built by Richard Factor. As the Instant Phaser was the first rackmount studio effect, the unit we are auctioning is one of the very first two pro audio rack units ever made! Eventide themselves posted about this find recently.
The David 'Dex' Wright Collection
In addition, this sale includes the first part of the extensive studio collection of David 'Dex' Wright which comprises many classic synths, outboard, modular and DIY pieces. It is a significant collection that we will be auctioning in stages over the next six months. Dex, who sadly passed away last year, was one of the leading figures in the Lincolnshire underground music and art community, performing as a solo artist under the name Tape Noise, as well as collaborative projects Dregs of Zen, Crisp Packet Jackets and Grim Beeper. Dex was the founder of Weird Garden, a live music event hosted at his own Decimal Place artspace since 2012 that continues in his memory.
More information about Dex can be found in this Sound On Sound article.
More Auctions Coming...
The next auction is in early November and will include the next instalment of the Dex Wright collection, an expansion of our Eurorack section, plus more classic synths, drum machines and hardware.
We also have an auction of artist-owned instruments, gear and memorabilia in the works. Confirmed lots include a Garrard 401 owned by John Lennon which was part of his Ascot Sound Studio at Tittenhurst Park, an ex-Genesis Schulte Compact Phasing A, Marshall Time Modulator from Giorgio Moroder’s Musicland Studio (used on Queen’s Another One Bites The Dust), Gary Moore’s Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo, Sylvain Sylvain’s Univox Superfuzz and many more to be confirmed...
If you have something you wish to have considered for this or any of the auctions, please make contact via the Soundgas Auctions site.
IMPORTANT INFO AND LINKS:
The live auction takes place on Wednesday 27th September 2023 at 16:00 BST / 11:00 EST.
Viewing goes live on the weekend of the 16th of September: head to soundgasauctions.com where you can view the lots and register to bid. The auction which will also be live on easyliveauction.com.
Sign up to our mailing list for regular updates on Auctions as well as our other activities. There will be some late additions to the auction which we will email out a few days before the date.
Follow @soundgasauctions on instagram to see demos of some auction items, plus early information about items coming in future auctions.