Rhodes Chroma Polaris

Hi folks, I'm a long time analog synth lover and started with an Electro-Harmonix Mini-Synthesizer in the early 1980's. Around 1981 or 1982 I bought a brand new Moog Source. Around 2003 I picked up a Minimoog Voyager.                                                      
I just bought a Chroma Polaris at a auction on Sunday night. When I first got to the auction I saw it standing on it's edge leaning against a table. At first glance it looked like a cheap Casio or Yamaha consumer grade keyboard. Then I got up close and saw "Oscillator 1" and "Oscillator 2" and thought "wow, it's a synth". I waited and waited for them to put it up for bid and with little interest shown, I bought it. I had heard the name "Chroma Polaris" before, but didn't know as much about it as some of the better known analog synths. 
When I got it home I was afraid of plugging it in. I figured that there's no way it would work without taking it to a tech to fix what was probably a non-working paperweight (and a very heavy paperweight!). I plugged it in --- red lights pop on! I press the keys -- and bingo! -- it works! I tried the keys, sliders, and buttons and they all seem to work (with the exception of the glide - the red light comes on but the notes don't glide into each other - maybe you need the pedal to use the glide - I'm not sure yet). This synth sounds amazing. So anyway, here's the incredible part: I paid $60 for it.

Stop...Thief!

Great buy on a pretty cool synth.

--- In chromapolaris@yahoogroups.com, "Chad G" <chadgrisly@...> wrote:

>
> Hi folks, I'm a long time analog synth lover and started with an Electro-Harmonix Mini-Synthesizer in the early 1980's. Around 1981 or 1982 I bought a brand new Moog Source. Around 2003 I picked up a Minimoog Voyager.                                                      
> I just bought a Chroma Polaris at a auction on Sunday night. When I first got to the auction I saw it standing on it's edge leaning against a table. At first glance it looked like a cheap Casio or Yamaha consumer grade keyboard. Then I got up close and saw "Oscillator 1" and "Oscillator 2" and thought "wow, it's a synth". I waited and waited for them to put it up for bid and with little interest shown, I bought it. I had heard the name "Chroma Polaris" before, but didn't know as much about it as some of the better known analog synths. 
> When I got it home I was afraid of plugging it in. I figured that there's no way it would work without taking it to a tech to fix what was probably a non-working paperweight (and a very heavy paperweight!). I plugged it in --- red lights pop on! I press the keys -- and bingo! -- it works! I tried the keys, sliders, and buttons and they all seem to work (with the exception of the glide - the red light comes on but the notes don't glide into each other - maybe you need the pedal to use the glide - I'm not sure yet). This synth sounds amazing. So anyway, here's the incredible part: I paid $60 for it.
>

> From: Chad G
> 
> I plugged it in --- red lights pop 
> on! I press the keys -- and bingo! -- it works! I tried the 
> keys, sliders, and buttons and they all seem to work (with 
> the exception of the glide - the red light comes on but the 
> notes don't glide into each other - maybe you need the pedal 
> to use the glide - I'm not sure yet). This synth sounds 
> amazing. So anyway, here's the incredible part: I paid $60 
> for it.         

Yes, the glide works when you press the footswitch.

You got a great deal, especially given that the membrane switches still
work.

-- 

Ciao,               Paul D. DeRocco
Paul                mailto:pderocco@...

Okay cool, so the glide needs a footswitch. Any suggestions on a currently available footswitch I can use with it?  

 

________________________________

 From: Paul D. DeRocco <pderocco@...>
To: chromapolaris@yahoogroups.com 
Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 9:48 PM
Subject: RE: [chromapolaris] New Chroma Polaris Owner
 

 
   
 
> From: Chad G
> 
> I plugged it in --- red lights pop 
> on! I press the keys -- and bingo! -- it works! I tried the 
> keys, sliders, and buttons and they all seem to work (with 
> the exception of the glide - the red light comes on but the 
> notes don't glide into each other - maybe you need the pedal 
> to use the glide - I'm not sure yet). This synth sounds 
> amazing. So anyway, here's the incredible part: I paid $60 
> for it. 

Yes, the glide works when you press the footswitch.

You got a great deal, especially given that the membrane switches still
work.

-- 

Ciao,               Paul D. DeRocco
Paul                mailto:pderocco@...

> From: chad grisly
> 
> Okay cool, so the glide needs a footswitch. Any suggestions 
> on a currently available footswitch I can use with it?  

Pretty much any footswitch that has a 1/4" phone plug will work.

-- 

Ciao,               Paul D. DeRocco
Paul                mailto:pderocco@...