The extra cosmetic
treatment -- all the keys are polished (EUR 100 -- 120 worth process)
After the thorough cleaning and
disinfection of of the keys, they are all polished with our proven multi-stage
process. All the scratches are
removed from the key surfaces in a lengthy and tedious procedure, and then
polished to superb gloss (inspect the pictures). You will be playing
the keys that look like new. Make sure that your nails are properly cut to
preserve this stage of refurbishment!
Fully disassembled, thoroughly cleaned from outside and
inside, refurbished, serviced and adjusted
All voices are fully functioning, all filters checked and
replaced if necessary, tuned and adjusted
to the best possible condition.
The synthesizer is in full compliance with
the original Roland factory specifications, and in many aspects (e.g. the filter
tuning), even better.
Read on to see why all this is so important for
Roland Juno-106!
|
THE NOTORIOUS JUNO-106 VCF VCA
CHIP
The famous Juno-106 sound is colored by the Roland custom VCA/VCF 80017A chip.
This chip is also a critical part. The resin used for coating becomes conductive over time and causes
the chip to malfunction, especially in some production series. Not only that it can be completely broken resulting in
no sound at all, but it can fail in many other ways. Sometimes the problems are
not easily recognized, and can be heard as subtle problems on some sound programs and not on the others.
In other words, if the chip is fully out of function it is quite obvious. In
POLY-1 mode you will hear that every
sixth, different, note, is missing. When doing this test, the notes must be
all different, because only by pressing a new, different key each time, a new
voice will be assigned to play the corresponding tone. The easiest way to this
is to play scales and listen to each of the six voices, or by pressing the six
note chords in arpeggio style.
The other case is quite often unnoticed, because the chip can perform its
job, but not in a fully correct manner. E.g. it can filter the signal
normally but can not gate it properly, which results in a "hanging note",
often silent and unnoticed in the background. Or the sound can be distorted, or reduced in
volume. Or it can have a low level or instable frequency of selfoscillations.
Other similar problems are common to experienced service technicians, like tiny
crackling, hissing, etc. It is the best to check these problems by listening
through good quality headphones. If not aware of them and not skilled in
audio testing, even the most honest seller can omit
to report these symptoms. And it is quite likely now that a Juno-106, being
older than 25 years of age, will have more than one problematic voice.
THE SUBSTITUTE CHIPS
As for the substitute chips, we install only the checked original replacements,
or the best clones available on the market (D80017A).
To improve the clone chips temperature stability, we implement the coating, as
was intended by Roland engineers, but this time with our specially tailored covers that are fully isolated from the chip
electronics, and will never cause leakage currents.
UNADJUSTED CIRCUITRY -- THE PROBLEM OF UNSERVICED JUNO-106
Even if you are lucky enough to get a Juno-106 with VCA/VCF chips that are fully
functional, its voices will most often sound uneven without a proper adjustment
of the whole analog |
circuitry being performed. Although the pitch produced by the DCOs is correct
(DCOs are digitally controlled and need no tuning), the sound timbre can be
severely deteriorated.
Furthermore, the adjustment is the critical procedure needed to distinguish good
chips from
the bad
ones. Quite often it happens that slight defects of the VCA/VCF chips, as
described above, can only be
recognized during this procedure. It includes in detail testing and listening to all the
aspects of their functioning, including the selfoscillating regime. The
adjustment must be done with professional measuring equipment (DMMs, oscilloscopes,
tuners), and by a qualified electronic technician.
Of course, as stated above, the Junos 106 that we deliver are all tuned to the
finest details, above the specifications of the original Roland service
adjustment procedure.
IS JUNO-106 A PROBLEMATIC AND UNRELIABLE SYNTH?
Because of the problems with the original Juno 106 VCA/VCF chips,
many people say that "Juno-106 is a great sounding synthesizer, but
quite unreliable because of the voicing problems". Partly they are true because
of the mentioned chip manufacturing technological problems. However, if all the
inspection is done, and all the bad chips are substituted with the correct ones,
and everything being properly
adjusted, the Juno 106 will sound as you hear it on the hit records. Also, you
can count that it will stay that way for quite some time.
WHAT IF SOME CHIP DOES GET WRONG WITH TIME?
By buying the Juno-106 from us you will not only avoid any of the above
stated problems of missing or incorrect voices and unadjusted analog circuitry, but will also have a full
guarantee, which includes the VCF/VCA chip. If some of these critical parts does go
wrong during the warranty, it will be replaced by a fully functioning substitutes
free of charge (excluding the shipping costs). You can either have them replaced yourself, or can send the whole
voice board to us for replacement at our workshop. And of course, even after the
warranty period, you can count on our help in this, and any other matter. |
The item-on-sale's look estimation
1. Outside Look: 8.5 (on the scale from 1 to 10, where 10 is a new, like-from-factory look, and 5 is the average look of a second hand keyboard instrument);
2. Inside Look: 9.5
The Explication of the Outside
Blemishes: The
only reason for lowering the outside look grade from the highest one to 8.5 are
small parts of the paint that fell of. These are meticulously cleaned from any
traces of rust and precisely camouflaged with the similar shade of gray. When
looking from the normal playing distance, this will not be easy to spot. When
looking from close, or toward the light refection in the paint surface, this is seen as tiny gray spots, as can
be inspected on the enlarged photographs. |
