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Ok, and here's my story.
A guy I work with is leaving (moving) to London and he was packing his things, among those an old DX7 which he's had since it came out. He couldn't fit his bike and the DX in the pallet, so he decided the DX had to go; after all he's not played it for three years he says. So he sent an e-mail out the office, "who wants it, I'm giving it away". Lucky for me, I was the one to read his e-mail "just in time". I gave him $50 to feel a little better for adopting his first synth. I promised I'd take care of it and I sure will.
Ok, first things first (about the subject of the matter), the original DX7 is the one you'll going to want to have.
I've had two DX7S'es which I happened to stumble upon at the same moment. One was in mint condition and the other one was a wreck, and came dead cheap ($40!). Called Yamaha and ordered new keys for it, gave it a hot bath (literally, cleaned every bit of it), reassembled it and fixed it. And traded both away. They were very good indeed, but somehow they didn't give me that special feeling I was looking for.
This one, on the other hand, does. Perhaps it's because the original DX7 is just that. The original. The legend. It's a bit noisier than the DX7S (which is the DX7 in DX7II casing, read more about it on this site if you like), and it's got less features, probably. But, I like its physical appearance much better. It's very much a living legend for any of us kids who came to love synthesizers in the 1980's when we grew up. The DX7 was just everywhere.
And today it isn't. So now, it's becoming a legend.
Frankly, when just plugging headphones into it and playing around, trying patches out (be aware - many of the patches on the internet are just pure crap), it sounds like a combination of a classic instrument and something quite dull. A bit noisy. Not like on the records, with A-ha, Phil Collins, Scritti Politti (who used the TX816), the musical Chess (where the DX7 plays the Chess theme, factory preset "HARP 2" which I absolutely adore) and so on. But close. So, to get there, you need to plug it in. Apply effects. That will be where the magic begins, again.
I'm definitely going to keep it, and treat it right.
If you've got thoughts about getting a DX7, mainly get the original one first. You can always add a neat DX7IIFD or even a SY77 later on to fulfill the picture. Heck, I'm so much into it now that I might even look out for a TX816/416 or so. If you have one of the other ones and still like it, I think you'll eventually start thinking about trying to obtain the original DX7 too. It's got "karma" somehow. Good karma. Lots of spiritual mumbo-jumbo going "oh, all other synths are cool indeed, but I am the one!".
For a keyboard player, it's also good that the original DX7 has proper corners surrounding the key bed. The DX7II / S doesn't have this, which is somehow like walking in a staircase without having a banister. Your hands will slip.
Like many others here has said, it's built like a tank. I can't disagree. The one I have here isn't in mint condition; it's had its adventures. But the key bed,again, is just as straight and neat as the one on my brand new Triton. That says a lot; take a look on an old Prophet 5 and you'll start forming associations about toons with warped teeth.
Now, I think I'll have to start collecting. Again. Next step: a Roland D-50.
And I'm one of the software addicts out there, making tracks with Reason and stuff. The immortal gear lust just won't leave me alone.
Damn.
The DX7 - state of the art.
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