Cyberwave EMS

Vintage Synth Repair

We are one of Europe's leading specialists in the repair of vintage synthesisers.
Based in London, Hereford and Mid Wales we work for clients anywhere in the UK.
We have been trading for over 20 years with nearly 25 years of vintage synth repair experience.
We repair pre 1990 vintage synths only.That focus ,specialist knowledge and expertise means we fix machines others can't.

Experience

Take a look at our Client list ,Repair list and Customer feedback - They speak for themselves.We have repaired thousands of almost all of the important vintage keyboards for several Oscar,Grammy and Bafta winners,household names and enthusiasts alike. 

Expertise

All images on this site are of our workshops and machines we have repaired. We have owned and played many of them in the studio and live too..We offer expert, impartial advice and service. Please Feel free to  Contact us to discuss your vintage synth requirements.All text and images are © 2024 Cyberwave EMS

Repair List

Some machines we have recently repaired..

Arp
2600, Avatar, Odyssey Mk 1,2,3, Axxe,Omni 1+2, Solus,Prosolo, Prosoloist DGX, Arp sequencer
Doepfer
Scaltwerk,Ms404
EDP
Wasp,Wasp Deluxe,Gnat special, OSCar
ELKA
Synthex
EMS
Synthi AKS,VCS3
EMU
Emulator 2, Emulator 3&4,Drumulator
Ensoniq
Mirage ,Esq1,Sq80
Hohner
Clavinet,Pianet,Duo,String performer
Fairlight
CMI 2T

Korg
Monopoly, MS20,MS10,770 Poly 6, Poly 61, Poly800,Maxi & Minikorg 700s Pe1000,Trident1&2 ,Lambda, Sigma, Ps3100
Linn
Linn 9000, Linndrum LM1 & LM2
Moog
Minimoog, Memorymoog,MM+, Opus3, 3p, Prodigy, Rogue,Source,Multimoog, Sonic 6,Micromoog, Polymoog,Taurus 1,Liberation
Oberheim
OBxa, OB8, OB1,Xpander,Matrix 12, Matrix6,DX, DMX,2& 4 voice,OBX
Octave
Cat,SRM,SRM2, Kitten 1&2, Maine Coon(probably)
PPG
Wave 2.0, 2.2, 2.3
Rhodes
Chroma, Chroma Polaris 

Roland
Juno 106,Jx3p & Planet S, Juno 60+Juno 6 Jupiter 4, Jupiter 6, Jupiter 8, MKS80 SH1000,SH2000, SH101,MC202 SH1,SH2,SH3a,SH5,SH7, Sh09,Rs09,Tr606,
Tr 707,Tr330,Cr78, Cr5000,Cr8000 Tr808 ,Tr909,Vp330,Rs505,D20,D50,TB303
Misc
Steiner Parker Synthasystem
MIDImini
Cheetah MS6
Rheem Key bass
Bentley Rhythm Ace
Jennings univox
MPC drum machine(not akai)
Polivoks
Aelita
Suzuki Omnicord
Pearl syncussion
Transcendent 2000
Polyfusion modular
etc. etc. etc.

Sequential
Drumtraks,Six Trak Pro-one, Prophet 5(all Revs)), T8, Prophet 600,Prophet VS,TOM,Multitrak,Sixtrak
Siel
Opera 6,Dk600,Dk80,Orchestra
Simmons
SDSV,SDS6,SDS7&9,
Simmons SDX.Claptrap
Studio Electronics
SE1x,ATC, Midimini,
Waldorf.
Wave,,microwave
Yamaha
CS5 ,CS10 CS15,DX7 ,DX9,CS50 CS40,CS30,CS15,C

MODS
Kiwisix, Europa, io, Tubbutec
etc etc

MIDI KITS
Groove,Encore . CHD, Kenton

Repairs

Our core business for over 20 years...

Our Clients

 

A few of our more well known customers..

Artists

Arctic Monkeys
Mark Ronson.
Bryan Ferry.
Coldplay
Massive attack.
The Chemical Brothers
Disclosure
Public service Broadcasting
Jarvis Cocker
John Foxx & the Maths .
Noel Gallagher.
Christian Madden (Liam Gallagher)
Richard Ashcroft (The Verve)
Super Furry Animals.
Basement Jaxx.
Liam Howlett.(The Prodigy)
Theo Ellis. (Wolf Alice)
Annie Lennox.
Morcheeba.
Leo Abrahams.Guitarist,Keys (Brian Eno,Christina Aguilera)
Wang Chung
Edgar Broughton.
VV Brown
Beverly Craven
Andrew Skeet (Divine Comedy)

Producers/Studios


Craig Silvey
Producer , Grammy winner (Arcade fire , REM,NIN,Portishead,etc.etc.)
Liam Howe.
Producer (Sneaker Pimps, Marilyn Manson, Adele,Lana Del ray etc.)
4AD Records.
Mike Stock. (SAW)
Simon Ellis. (Britney spears & Spice girls musical director)
Studio 13
Markus Dravs.
Producer. (Grammy/Brit winner. Brian Eno, Florence&the machine,Arcade fire Coldplay, Bjork etc
Jimmy Hogarth.
Producer.(Grammy winner, Amy Winehouse,KT Dunstall, Tina Turner etc.)
Max Dingel (Killers, Goldfrapp,White lies)
Dan Carey(wet Leg)
Sam Dixon (Christina Aguilera(writer),Suzanne Vega,Adele,Duffy)
Morgan Visconti (Son of Tony)
Dan Bewick, Producer .(Lost boys , Lisa Stansfield ,Engineers, Dirty rotten scoundrels)
Jem Godfrey. Producer (15 number 1's X factor  

Film/Tv/Adverts/Synth Companies/Misc

Ryan Hope (Film director -George Michael,Kate Moss)
Gareth Cousins ( Gravity film soundtrack)
Lester Barnes (Horrible Henry etc.)
Guy Burt. writer (The Bletchley Circle,The Hole).
Ian Livingstone. (Harry Potter film music writer)
Jon Opstad. Writer(Music for Silent Witness etc.)
Wunjo keys.
RL music.
Vemia.
Tom Carpenter (Analogue Solutions)
Yellow Technology
Dave Brock (Hawkwind)
Hugo white.(Maccabees)
Ulrich Schnauss
Grange park opera company.
Anjuna Beats/ Above and Beyond 

Contact

Phone and Email details.

Get in Touch with us...

We are based in London SE9
Builth Wells LD2 and Hereford HR1.

Feel free to contact us to discuss your requirements :
We do not repair post 1990 machines, amps,outboard etc.,sorry!

Ben@cyberwaveems.co.uk

Phone: 01982 553281
Mobile: 07870805175

If you appear not to receive a response to your E-mail please
check your spam folder particularly if you use Gmail.For this reason
please also include a telephone number in your E-mail.


All work is undertaken on the basis you have read,
understood and agreed to our terms and conditions

Please Note We Do Not Sell Parts

Testimonials

Some kind words from our customers

Roland Juno 106

Leiam Sullivan



"Everyday when I use it, I'm blown away with how it sounds. I'm getting great results and feel there's always something I can get out of it. You've done a fantastic job, especially from the state it was in... So once again a massive thank you for the care and attention to detail you put in. It is appreciated."

Oberheim OBXa

Liam Howe




"Thank you very much for the fix. it feels like its come back from a health spa for synths; its shining and bright and full of life. The keyboard has never felt so pleasing and I don't think it has ever sounded as good. So thank you indeed. i can see how much care has gone into it!“

MiniMoog

John Silver



" My Minimoog sounds amazing – in fact, I can’t remember the last time it sounded so good! The controls are smooth and quiet - and the keyboard is behaving beautifully too. Thank you for doing such an excellent job. I will definitely come back to you next time I need a keyboard repair or service! "

Prophet 5

Darron Edwards


This P5 is probably about the best example in the country. Since Ben Rossborough fixed it, it just sounds amazing

Roland Jupiter 6

Joe Bird


Just wanted to thank you for doing an amazing job on the Jupiter. It sounds awesome!

Roland SH101

David Horder


just a quick note to say thanks again for the service. Its like a brand new SH101. Simple things like the PWM now work as they should and its sounds superb thanks.

If I ever take the plunge on a juno 6 I'll definitely bring it to you as I know it will get looked after.

Roland Jupiter 8

Steve Collins


Confirming receipt of JP8. In excellent working order - the pots are all nice and smooth now too - feels great.
Thanks for your work on this.

Repair Gallery

More repair images for your perusal.
© All images COPYRIGHT Cyberwave EMS 2023
Please do not copy them without our prior permission

FAQ

We specialise in vintage synths and drum machines. We prefer to be masters of one rather than a jack of all trades.We do not repair amps,mixers,outboard,tape echoes etc.We do not repair Soviet synths largely because the build and  component  quality is just too poor. 

.We need all our parts stock for repairs so, sorry, no

Maybe ! Feel free to get in touch and let us know your proposal or what you have to offer. 

Due to our workload we are focused on repairs but we do on occasion buy non working machines. Please note that as a dealer we cannot offer a retail price but we can offer you a quick, hassle free sale

if they are professionally produced and designed and have been properly tested we can often fit mods.However if we have to troubleshoot and/or act as a beta tester for a half baked design we may have to charge for that time spent. Many of these products are built by 1 person in their spare time. This means that quality control can be variable and customer support can also vary from excellent to non existent.
Another very significant issue is that the mod may work on one version of a machine but there are often several revisions that are made over the lifespan of a synth.We have seen fairly often Mods that have not been tested on all versions and simply do not function correctly with certain earlier or later revisions.
It can take a long time to verify that the installation is definitely correct and the kit itself is at fault or incompatible.We do not charge for this time or hair loss. Communicating with the company resolving the issue and removing and replacing the faulty components also involves a lot of unchargeable time.
Therefore if we agree to fit a kit we have not recommended and it turns out to be faulty or incompatible we reserve the right to charge £85 in addition to any other fitting charges to cover the time spent dealing with the faulty product.
If we can resolve the matter simply we may not charge but we have a very high workload and we simply cannot afford to spend hours dealing with problems that does not have anything to do with us on kits we have advised the customer not to purchase.

By the nature of these kits they use the existing interface to access extra functions and this can often be counter intuitive and confusing. We cannot offer any support on the usage of these products and we suggest that you read the user manual very carefullly.
Questions regarding the use of the product should be addressed to the manufacturer who will be better able to deal with them than we are.

Generally, no. Despite what the manufacturers say the actual construction technologies of these machines are very different to the originals. Service information is very often not available. We do not repair  modern Moog or Sequential machines for example for this reason. We do not have anything against modern gear we just have more than enough work  with the vintage equipment.

Synth Problem Tips

Most vintage analogue synths will be out of tune to varying degrees when first switched on from cold. Let the machine warm up for about 20 minutes and try again. Some synths can take up to an hour to be fully stable

We very often get enquiries about fixing hum problems and 90% of the time there is no fault with the synth.You should remove it from your setup and ideally take it to another premises. Remove the mains earth in the plug(THIS IS FOR TESTING PURPOSES ONLY AND YOU MUST REPLACE THE EARTH FOR SAFETY REASONS AFTERWARDS) Plug in a pair of headphones or a battery powered amp. If the hum disappears the problem is in your setup.

Usually (but not always) hum faults within the synth tend to be a low sine wave type sound whereas earth hum is a rougher more familiar sound.

This is usually but not always the battery. We can replace this and reload the factory sounds. If however the synth will not store and recall sounds even when turned on it's something else. Some later machines allow you to recover the factory presets from Rom with a startup key combination.

The best way to prevent many problems is to play the machine regularly ! Key triggering issues, noisy pots and other issues are all much more common with instruments that have been left standing. If your synth has NIcad or AA type batteries these should be removed before storing for long periods. Gigging vintage instruments is a risky business and although it will likely be fine we can't really recommend it. If your synth is 110v put a prominent label on the front stating that fact

Again 90% of problems are in the setup and not the machine. Read the manual very carefully.Check the Midi with a MIDI keyboard plugged directly into your instrument.Remove all other leads boxes etc. Make sure your synth is connected to the right MIDI channel and is not in omni mode. Check you have a MIDI lead wired correctly. With din sync make sure the sync switches are set correctly. Note that some MIDI leads will not work as din sync leads. All the pins must be connected.

This of course is why Midi was invented. Different manufacturers used different systems which led to a lot of confusion. In general Moog ,Korg and Yamaha were the most problematic. Moog used an S trig system which means that if you connect to other machines you will get no sound as the machine will not be triggered. You can solve this problem using an S trig to Vtrig converter or viceversa. These are usually easily and cheaply available on Ebay and elsewhere. Some machines need a 15volt pulse to trigger and some machines only output a 5volt pulse The pulse will need to be amplfied to work.Things start to get ugly with cv scaling differences. Most synths use a 1volt per octave system but Korg and Yamaha use a Hz/ volt setup. These machine can therefore be quite difficult to interface. Regarding Cv to Midi we recommend the Kenton pro solo. It’s not the cheapest but it supports S trig and hz/volt systems. It also has adjustable scaling which can compensate for synths that are out of tune or have been incorrectly calibrated. 

Terms and Conditions

Any repairs undertaken are on the basis that you have read,understood and agree to these Terms and conditions.

Please don't be put off at the size of this page - it is quite long because we have endeavoured to explain our reasoning for the terms within them. Our overarching aim is to be fair to both parties and to ensure our expectations are aligned.

Feel free to contact us if you require any clarification.

Our minimum charge is £100.

1..We will not undertake work without permission that will exceed a previously agreed price. In the unlikely event we can't fix your gear we would normally not charge more than our minimum charge as long as you have described the fault reasonably accurately.Most  often we will charge nothing but that is at our discretion.

If it were a particularly complex job or one that might involve unobtainable parts we would agree with you a charge should repair prove uneconomic or impossible. If it is only possible to partially fix your equipment within the budget you set we will agree a partial charge with you..

.All estimates, work requests and any other details discussed by telephone or in person MUST be confirmed by email in order to be valid.We receive many enquiries and requests and it is in the best interests of both parties that there is a written record and agreement. Once we have sent you an estimate range via Email bringing your equipment to us constitutes acceptance of that estimate range

If we can repair your machine within the estimate range you agree to, we have started working on it and you decide not to proceed with the repair for any reason we reserve the right to charge at least our minimum charge for our time.

If we cannot fix it within the estimate range you have the right to tell us not to proceed and normally we would not charge.as long as you have described the fault and the condition of the machine reasonably accurately.

2.. If your synth/drum machine has memories and has data you wish to retain please save this before bring in the unit. We can save and reload this for you for an additional charge if required Generally the data will not be affected by servicing but we cannot guarantee this and some operations(such as battery changes or some CPU board faults) will mean the loss of data is unavoidable. We cannot be held responsible for it's loss.

3. Repairs are guaranteed for 30 days, are NOT transferable and cover the repaired fault only. Not transferable means that if for example you ask us to service a machine for sale you must satisfy yourself before selling it and within the 30 days that you are happy.
Any warranty is void at the time you sell it even if the equipment is returned to you. We cannot accept a machine for warranty repair from you or the buyer as a result of the buyer being unhappy whether inside the 30 days or not. We do this to avoid having to deal with a buyer who has totally unreasonable expectations and expects a vintage machine to be completely as new or buyers who are fraudsters.We also cannot control your or your buyers shipping or transit arrangement of such transactions.

4..The guarantee starts from the date you pick up or the machine is delivered to you NOT the date you first use it. This is the standard warranty length in this industry. We would usually expect(but cannot guarantee)the repair to last far longer.

Electronic goods have a designed service life of around 10 years. every electronic component inside has a similar service life . Almost all the machines we work on are 30 - 50 years old . Therefore reliability simply cannot realistically be guaranteed no matter how much care and skill is put in to the repair or service. Normal consumer law for repairs to new or recently made equipment is not relevant or applicable to vintage machines and bringing your machine in for repair is explicit acceptance of this.

Any faults, which are different to the original repair whether inside the 30 days or not, will be regarded as new and will only be covered by a guarantee if repaired under a new (and Chargeable) repair. We reserve the right not to undertake repairs that are different from the original repaired fault whether the original repaired fault is under warranty or not.
If the fault is new we may consider a discount on the new repair as a goodwill gesture but this is entirely at our discretion and without prejudice.

Synths are complex and have many separate sections , To use an analogy, if you took your car to a garage to replace the wheels and the next week the engine failed , you would not expect that garage to replace the engine for free. If the car was 30 -50 years old - even less so.

If you ask us to service your machine this does not mean that every single part of your keyboard is then covered by the warranty. Only specific faults that we repair or components we replace are covered .
It is important to know the difference between servicing and restoration. If you wish us to fully restore your machine then everything will be covered but this of course will be much more expensive.


Any cosmetic damage must be reported to us before leaving our premises (or within 24 hours if the equipment has been shipped to you).We cannot accept responsibility for any damage after this time.

Faults must be reported and machines must be returned to us within the warranty period at the customers expense for warranty repair to be valid unless we agree otherwise by writing or Email. The customer is responsible for all shipping expenses.

It is our decision to repair the machine or refund you. In any case we cannot issue any refund before the machine has been returned to us for inspection at the customers expense and within the warranty period. Any refund will not include any charges we have made for courier or driver delivery or collection.

If you open your equipment or take it elsewhere for inspection or repair without our written or emailed agreement the warranty is void.

Any work carried out under warranty does not extend that warranty for another 30 days. The time is based on when the machine is returned to us not the date the fault was reported.
For example if we repaired an issue after 15 days the remainder of the warranty would be 15 days not another 30 days.

5..If you choose to ship an instrument to us we cannot be responsible for it arriving damaged. .We cannot guarantee we will be on site to accept instruments shipped to us without prior notice of what day it will arrive, our agreement and tracking information.

In common with the vast majority of vintage synth repair companies All equipment is left with us at the customers own risk. it is very rare for damage to occur but we do not accept liability for loss or damage in transit either to or from us by courier or by our representatives or employees.The customer accepts full responsibility for all of their equipment left at our premises or in transit by you or us to or from locations where the work is carried out.We will ship the majority of machines but with some (particularly old, delicate , valuable etc ) we will advise against shipping. If you choose to not to take this advice will only ship on the basis there is no warranty on the repair. We always recommend personal pickup but we do appreciate sometimes this is not possible.

We do not offer insurance against theft or damage to customer owned equipment so it is the responsibility of the customer to ensure that adequate insurance is in place for their own equipment including cover for transit. We have never been accused of inadequate packaging by anyone but as this is the most common excuse given by insurance companies for not paying out we explicitly disclaim liability for accusations of this nature.
All work is undertaken on the basis and assumption that you have such insurance.


6..Please note that timescales given are estimates. Whilst we do everything possible to meet estimates sometimes factors outside our control mean we cannot guarantee them and we cannot accept liability for any losses due to delays

7..If we have informed you that your machine is ready or you wish to take it away and you do not collect within 3 weeks without our prior agreement we reserve the right to charge storage at £12.50 per week.
If a machine is left with us for more than 6 weeks after we have informed you it is ready the warranty is void.

8.. After 14 months we reserve the right to sell your machine to cover our costs if we have received no contact from you. We always try to be reasonable and understanding but we simply do not have the space to offer a free storage facility for extended periods of time.

9. We are proud of our reputation and It is very rare that a customer is not satisfied. In that unlikely event we will work with you in a civilised way to reach a fair, reasonable and amicable solution and we expect you to do the same.

We may offer a full or partial refund at our discretion if we consider that to continue working on a machine will not have a positive outcome and we reserve the right to refuse to continue working on a machine.. We also reserve the right once a machine is out of warranty not to undertake further chargeable repairs if we do not feel this would have a positive outcome.

In any case our sole liability will be to refund any charges we have made. In this case all warranties will then be void.
We will not be liable for ANY other losses of ANY kind.

These terms and conditions are subject to change without notice

All text and images

Contacts

Locations

London SE9
Builth Wells LD2
Hereford HR1