Local store has a VG-8 for $99. Spring for it or forget it?

Started by aliensporebomb, May 15, 2015, 04:37:19 PM

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aliensporebomb

It's under glass but for that cheap - worth it?  $99!
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

Elantric

Certainly at $99 - its a MUCH better purchase than owning both 2012 era Roland GR-S & GR-S

I used to own a 1995 VG-8 ( member SLOBlue "borrowed" mine 7 years ago)
I suggest spend $25-$40 more and locate a real 1997 VG-8EX - it does sound better  / higher fidelity / more memory banks

I recently located a clean gently used 1997 VG-8EX from a Nashville player for $140 

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xroland+VG-8EX.TRS0&_nkw=roland+VG-8EX&_sacat=0



aliensporebomb

Cool.  Thanks for the input.  It's always nice to have a plan B in the event my existing rig explodes/gets stolen/stops working etc.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

Headless68

I would agree - the 'EX' is worth seeking, I had not played one for about 12 years & it was better than I remembered it (by a long way)

Paresh

With your ambient style, the VG-8 has lots of nice user patches that have never been replicated on the 99
paresh

Tony Raven

Huh -- another damned coincidence!! Last week, I was casually browsing Reverb.com for various stuff, & pounced on a $100 VG-8. 8) Seems to be the going price right now. (Arrived yesterday; will get its own thread.)

But what elevates a Deal to a Bargain is the "sweeteners," which sometimes even the sellers don't know they have (much less the value of). Like, I once bought a Boss DR-200 for about what I knew I'd resell it for... but it came with a clean PSA-120T power supply, which is what I really wanted, & at the time would get snapped up on eBay for $30+, so I was instantly ahead on the deal. I keep an eye open for devices being sold with manuals, cards, cables, cases, handwritten notes -- sometimes not mentioned in the listing but in the photos. I've seen gear listings that say a unit is being sold with a fistful of "wires" or "cords," & there's clearly a GKC or GK-2... or both.

In this case, the seller was sharp; he just wanted to move a bunch of gear along. Among other stuff, I received an original manual, a VG-8EX manual pdf printed out & carefully inserted into ring-binder sleeves, the "Traditional 1" & "Modern 1" cards, & original Service Notes packets for the GK-2A (two!) & VG-8.

For a hundred bucks, it's not "betting the farm," it's not a $1,000 doorstop if you don't use it all the time, & you can probably move it along at no loss if you get bored. A particular sweetener would be if it's had the EX/S-1 upgrade performed; be sure to ask if there's any "extras" behind the counter.

As for "old tech," I spent $150 on a Juno-2 with a couple of bad keys. MIDI-controlled analog -- nothing sounds like it, & everybody wants to buy it off me. Easy access to tones that're difficult to emulate, & (if you can imagine!) a Roland device that not only easy to tweak but simple to do so in the middle of a performance. :o (Only way it'd be easier is with discrete sliders.) Most Roland/Boss hardware has model-unique quirks that could fit in perfectly with a specific situation, so unless it's falling to pieces, I'll check it out; if it lights up, I'll start thinking of an offer.

I mean, why lug a half-ton toolbox around if a Swiss Army knife will probably work 99% of the time? The VG-8 doesn't offer a LOT of depth, but that should mean it's easier to skip around the parameters until you trip over something tres cool. I find it fits in a (slightly oversize) laptop case, so can be lugged readily or stored out of the way. Unlike the 88, f you really WANT an expression pedal, you can plug one in... but it's an option to not have it there. Off to a gig or otherwise traveling, if it gets lost/killed/stolen, you lose a few settings, but you're not in financial hurt, & (should you actually miss it) can probably find another for a hundred or so.

(Remember my raving about Bill Nelson? He turns out 4+ CDs a year, almost entirely on a Pod2 straight to board. He likes Roland/Boss, but says dialling good-sounding parameters semi-randomly on the Pod is fully intuitive, so why mess with what works?)