1978 Roland Jupiter-4 Compuphonic Vintage Synthesizer
$4,999.99
$4,999.99
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Up for sale, a 1978 Roland Jupiter-4 Compuphonic synthesizer in collector-grade condition and in perfect working order. Produced from 1978-81, this pioneering Roland synth was the first produced under the Jupiter name; notable not just for being Roland’s first polyphonic synthesizer, the Jupiter-4 was among first commercially available polyphonic synthesizers around. The Jupiter line would go on to produce some the most iconic synths of the ‘80s, and while the Jupiter-4 failed to secure a significant portion of the burgeoning synth market upon release, its impact still made massive waves throughout the music industry, appearing on recordings by notable synth/synth-pop pioneers like Gary Numan, Thomas Dolby, and Duran Duran.
The “Compuphonic” branding refers to the Jupiter-4 usage of digital control for the analog circuitry, enabling programmable memory (with eight locations) and voice assignment modes, among other forward-thinking features. The Jupiter-4 boasts, as the name suggests, four individual voices, and the voices can also be synced together for a fat monophonic lead. Each voice card contains a VCO, sub-oscillator, VCF (resonant low-pass which can self-oscillate), and a VCA. Modulation includes attack-decay-sustain-release (ASDR) envelopes for the filter and the VCA, and the filter ADSR can be inverted for quintessential Roland “upside down” modulation. The LFO is routable to a myriad of options including the VCO pitch, pulse-width, high-pass and low-pass cutoff, the VCA, and the bender. At the time of production, the LFO was also notable for being able to reach audible frequencies, enabling basic FM and AM synthesis. The pitch wheel can be configured to various combinations of VCO, VCF, and VCA adjustment, as well as a bend range, and the Jupiter-4 is also well-known for its arpeggiator, which features heavily on Duran Duran’s hit “Rio.” Rounding things out, buttons for 10 preset instruments/sounds are adjacent to the 8 programmable memory slots.
This Jupiter-4 is extremely clean, with minor wear largely limited to the wood-veneered endcaps. The keys are perfectly level with viable bushings and limited aging on the caps. The graphics are practically pristine, and all of the original buttons, knobs, and sliders are present save for the “Sax” button (the Sax feature still functions).
The “Compuphonic” branding refers to the Jupiter-4 usage of digital control for the analog circuitry, enabling programmable memory (with eight locations) and voice assignment modes, among other forward-thinking features. The Jupiter-4 boasts, as the name suggests, four individual voices, and the voices can also be synced together for a fat monophonic lead. Each voice card contains a VCO, sub-oscillator, VCF (resonant low-pass which can self-oscillate), and a VCA. Modulation includes attack-decay-sustain-release (ASDR) envelopes for the filter and the VCA, and the filter ADSR can be inverted for quintessential Roland “upside down” modulation. The LFO is routable to a myriad of options including the VCO pitch, pulse-width, high-pass and low-pass cutoff, the VCA, and the bender. At the time of production, the LFO was also notable for being able to reach audible frequencies, enabling basic FM and AM synthesis. The pitch wheel can be configured to various combinations of VCO, VCF, and VCA adjustment, as well as a bend range, and the Jupiter-4 is also well-known for its arpeggiator, which features heavily on Duran Duran’s hit “Rio.” Rounding things out, buttons for 10 preset instruments/sounds are adjacent to the 8 programmable memory slots.
This Jupiter-4 is extremely clean, with minor wear largely limited to the wood-veneered endcaps. The keys are perfectly level with viable bushings and limited aging on the caps. The graphics are practically pristine, and all of the original buttons, knobs, and sliders are present save for the “Sax” button (the Sax feature still functions).
