Cyborg Synth Discovers Feelings - Suzuki Omnichord OM-27 Repair & DEMO

[@TheGuitologist]

This Omnichord is from the early 80s. For the newest generation of these, check out the Qchord, they are super fun to play with. amzn.to/2vP2nvh

[@TheGuitologist]

"Testing the Floyd Chord" - An Original Musical Composition which Inspires Myself kzbin.info/www/bejne/aH26XqegapKrhK8

[@PolaOpposite]

Your skills will be of great value after the zombie apocalypse.

[@kenhancock8931]

so was this b4 or after my floyd button comment? lol

[@TheGuitologist]

ken hancock after. Thanks for inspirating myself.

[@johnh9808]

Did you check out the schematic from the suzukimusic site? It looks to be a much better scan than the one you were working off of. Could be handy to have down the line if your omnichord develops further faults.

[@jeffreyjbyron]

You are a hero. I have a stack of broken omnichords that I need to deal with. We used to have to take several on tour since we'd inevitably need a backup. Great channel, btw. It's nice to know there are people who share my values! Rock on, Guitologist! Lots of love from SoCal!

[@jeffreyjbyron]

also, I like that we both have magic boxes of old dvd players. No one else understands, man.

[@TheGuitologist]

haha! That's awesome, Jeffrey. My wife knows what I do with them and she even struggles to understand. If you dig into that stack, make some videos and let's get the knowledge base up on these!

[@jeffreyjbyron]

Fortunately my wife doesn't mind me keeping boxes of old dvd players too. Yeah, it would be rad to have a youtube collective all about fixing stuff and sharing resources, like that omnichord parts site. I'm not very good at making videos, but I could try.

[@messmer777]

Dude you're Omnichord version of the Smashing Pumpkins song was awesome. I hate the SPs, but you owned that.

[@JJ-JOHNSON]

You'll tackle anything that make a sound, that's what I love about your channel, you get ur done, one way or another your going to find it and fixes fixes fixes, LOL. enjoyed.

[@TheGuitologist]

JJ Johnson good ol' hillbilly can-do.

[@jasont.9559]

Hillbilly Corgan. Friggin' awesome, man.

[@zeeeOgre]

The ending is absolutely freaking hilarious. Great video. Very resourceful. I had one of these when I was 11, really brought back the memories. Thanks!

[@THEREALDATALORD]

Man i love this kind of content. Thank you for your quality work.

[@brianharris7243]

Classic! Problem solving, inadvertent circuit bending and Jermaine Clement it has it all...oh yeah and you warbling at the end. Love it.

[@audiotechlabs4650]

Brad, your family must love your "I can fix it" attitude! You, like me, get the ultimate thrill out of taking an otherwise unusable object and bring it back to life or repurpose it. Although looked down on, electronic hoarders, like you and me, should be praised for keeping parts that are instantly available. Sourcing new or unusual parts can be expensive and almost impossible to find. You are a man of my own heart! You also give people the courage to fix stuff! Bravo! Can't wait for your next post. Thankz

[@phoenixlandingstudio6594]

Great vid dude! For a second I thought you where going to convert it into a tube amp BEAST! Lol.

[@TheGuitologist]

Phoenix Landing Studio hahaha! I think there's room on there for a pair of EL-34.

[@petedavis7970]

These videos are so much fun, Brad... I love that you'll take something like that and try to fix it. I suck at Solid State stuff, but I learn a lot watching you go in there and diagnose issues.

[@eds1994fatboy]

Back in the day.....when I was in my mid twenties....1983....a friend of mine was a electronic wiz like you ….mostly by reading and self taught.We both owned the Pioneer KP 500 under dash cassette tape deck with FM radio....it was the silver faced unit with the round tuner face readout.Mine was new....his was missing the left channel.So my friend Ken decided to fix his.....so we found this electronic place in Hammond Indiana that stocked hundreds of the output finals that were the problem with these.Short the speaker for a few seconds and poof....the channel was fried.He showed me how to de-solder the amp out....and solder in a new one.....I bought about 53 of these chips in 1979 all they had and held on to them for several years.In Hobart Indiana there was this large flea market we always went to.This one old man we kind of got to know…..had many friends with dozens of these stereos with a bad channel.....and we both ended up buying about 37 units the first round......even a few rare 8-track models.....repaired them and made a killing.One guy I knew paid me 100 bucks just to let me show him how to fix his unit.I am a retired plumber now....and Electronic repair is kind of like plumbing in a way.....people are timid to try to venture into the unknown to DIY.....Great video Brad....as usual

[@macgyver1978]

This is easily the best video you've done, huge fan. That thing is so weird, I was cracking up the whole time.

[@brianyork5510]

That, my friend, is a perfect example of the stellar "what not" that keeps our pumpkins ready for smashing...lol

[@justinlambert4937]

Love it, and the pumpkins tune was sublime

[@hmmmnz1]

best fix it video ever, cheers. particularly like the bit with Jemaine Clement at the end .

[@ShrkBiT]

Dude, awesome fix! I love seeing some pro work like this. Came for the Amp work, but this project reallly interested me, the fine craftmanship on the switch, well done!

[@Cristofre]

So I'm not the only one that uses his finger tips to find problems in low voltage audio circuits. I've found bad caps, bad resistors, transistors,etc by bridging across them with my finger tips. Sometimes have to lick the finger first to lower the resistance a bit. My fingers are some of the best tools in my kit! PS, good job on modifying that push button switch to work in there, that's thinking outside the box.

[@TheGuitologist]

Cris Bessette it's true, but don't tell the tube amp guys, they'll make fun of me. I'll be out of the club. Probably already am.

[@genial6589]

Great work! I like the kind you are doing this! Go on!

[@bucyruserie1211]

Wow! Your McGyver skills know no bounds.... Fantastic repair. Thumbs up

[@dlbraly]

thank you for showing the soldering and actual work. I like watching that.

[@TheGuitologist]

Good to know. A couple others have said they like it too, so I try to show a little of that here and there.

[@dlbraly]

watching you makes me want to learn it. I like hearing and seeing you play guitar as well, but do what you do... I will still watch and click like...

[@williamking7420]

My favorite whimsical repair tech of all things audibly mysterious and otherworldly strikes yet again!

[@abelincoln95]

The "magic" of a knowledgeable man... Nice work, Brad....

[@WikeedOne]

Hey, the song at the end of the video was perfect!!! Like your precision of finding any problems with the hardware.. keep the good job..

[@dbo0109]

Smashing Pumpkins! Brilliant Brad!

[@emielo.7774]

That song at the end was amazing! I must buy one of those Omnichords

[@Ace96x10]

My old Singer had one of these, so i used it to make a tune and recorded it up. It was a fun device to use. That tune is long lost and forgotten now even by me, which is probably for the best.

[@DavenHiskey]

We only come out at night....It`s stuck in my head now thanks buddy=)

[@markolijus]

You just put a big smile on my face with that pumpkin's song man! Thanks ! :)

[@rdesutter76]

Great video... even better jam at the end! Thx, bud.

[@charliemopps4926]

I almost watch your videos more for the "testing" at the end. You're an excellent musician, but more importantly you've great taste. You should put out an album.

[@TheGuitologist]

Charlie Mopps I have several. Indie released. There are a couple on my channel.

[@charliemopps4926]

I'll be sure to look them up then!

[@Ian_Hay]

Always nice to find a fellow appreciator of the quiet genius of Jemaine Clement.

[@Zelleram55]

Wow good tracking down of the problems. Having a good parts stash is invaluable some days. Nice Macgyver fix on that button. Cool rendition, I Haven't listened to any Pumpkins in a while guess I'm due. I will have to play some through my Philco 46-1226 that I just brought back to life and added a MP3 mini stereo jack to.

[@WillyMcCoy50]

"And this is the sound of a zero hopelessly looking for a given fuck." - Dr. Ronald Chevalier Great vid and song Brad.

[@JohnGotts]

Beautiful work on this one.

[@timlilly]

Nice one mate. This with a very interesting 30 minutes. Thanks

[@christyler6920]

Just wanted to say that I loved this video. Good solid working methadology, good trouble shooting skills and Bam! Some.bonus smashing pumpkins. Just great.

[@jimbeaux4988]

LMAO. Can't believe you fixed that thing. The sound dragging your lead on the circuit is the most modern sound it makes.

[@pdp977]

Awesome video. I would so like one of these... Really like your channel BTW. So cool to see stuff given a second (or more) lease of life.

[@matttheschirmer]

You're the wizzard of Oz! Hilarious and entertaining! Love it!

[@TheGuitologist]

Matt Schirmer what you tryin to say...I stand behind a curtain all day.

[@borayurt66]

It was like watching a car mechanic repairing a swiss watch, but was fun :-) Good Job!

[@KentuckyRanger]

This is so awesome to see!!! My mom had one of these back in the early 80s and it was so much fun to play around with! It came with a special pic, used to strum the strip. It seems like there was a storage slot for the pic somewhere on the body, but it was such a long time ago, and she eventually sold it to someone in the 90s. I do remember that just using your finger wasn't as accurate as using the pick.

[@mischef18]

Nice one bro it just shows why not throwing things out can be a useful supply of parts. Never seen one of those things before so was interesting to see you fix it. ATB from New Zealand

[@davemassie3726]

YOU ARE THE MAN, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN'T BRING BACK TO LIFE ? UNCLE DOUG WOULD BE IMPRESSED! AMAZING BRAD, THE MUSIC GYPSIES ARE SMILING DOWN ON YOU! LOVE THE SONG. CAN'T WAIT TO HOOK IT UP TO MY 4X10 MARSHALL CAB. GREAT VID!

[@TheGuitologist]

It does have a line out.

[@Ndlanding]

I'm so glad you have brought the android back to life! Great video!

[@averythomas64]

I literally started singing that song before you did. lol thanks man!

[@riansettles2506]

Love the videos man. I've learned quite a bit. Thanks

[@EvertvanIngen]

Ronald Weasley, it's leviosaaaaah.

[@lopezlou4742]

🤣

[@DaveyGage]

Great instrument, great repair, outstanding vid!

[@JobyP]

Your Falsetto is pretty damn good... The pumpkins tune was a nice touch!

[@stuffandjunkanduhh5049]

I thought i was about to see youre first steps into circuit bending with this one and then get a sweet sp cover haha. weird video. good stuff.

[@georgehowell5877]

Hey, Brad....I had one of these a few years ago, they are VERY COOL sounding......Weird, but Cool....Found mine at a Goodwill Store, sold a year later for a Large profit, I found a motivated buyer!!!! Mine worked perfectly, sounded fantastic!!!!!...I was working too much to practice much, but it's easy to get very unique sounds out of it.....Very COOL device, thanks for posting............G

[@ErnieNF]

Perfect, Smashing Pumpkins cover sounding better than the original. Good job.

[@hukl3945]

Amazing repair. Man I'm hooked to your amp / gear repair videos. Gets me back into the mood to tinker around with electronics myself. Currently I'm "just" fixing up electric guitars and basses. Now I bought an Epiphone Valve Jr. to play around with. The SPF's I'm not too enthusiastic about but I'd watch an FAQ style video for sure. Also it would be great to get some basic tutorials on how to analyse signal flows and modify them or explaining how tube circuits work. You are quite good I think in the didactic domain. Either way - keep it up!

[@stevehogan8829]

haha and all this from a small work shop in Kentucky...while others are contemplating a meat stew further down the road a omnichord star is born. Great amount of work put into saving that instrument. Good job

[@bizjer1]

I had one of these as a kid. I can tell you that it came with a flimsy pick that you could strum the front part with. obviously fingers also worked. from memory the "stylophone" type strip was very sensitive. Ill never forget my dad walking in with the box and it had Yamaha on the side. I was convinced he'd got us a small motorbike. Ours was a dark chocolate brown colour too.

[@hurryman]

hi, great work & thanks for visiting my Omnichord blog! Darren at Omnichord Heaven is a good friend, he's got the better schematics. regards, rob...(yes, based in the Netherlands:-)

[@dava4444]

really enjoyed! :) thanks for the vid.

[@anactualpilot]

great video, thanks for taking the time out of your day to share :)

[@Luministmusic]

oh man. totally wasn't expecting smashing pumpkins at the end! nice

[@alfredobean4448]

I need some help with repairs. On my omnichord the unit powers on fine, however only the drum machine works on it and I get no sound from any of the other features. Any advice would be great. Thanks :)

[@AnywayHeresMyCleanTone]

me too :(

[@justinwiggy]

Great video. An early model. I have the om36 with case, power supply and cellophane overlay. Bought it for next to nothing 10 years ago. Nothing on earth sounds like an omnichord!

[@joek81981]

No one else would even touch this thing.

[@LiamDTurner]

Thumbs up for Dr. Ranald Chevalier

[@chrisliddiard725]

Another solution to the broken button, would have been conductive paint on the nipple end of that rubber cap/switch. You could also have superglued a tiny bit of foil to to that rubber nipple to act as the electrical contact.

[@richardhunter9779]

GREAT video!

[@TheAgentAssassin]

That sound through the wire could be used for a horror movie or suspenseful prelude.

[@TheGuitologist]

Totally. I thought that same thing. Creepy.

[@periurban]

Good work!

[@jimijames1000]

Excellent job , Smashing pumpkins sweet :)

[@JohnIainMcFarlanewaspfactor]

Totally fascinating.Thanks man.

[@MMMRCHPCTB]

to hell with the repair, I came for the song at the end!

[@Yewtreemusic]

21:21 was a joyous moment! Fixing is the future. That makes you the future. Man.

[@raymondheath7668]

That's the kind of work I do. Great troubleshooting

[@JazzzRockFuzion]

A few years ago, we got one of this model used at the music store I teach at. My wife shot a video of me 'shredding' on it, but sadly the file was lost. Very cool instrument; kick-ass performance at the end!

[@TheraFlop]

The omnichord website is in Dutch, it's hosted from the Netherlands (small country on the left of Germany).

[@TheGuitologist]

I know where the Netherlands is. :D Actually, I've been in contact with the site's owner since making this video. He saw it and wants to include my info on the site, I think. Pretty cool cat.

[@tjoelfoster]

"There are only two things I can't stand in this world: People who are intolerant of other people's cultures, and the Dutch." - Nigel Powers

[@Putaspellonyou]

"Somewhere Down the Crazy River" on the first Robbie Robertson solo record is the CV of the Omnichord.

[@sam64evo]

great video i love Omnichord i did gig with same one wished it was mine to be honest when i was playing it was so much fun love old analogue stuff get real true sound

[@johnbhumphrey]

Rock star baby!!! (referring to your demo of that thing)

[@heltutrolig7645]

I really enjoyed this video. :-)

[@cooloutcoexist]

3 chords of the song in the end and I immediately noticed it! 😄 great!

[@ziphrox]

Im still watching the video, but ive never seen nor heard of one of these. I expect this to be a Challenge!

[@TheGuitologist]

Your expectations will be met with gusto.

[@Danny_Boel]

31:17 We only come out at niiiight ;-)

[@kardRatzinger]

Wow Brad, this thing realy puts the Boogie Mark II you did recently to shame in terms of sound lol

[@EmbelekoBand]

Weird gadget, but you deserve 2 thumbs up. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@mdbaus]

I'm gonna buy one of these and turn it into a kick-ass little guitar amplifier!!!!!

[@TheGuitologist]

mike bausman shot covfefe out my nose

[@AdamRainStopper]

Mike! Don't give him any ideas!

[@DeepPastry]

Those things were crazy fun. Just insane fun, and a real hit with the evangelicals in the '80s.

[@TheGuitologist]

All these kids today are trying to emulate the evangelical sound again. It's so uncool, it's become cool again in an ironic sort of way. Synthing for Jesus is a thing. :D

[@the-creech4790]

You are amazing!

[@TheGuitologist]

I'm also Spider Man. Few people know this. Keep it on the DL, I don't want my email to blow up.

[@CaptainFantastik1]

Oh shit we had one of these when I was a kid. We used it for about an hour when we got it and never pulled it out again.

[@remley8877]

I keep seeing these things on Craigslist for $30. I've never payed them any attention, but now, I totally want one!

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

Could you not create a replacement amp off from a PWM around a NE556 and a few transistors on a small piece of Veroboard to replace the bad power amp, just an idea to get you out of jam, what about all the old switches with keyboard switches.

[@TheGuitologist]

I have some Chinese made small amps I could have used, but being a vintage piece, I went with direct replacement part.

[@neilbarbu]

Great job.

[@metalhearted1]

Great Video. Thank you.

[@KansaiSamurai]

A few music groups used one of these in the early eighties, such as Devo.

[@KingOfKYA]

For future refrance you can find those little domes in laptop keyboards with the scissor style keys.

[@Anson120]

"The fun machine took a shit and died" -QOTSA. That song is the best George Stright song

[@SeanDamonGreene]

Brad, besides your awesome guitar playing, this is one of my favorite performance I have seen from you. I hope this message isn't too awkward or weird. Anyway, have a good one.

[@tommyfoley]

Joe Satriani used to probe the Universe with one of these. Surfing With the Alien was originally going to be an Omnichord instrumental album called "Probing With the Alien."

[@piersuntersander]

Recent subscriber, mostly watch your vids in the bath for ultimate relaxation on the long climb towards transcendental zen. Like Marc Maron without the anger management issues :)

[@TheGuitologist]

The Art of Relaxating: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lX_XlXanZZKEpJo

[@bradleyard4195]

As Billy Corgan buys an autochord and sets about recreating the Pumpkins' back catalog...

[@underpressureman]

that song at the end gave me goosebumps. Id like to get you in the studio! When can you get here Ronald?

[@dkmmhdk]

Tact switches like these are quite common and should be available from most electronics suppliers.