I must confess that it was an exciting year 2017 for my activity around SYNTH ANATOMY. NAMM Show, SuperBooth and finally the Tokyo Festival of Modular. In the latter, I not only visited the festival but tried to explore the world of Synthesizers there. Of course, my road took me to the Five G Music Technology & Synthesizer Store in Shibuya (Tokyo), the best vintage Synth store in the world in my opinion.
If you don’t get the opportunity to travel to Japan, I have good news. To get a nice overview without travelling to the land of the rising sun, I made a small photo and video documentation with which you get a good look in the shop.
The Entrance To The Synthesizer Paradise
Barely arrived in the store, I was already welcomed by various older and modern Synthesizers (KORG MS-20, Mellotron, Roland JD-XA, Radical Technologies Accelerator Synthesizer, …)
Where Your Eurorack Dreams Come True!
A light head turning right, you were greeted by the well-known Eurorack wall. Unfortunately, the wall was less filled than normally. That was because Five-G was also an exhibitor at the Tokyo Festival of Modular.
At the same point in the store, one could also watch a young employee building a large Eurorack system, using a Dieter Doepfer case for a customer. The real monster cases were right behind the employee which you can really describe as cabinets. Apart from the cordless screwdriver, who is an uninvited guest in the Eurorack world, it was interesting to see how a new system emerges.
The Acid Dominating Showcase
The tour stopped after a few steps again. In the first third of the store was on the right side of a showcase with many well-known Synthesizers that were mainly known in Acid music. Roland TB-303, TB-606, MC-202, many of the devices from this iconic time were for sale here. Even if you think you could possibly make a bargain, you’re wrong.
The prices for this devices are already high but still very interesting because you have to know that these instruments are serviced and fully functional. Compared with the current prices on Ebay or privat sales, I have to say that the price of the TB-606 (69984 yen = +- 516€) is a very good. What a white AKAI Pro MIDI controller has done in this showcase, I still wonder today.
Take A Deep Breath, The Next Synthesizers Are Already Waiting!
On the right side we continued with more modern and vintage instruments. Here already notes that Five G is not a pure vintage store but a shop which offers to its customers old and new Synthesizers. So the shop counts to one of the largest dealers in Japan for Dave Smith Instruments. OB-6, Prophet Rev 2, Prophet-6, everything was available and ready to play.
Not only DSI instruments (desktop and keyboard version) were ready to play but also the complete range of Studio Electronics Boomstars Synthesizers, Roland latests Boutique modules (TR-08, SH-01A,…) and a rare Roland System 100 modular system was also for sale.
“Many of the instruments already had no price tag, were reserved or already sold” <– This is true sometimes. That OB-XA for example is mine. I reserved it before they had even determined the price. It was simple really. Get it now because I knew by next week when I would be back…. someone else will have already claimed it. I go there every weekend without fail. A lot of their stock isn't posted on their web site. Someone grabs it before they have a chance.
"The biggest advantage of the Five G Store compared to private sellers is certainly the excellent maintenance of the devices and their electronic components." <– YES! there is a good and bad to this. The good is that I am very comfortable that if I have issues with any of my synths they will make sure it gets taken care of. I wont by a (vintage) synth from anyplace else. Im not an electrician and with vintage stuff I do depend on five-g if something goes bad.
The bad part is that they always have a backlog of work waiting for them. You will have to wait. That OB-XA… well I reserved it at the start of October and as of April its still in its same place waiting to get refurbished. An additional up side is that the wait gives me time to save up money as well….