Korg has released the ARP Odyssey FS as a kit allowing you to build your own ARP in just a few steps without soldering.
In February 2023, Korg released the ARP Odyssey FS as a pre-soldered DIY kit for a whopping 1899€. Compared to the Behringer Odyssey for 479€, which is on the same level in terms of sound and quality, the FS DIY version from Korg was very overpriced.
The market probably saw it that way, too, because many retailers were already selling the FS version with massive discounts. Woodbrass from France did it in August for 999€.
The German distributor of Korg (Korg & More) is going one step further. They offer the last Korg ARP Odyssey FS units for 769€ instead of 1975€, a discount of 61% OFF in their Korg Shop. That’s now a great price for the Korg ARP Odyssey full-size version. Before that, it was simply overpriced.
Article From February 27, 2023
Synthesizers are generally bought in a shop, assembled, and ready to use. However, a large community prefers to solder and build their synthesizers. As a licensed two-left-handed man in electronics, I am not qualified for this, sorry. But there is hope.
Korg has been trying to pass this fascination on to customers with their kit models for some time, but in a very simplified way—without soldering but through a dead-simple plug-in system. With the ARP Odyssey Kit, Korg now provides another synthesizer in this format that you can assemble.
Korg ARP Odyssey FS Kit
The kit is based on the exact reissue of the ARP Odyssey that Korg re-released some time ago. The front panel features the classic ARP Odyssey Rev.3 design of orange legend on black. There are also all the features you know from Korg ARP Odyssey FS.
It builds on the original circuits giving you an analog Synthesizer that is playable in monophonic and duophonic. It has the beloved two VCOs with three waveforms each, oscillator sync, PWM, sample-& and hold, and white & pink noise generators.
Of course, you can choose between three iconic lowpass filter revisions via a 3-part selector. There is a new drive toggle that augments your sound with a boost you need only when you need it. The Odyssey FS Kit also ships with a proper 37-note full-size keyboard with proportional pitch control systems means ±2 octaves of transposition with portamento.
On the connection side, there are no differences to the built-up version either: USB-B port and 5-pin MIDI input, an audio output on 1/4-inch mono phone jack and XLR connector, dedicated 1/4-inch headphone socket and 3.5mm CV/Gate/Trigger I/O expanding it to the modular world.
And if you’re a collector, Korg will give you a commemorative metal plaque with a unique engraved serial number to celebrate the experience.
A nice release, especially for everyone looking for an Arp Odyssey FS reissue. This has been discontinued for some time. So this is a new opportunity to get an Odyssey from Korg. For everyone who finds this DIY Odyssey too expensive, there are Odyssey alternatives for significantly less on the market.
Korg ARP Odyssey Kit is available soon for 1899€/$1799,99 USD.
More information here: Korg
Available at my partner
yawn, shaving the cost of a final assembly and test; sorry buddy you lose!
Behringer Odyssey is much cheaper with seq/ARP and nice effects.
And no need to assemble nothing.
1899 EUR is terrible price btw.
I really don’t understand who wants to buy this.
That price is just nuts, compared to the first run back in 2014… That version was a just a tad smaller than the original / FS. 1000,- I can’t imagine someone buying these for 1900, when you can get Korg’s 2600M for a bit less.
Pathetic. The Behringer clone is better in exactly every way.
They don’t understand who would want to buy the real thing and to pay the actual (living) people who designed and built the Odyssey and who supply this one with the correct parts. They prefer a knockoff from someone who helps himself to the work, marketing, designs, patents, copyrights, and other efforts while paying a tribe of lawyers to make fighting him a misery. He pays for this with the money of people who would not appreciate having their own work treated in a similar manner.
If people just want Odyssey sounds, there is plenty of good software. If hardware is your thing, there is one legitimate source for the Odyssey. There is also a lookalike from a bottom-feeding weasel, if you have no standards at all.
I guess this discussion never ends. I think cloning the arp odyssey is no problem art all. A critique should be a little more specific, otherwise it is just not very intelligent and dull. There are so many clones of moogs in modular etc. There is no patent etc. so there is no legal issue. If you want to criticise Behringer then please dont do it for the wrong reasons. I think what is not good are his megalomaniac tendencies. He has a kind f death drive, wanting to drive any other synth manufacturer out of buiseness. Practices like announcing products by putting freshly made renders of future products on facebook when another manufacturer anounces a new product line (as happened with TipTop Buchla, Behringer then announcing the easel clone to keep people from buying the tip top stuff and waiting for the Behringer release). Of course, cloning products currently in production is also not very kind, to say the least. Furthermore, it is just not true that synths were not affordable before Behringer entering the market. Arturia and Korg are innovatice and affordable. Moreover I think people just spend the same amount on synths than before, They just buy more synths, so its not very good for the environment. But despite Behringer being monopolistic etc. I still believe, that he is just very enthusiastic about what he is doing. Its not all ill will and bad intentions and I dont think it is only about money. And what should be stated. The quality of Behringer synth products is just very, very good. Everyone who says something else is blinded. I have the Behringer 2600 and the 1047 Arp 2600 filter clone. They are both just great, nothing more and nothing less. I worked for a boutique synth manufacturer, selling modules for very high prices and I can tell you: The quality of Behringer products is rather better than worse. They just cant afford to make too many mistakes, dealing with such high quantities. Behringer synths should just be judged on their own merits, the quality should be judged. And there are also monoplistic tendencies in small companies, just look at Random source and their Serge line of modules. They are very competetive against other companies like sts or prism. What I wanted to say, please be a more specific in your criticism, otherwise you are kind of making a fool of yourself.
Really? You think that there’s now any relation between the original designers and manufacturers of the ARP and the Korg marketing department that puts out these absurdly priced re-issues just to make some yens off a few nostalgics?
If Korg actually cared they’d do something to add to the product — as Behringer did. As is, it’s just a manipulation.
Don’t be manipulated!
Assemble-yourself might work at the cheap end of the market but at that price I’d expect it fully assembled.
well, the update is definitely a better price. but i’m buying a Behringer Wave instead at this point.