Display for a Z1

[cixelsyd]

Greetings all,

My first post.

Just got a Z1 off of ebay and the display is dim. Has anyone here replaced a backlight for a Z1? In fact can anyone confirm the Z1 has a backlight? I've heard from dubious sources the Z1 doesn't have a backlight instead the whole display has to be replaced.

Love the sound. Can't believe these go for almost nothing on ebay.
I do have a feeling these synths will be coveted someday.

[Savante]

Greetings all,

My first post.

Just got a Z1 off of ebay and the display is dim. Has anyone here replaced a backlight for a Z1? In fact can anyone confirm the Z1 has a backlight? I've heard from dubious sources the Z1 doesn't have a backlight instead the whole display has to be replaced.

Love the sound. Can't believe these go for almost nothing on ebay.
I do have a feeling these synths will be coveted someday.

And also greetings to all -- my first post too.

The Z1 display never was very bright. If it responds as you would expect from adjusting the little knob on the back panel, it's probably OK. I've had lots of Zee's and never yet a bad display.

It should be easily readable with good contrast (properly adjusted for the light and viewing angle), but it's not pretty like an M3, not remotely.

I don't know if the Z1 has a separate backlight. The effect of using the knob on the back seems typical of a backlight. But maybe the light is inseparably built-in to the display? (Your comment is the first I've ever heard of this.)

The Z1 may still be the best digital hardware synth ever built. The sounds are fantastic and the operating system deep and detailed. The OS is actually exquisitely well-designed, but you do have to make do with a twentieth-century user interface (though a good one for that era).

The main weakness of the Z1, in my opinion, is a poor keyboard (very hard to control the low end of the velocity spectrum, at any velocity curve setting). These days I usually control the Z1 from another master controller, but sometimes still play from the Z1 keyboard to have access to the front panel controls, especially the beyond-cool X-Y pad.

There is a workaround for the keyboard velocity control issue, but it involves a small but expensive ($200) add on component.

Though the Z1 is capable of an enormous variety of sounds, and shouldn't be pigeonholed as sounding just in some particular way, it does, like all synths, have a charcter of its own, which is an intensely pleasurable quality to the sound. It was the first synth I ever truly fell in love with.

If yours is in excellent condition it should be very valuable some day. A highly-valued extra is the 18-voice expansion.

[cixelsyd]

Hey Savante,

Thanks for the information and welcome to the forum. Good to hear your thoughts on the display. I agree this could be the one of the best digital synths out there. I have a K5000S which I like. The sound of the K and Z are similar but again your right about the Z having its own personality.

FWIW, mine already had the extra 6 voice expansion. Woohoo