Ensoniq

“KEYS DONT WORK CONSISTENTLY, with a keybed clean up it MAY work good as new. All the other buttons and faders seem to work great.

ENSONIQ ESQ-1 Digital Wave Synthesizer Vintage Analog . Condition is For parts or not working.” Click here to search for synths on eBay

“Ensoniq ESQ1 Digital Wave Synthesizer Keyboard. Condition is Used. Powers up; works. Display initially indicates internal battery low. Includes one (1) PROM memory cartridge (used). Exterior good cosmetic condition.”
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“2 sound cartridges included. Project synth I never got around to working on. Turns on and the sound is great. Low battery warning is on. I will include new battery for new owner to install. Few keys do not emit sound when pressed, needs keybed cleaning. 1 C key repaired with glue (as pictured), works fine. I do have a new C key I will include for new buyer to install. ENSONIQ ESQ-1 Digital Wave Synthesizer Vintage Analog!. Condition is For parts or not working. This is a project. No returns. ”
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“This keyboard is not far from total restoration at a minimum of cost. I got this from a guy in the early 90s after mine died. But by this time, we were all getting into the latest breakthrough…recording with DAWs (however primitive) with ‘unlimited’ tracks vs. 8. And this ESQ faded away. I don’t recall using it that much. But that’s how I got it.
ABOUT A YEAR AGO: I wanted to get it cleaned up and functioning again, so I took it to my 40-year-long-repair man….who is quite elderly now. He suffered a heart condition while he had it and never got around to fixing it. Many months later, when I picked it up, I did not realize most of the screws were not replaced. So I had to deal with that issue today, when posting. (See below for those kinds of details). I know there are several things wrong with this device, so I’ll walk you through everything you need to know:

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
1. UNIT POWERS ON, and basically ALL* of the buttons function as expected. Pictures show various sections of this instrument selected so you can see this. (See #4 for *—one button may not be working)
2. There is no audio coming out of the L/R output jacks at this time…though I never remembered that being an issue, so something could be lose, or upon being moved around a few times over the past 30 years, simply maybe have broken something.
3. This sequences had the expansion memory card installed, which alone, was worth $, and some folks still look for those today!
That was installing hardware, which was very reliable. I can’t vouch for the condition of the card, but I would assume it works.
4. * The CARTRIDGE section (or the cartridge button, or the cartridge itself?) is not reading the cartridge that you see inserted in the pics. I would assume that after all these years, that cartridge may be bad. But if that were true, I remember (?) that the ESQ would at least ‘see’ the cartridge and give an error message, etc. So I’m assuming the problem could be that section of the circuit board also. Or the BUTTON that selects the cartridge is not doing it’s job. That would be the easiest, cheapest fix. But I don’t know what’s causing this.
5. In one picture you can see some pink substance on the black output/foot-pedal jacks. This was always on there when I got it, and I have no clue as to what it is or why someone put that on there, but it never affected anything when I played the instrument…it was just fine.
6. In order to ship the keyboard and not have movement of the actual physical keyboard section itself, you can see in two pictures that I stuffed plastic bags in there to safely wedge the keyboard so it would not move. I have no screw to replace the ones that were missing when I picked up the instrument from the repair shop.
7. You will see that there are approximately 3-4 yellowish keys on the lower left hand side of the keyboard. I had these replaced a long time ago, and the guy had no matches, so we used 3 keys off of some other ensoniq product/compatible product and those keys were different color-wise… but I didn’t mind that, so notice the three off white keys.
8. The memory back up battery is low. These are extremely cheap and available.

THIS IS FOR SOMEONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO FIX IT UP,
or knows how to themselves; or for someone who wants to part it out.
But like I said, I think this unit is not far from workable restoration, but I’m not a repair guy. I say this because it was working fine at one point, and it seems to me like the odd things that go out here and there are normal things that also went out when they were brand new and taking them to the repair shop.”
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“Vintage Ensoniq ESQ-1 Keyboard Synthesizer

In Good Condition, Turns On, All Keys Work

The Volume Control Knob Has Been Replaced But Hasn’t Been Soldered Yet And Needs To Be Soldered” Click here to search for synths on eBay

“NOT fully tested, I consider it to be partially working but will need some attention, some keys don’t seem to make as much sound as others, needs a new battery.Some wear on cabinet (i.e. lettering, etc)”
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“this is a cool vintage analog synthesizer that powers on normally but when I plug my headphones into audio out I get no sound . It could be funky old headphones or some switch or output feature I am operating incorrectly but selling keyboard as is , not working for parts or repair. The keyboard shows no signs of corrosion and is in good general condition”
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“I really don’t know much about this keyboard, so ask questions before bidding and I’ll try to do my best to answer! You are also welcome to visit and try it out in person! I consider it to be partially to mostly working, I did try a number of the built in sounds and they seem to be working fine but some of the keys produce less sound and sometimes very little to no sound so I think they’ll need some attention. Battery warning comes on when you turn it on so it will need that replaced. I did not test any of the other various memory or other functions, only a basic test. Metal case in good shape, a lot of the lettering on the cabinet is quite worn but in general I’d say it’s in good condition or better cosmetically, no damage or signs of abuse. 2 screws are missing on the front. Comes with a nice fitted soft case, stand, original foot pedal, power cord, USB to MIDI cable and the 2 cartridges (which are untested) pictured, Music Pack and Q Spectrum”
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“Up for sale is a used Ensoniq ESQ-1 Synthesizer Keyboard For Parts / Repair. The synth is not in working condition so it’s for repair or parts. It powers on but I can’t get it to change voices and no sound into headphones. The four screws to close the lid were missing when I got it so I assume someone was trying to repair it. The two female ends on the left side are broken so the screws won’t stay in on that side, please see pictures. The display is still very nice and bright. The two wheels seem to be smooth but I can’t tell if they work cause there is no sound. One key has a burn mark, see close up picture. I also do not have any voice cartridges. ”
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“ENSONIQ ESQ-1 Vintage Analog Synthesizer 61-Key Keyboard. USA-1985 Works Great.!. Condition is Used. As you can see from the photos, one of the keys is lifted up.”
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“I really don’t know much about this keyboard, so ask questions before bidding and I’ll try to do my best to answer! You are also welcome to visit and try it out in person! I consider it to be partially to mostly working, I did try a number of the built in sounds and they seem to be working fine but some of the keys produce less sound and sometimes very little to no sound so I think they’ll need some attention. Battery warning comes on when you turn it on so it will need that replaced. I did not test any of the other various memory or other functions, only a basic test. Metal case in good shape, a lot of the lettering on the cabinet is quite worn but in general I’d say it’s in good condition or better cosmetically, no damage or signs of abuse. 2 screws are missing on the front. Comes with a nice fitted soft case, stand, original foot pedal, power cord, USB to MIDI cable and the 2 cartridges (which are untested) pictured, Music Pack and Q Spectrum. ” Click here to search for synths on eBay

“Up for bid is my 1986 Ensoniq ESQ-1 Synthesizer! It’s been in my collection for about 8 months, and has been rarely used due to a personal lack of interest in the synth. I purchased it on reverb.com about 8 months ago and from what I understand it came from a studio style environment. The body is metal, however the side panels are plastic. I received this synth with the brackets that hold the screws in broken, the screws nowhere to be found. This doesn’t impact the function of the synthesizer, however it is something to keep note of (I will secure the synth to ensure the case doesn’t come open during shipping). It has the sequencer expander card, and a newly replaced battery from 2013. Everything is 100% operational with this synth. It has a set of custom patches, but if your want the original factory set, I can certainly do that for you. It comes with a manual (not original), and power cord.” Click here to search for synths on eBay