So after 4 broken op-z I gave up on the device until they release a field version and I got the op1 field today
I went to buy it from GC because they said they had a brand new one, but it turned out to either be returned or an open box
The only thing I can see wrong is a white, dead pixel on the screen but aside from that it looks totally new…does anyone else have any experience with getting a dead pixel? Did it gradually come or did your unit have it when you turned it on?
I trying to decide whether I should return the open box (even though it was $100 off) one and order a brand new one?
What would you guys do?
Also does the warranty apply to an open box field ? It doesn’t say open box on the receipt
Anyway are there any other things I should check to see for problems?
A dead pixel, in itself, is not too bad. If the unit takes charge, that everything is in order but that little dead pixel, you have a functional unit.
But you should get what you paid for. That is, an untempered op1f.
A dead pixel might mean a lot of things. A drop, a charging issue at some point, a defective screen, etc.
At that price point, one thing for sure, you might not want to take the risk of a deeper issue revealing itself later down the line.
Then, it’s just a matter of factoring in the return, the money back, etc. If it’s worth your hassle, you might wanna push back for a brand new one at the same discounted price if possible.
It’s my personal opinion that the op1f screen is way worst than the 1st gen OG1 screen. Blooming, for starters, is way worse. And assembly too. Has these two issues on my two first units.
Anyways.
As I said, just my humble opinion. Here’s hope this helps!
I can’t find any information on dead pixels except one or two Reddit threads. (I did an inspection of the unit and it hasn’t suffered traumas from a drop or anything like that for sure). Those were really bad compared to one dead pixel that you can’t see except when in tape mode or on a black background. I didn’t notice the dead pixel until I update from firmware 1.4.2 to 1.5.0 if that makes any difference
The only thing is I paid $1699 ($1850 after tax total) so I won’t get that price for a “new” unit again I’m sure. Maybe they’ll do the $1799 ($1950 after tax) which is almost as good.
The other thing is as you mentioned is it worth the hassle for the return? It’s hard to say. I already have to return this op-z. If I return this op1-field I doubt I would buy teenage engineering a 6th time in fear of another problem unit lol
I guess it’s worth one final transaction, bring in both returns and have the new one sent from the warehouse.
I would strongly advise for a return.
I once had a friend trying to sell me his iMac with a bunch of dead pixels. When asked how the dead pixels occurred, my (very good) friend told me that there was an electrical surge during a bad storm. The iMac was plugged in straight to the wall socket when the surge occurred. And since then, a bunch of dead pixel happened once in a while.
I’m not saying that’s what happened to your op1f. But you never know.
I also almost was sold a demo SP404mk2 by a legit shop. Had I not asked where this last model was from, they were gonna ask for full price when the model had been in demo for a good 3 months (always plugged in, played roughly by many customers, me included). When I finally got to the fact that he was about to sell me a 2nd hand full price, he just laughed and said « you’d be surprised how many people just don’t care ». Never went back to that shop.
And since then, I made an habit to ask for refunds, discounts and such.
Again, not saying this is what happened to you. But still. I would not be ok with it. But that’s just me.
I live in France and we have that kind of annoying habit to use (and at times abuse) the customer laws.
On a separate note, tho, I have to agree with you : TE has some issues with its hardware.
It’s ok to have issues. It’s ok to have the occasional flaws. But TE is something else.
I have to admit I totally lost faith in them, quality wise. The prices, the limitations…that’s another subject.
But quality is something else. The EP133 was just too much for me. It’s still pricey for what it does and it’s not engineered in any durable way.
I get the feeling that you’d almost be up to send back everything and not look back. It’s almost basically what I did - although I also had other things going on lately and needed the cash.
I really hope you find the right solutions for you and can eventually purchase what you’re looking for with the best quality to price ratio out there.
Keep us posted !
I truly doubt I would order another thing again. This op-z return will have to be my last attempt at an op-Z and I don’t think I would place another order for the extra $100 for a pixel when I am registering it a brand new and if something goes wrong it’s under warranty
At the same time; I should not have to worry about what a pixel might indicate as you pointed out several issues that’s may not manifest until later (the unit was off at the store and when I got home and powered on and it was on like 54% battery ; I used it all day and night and today it’s now at 36% )
So I will keep you posted
Thanks for your awesome advice
Ok so with all the TE shenanigans I been up to the last month , and needing the op-Z warranty 100%, would you guys recommend the guitar center 36 months warranty for $250? After tax it’s like $285?
Or is the field “built to last” so if it’s all good the first year I should be out of the woods so to speak in terms of warranty issues etc?
Add 36 month warranty for $300
DONT add warranty - Field is built to last
0voters
I hate to have to ask a similar question twice (meaning I asked about op-z but after seeing Heyes needing to return it 3 times for the screen , and seeing a pixel, it’s make me a little on edge lol….as I said I can’t go back and forth for TE hardware all month, it’s quite stressful as I’m sure you guys know)
i don’t think you’d need it. TE has 1 year hassle free warranty and any issues which are defective would present within the first year. if the extra 300 is really of no concern for your wallet and you live near a guitar center, then sure def go for it. but if you are missing that 300 and GC isn’t any more “Convenient” than sending it back to TE then i wouldn’t bother.
also keep in mind that TE seems to be overwhelmingly accommodating and understanding. its like “my left encoder knob wiggles a little bit” TE is like “ok we’ll replace your entire op-1 field for you np”
so in 2 years you’ll go to GC and say i see one little dead pixel there, please replace my unit. many companies would laugh and think you are a OCD and unreasonable.
Wow - that totally sold me! Thank you - done deal….
This forum is fantastic. So far, the best forum I’ve ever seen or been a member of, all helpful tips and no disrespectful comments
Thanks so much dj cuvcuv
*PS does anyone else ever have their field freeze on them? I was working in the master track and it just froze, and stopped working. I had to power off and on again…is this common or abnormal?
The only time I ever had a freeze was when I mistakenly lifted the 4 tracks together. Each track was clocking at 5mins each. But since I didn’t even realize I just tried and lifted all 4 tracks, the op1f kinda froze and I turned it on/off - only to lose all 4 tracks.
Only time it froze. And it was not even a real freeze.
So that’s new.
hah i hope i steered you in the right direction! glad i could help!
mine hasn’t frozen to that extent but i think it def can happen, ive heard it happening to folks. i do find that there will be occasional long lag when i do a large shift lift/drop especially if i have the device pretty full of tapes and presets/samples etc. one time the lag looked like it froze bc the device did not respond to anything but after a minute or 2 once the shift drop was done it became responsive again.
You did! You saved me $300! And you also made me much more comfortable about the freeze.
I’m going to keep my eye on it but man let me tell you, the op-z wasn’t worth the trouble it caused, but the op-1f is definitely worth the price and any RMA !
This is the most incredible and beautiful and elegantLY designed DAW I could imagine .
The workflow is superlative, the sounds are incredible in stereo and it doesn’t seem to lack features from audio inputs , usb C, and even radio emitter and sampling and it really works !
Then there’s a built in mic with vocoder, the FX are the best I’ve heard since sugarbytes, and there is so much more I don’t even know about.
Right now: I want to find the best tutorials and references on mastering the workflow. Someone mentioned synthdawg but I also want more information.
If anyone can recommend the best YT tutorials and any ebook or reference manuals please lmk or via PM if you don’t want to openly share your secret tips and methods
super stoked you are liking it! and glad we could help!
id say SoundTechLtd YouTube has some very short and sweet videos. they are very dense and quick but a lot of into therein. if you find those videos are just too quick/dense for now since you are new to it all, id recommend Son Wu 's channel on youtube for the most comprehensive guides ive ever found. they are thorough and if you were to watch them all and follow along on the field, you;;l be a master by the end of it
Here is the one ressource that made the op1f clearer for me :
An essential read. And at that price, probably the one manual you wanna buy asap.
Then, there’s SonWu’s channel. A great source for sure.
Red Means Recording’s channel is a great channel to navigate just how creative one can be on the op1f.
I’d say it’s a great idea to keep being curious and watch out any channel discussing the op1f. NearTao’s channel, although specialized in the SP404mk2, covers many op1f topics (such as MIDI routings and the likes).
And don’t skip the OG1 tutorials too. Some great things there too. Somethings won’t translate. But there’s some good things there too!
Your channel is an absolute watch, @NearTao
I keep saying this. But your dedication, your on-the-spot content and your set-up makes it an absolute watch.
You’re probably too humble to say it, so 4im gonna say it on my own : your content is amongst the best I daily watch. There’s food for the brain, ideas, tutorials, solutions to problems you didn’t even knew you had…it’s a great channel all around. Not just for the SP aficionados.
I have to be honest, I don’t know how people don’t recommend synth dawg more! This manual is worth $4 definitely. It’s some obvious stuff you can get from tutorials but I rather have a reference manual.
Thank you, I am finding it a lot more useful than the TE one. It’s almost like TE expect you to enjoy exploring the unit rather than giving a good explanation manual
Btw, does anyone else notice the volume knob is a little loose compared to the encoders? Pot seems fine but the knob itself is loose ?
As far as encoders go, I remember people complaining about the volume encoder to feel different than the four color encoders.
Maybe try scouting the forum and subreddits. I’m positive people already had this pinned down.
There are a couple of other sites and sources to up your op1f experience.
Sinesquare would have your presets needs covers. @rephazer packs are amongst the best you’ll find.
I don’t remember every place I found interesting things about the op1f, but basically, it’s still a niche product so every site is fair game.
Some packs you’ll find are very cheaply made, but some others are crazy good and well worth the buy.
And a last obvious one…but your DAW is your friend. I sampled quite a lot from my DAW. Plugins, samples, noises (such as its metronomes, etc)…don’t sleep on it!
I really appreciate your involvement and your knowledge and expertise on this machine. I see now people said you have to wait to have it to see what your needs are or whatever. The machine is so versatile and multidimensional and yet so deceivingly compact. It’s true efficiency.
With synthdawg manual I finally figured out the vocoder. It’s just a much better guide and manual than the TE one, which is good and serves its purpose but it’s nice to get a step by step.
I don’t do Reddit. I read it from searches but I don’t have an account so I guess maybe I should join, but I doubt I would find anything there that someone like yourself or cuv hasn’t already seen (well except the pixel thing I guess lol)
Anyway, keep the sites, references and suggestions coming
So far heyes and cuv haven’t steered me wrong so by all means please chime in to new enthusiastic op1 field owner
