My first post here, so… hai!
I’m jonesing hard over an OP-1 lately, even more so after spending a couple hours fiddling around with one borrowed from a friend. However my budget won’t allow me to buy a new one anytime soon, so I’m looking to get a second-hand one. So the question is, are there any particular things to look out for when buying one? Like, my concern is with its battery which I believe is not easily replaceable. Is there any indicative on battery lifespan, or is it not really an issue? Are there any other things you might come up with to ask for when striking a deal? (I will most likely not be able to test it while buying, so we’re talking remote deal).
Battery isn’t really an issue, it may be in years and years to come but not at the moment. There’s people on this forum who will have had an OP-1 since they were released and the batteries are still going strong.
I bought my OP-1 second hand.
If you are buying from eBay I’d ask the seller if they are the original owner of the op-1. With OP-1’s you either love them or you hate them so you see a lot on eBay (likewise with Elektron stuff) where people have bought them and thought they could make instant hits without actually working for it, realise you can’t then sell the thing.
Personally I would only buy one from an original owner and NOT one that’s been bought and sold multiple times.
One that’s not been moved around much would be a bonus too - people usually state when items have just been used in a smokefree studio.
I’d ask to see as many photos as possible of the unit. If there’s dents or major scratches then it’s obviously not been looked after very well.
Hai! What is your price limit? I noticed, from perusing Teenage Engineering’s Instagram stream, that it seems like every November and December, they have a big discount on their products, OP-1 not excluded.
Alternatively, there’s a store that I love (http://turntablelab.com) where I bought mine for 12% off. They do these 12% off sales, from what I’ve noticed, a few times a year.
You cannot tell what the health of the battery is. I can’t think of anything in particular to inspect, if you don’t have the chance to test it.
Of all the instruments I have, some worth and weighing much more, the OP-1 is the most meticulously built and robust. So if it looks like it’s in good shape, maybe there won’t be any surprises afterwards, maybe the sexy aluminum body took the brunt of any unspoken hits.
Hope it works out for you!
The things that seem to break are:
-Internal speaker
-Internal mic
-In/outputs
So you could ask the seller to verify that all those are working. I think cheap in/output boards are sold, which are easy to replace, too. Not sure if the board replacement replaces the mic, too.
check it still has its op1 logo on the front under the microphone
Mine has rubbed off after some serious use, so if there is no logo in the pics then it suggests the OP1 is not as new as they claim…
Hai! What is your price limit? I noticed, from perusing Teenage Engineering's Instagram stream, that it seems like every November and December, they have a big discount on their products, OP-1 not excluded.Alternatively, there's a store that I love (http://turntablelab.com) where I bought mine for 12% off. They do these 12% off sales, from what I've noticed, a few times a year.You cannot tell what the health of the battery is. I can't think of anything in particular to inspect, if you don't have the chance to test it.Of all the instruments I have, some worth and weighing much more, the OP-1 is the most meticulously built and robust. So if it looks like it's in good shape, maybe there won't be any surprises afterwards, maybe the sexy aluminum body took the brunt of any unspoken hits.Hope it works out for you!
I’m looking for a unit at 550 Euro tops, all inclusive. This is my current budget limit. Doubt TE will get such a large drop on it, or maybe?.. One other thing is, I’d rather not wait until November. GAS, you know 
Also, I’ve got a planned trip to Iceland early October and I’d love the OP-1 to join in. My only other piece of gear is the Octatrack, so the OP-1 would fit in a carry-on luggage a bit better.
Thanks everyone for the tips thus far! And for clearing up my biggest concern (battery life).
I'm looking for a unit at 550 Euro tops, all inclusive. This is my current budget limit. Doubt TE will get such a large drop on it, or maybe?... One other thing is, I'd rather not wait until November. GAS, you know ;) Also, I've got a planned trip to Iceland early October and I'd love the OP-1 to join in. My only other piece of gear is the Octatrack, so the OP-1 would fit in a carry-on luggage a bit better.
I didn’t catch the TE sales when they were on, so I don’t know what the discount was. Maybe someone here recalls. Looked for a recent sale on their Instagram (teenage engineering on Instagram: "Black Friday starting now at the TE webstore! Deals from 15% and up. (except for bundles) #tennageengineering #blackfriday"), and it looks like you’d get at least 15% off the OP-1.
A lot of people here definitely love their Octatracks (and Elektrons) with the OP-1.
A lot of people here definitely love their Octatracks (and Elektrons) with the OP-1.
Definitely looking forward to join them! Expecting the OT to take this little guy to some special places.