The ARP 2600 is surely one of the immortal modular synths. The Human Comparator has unveiled version V4 of their clone, which you can build yourself.
Swedish DIY synthesists, The Human Comparator, have unveiled the TTSH (Two Thousand Six Hundred) V4 – a clone of the iconic ARP 2600. It’s now available from their website.
The ARP 2600 came out of a purple patch in the history of American synthesis: the early 1970s. While its ostensible mission was to compete with the likes of Moog and Buchla, it also had another more humble and profound goal in mind: to take synthesis out of the lab and put it in the hands of musicians. The TTSH takes the egalitarian ethos one step further, offering you the chance to build your own. 
The kits range in price from a fully tested and assembled system at $3,400 US – all the way down to a PCB set and front panel for $499. So if you have the skills to handle a soldering iron, you might be able to pick up a bargain.
Here’s a breakdown of the options:
This new release is a collaboration with SynthCube who are offering 5 different versions depending on your budget and DIY preferences.
- You can have the whole thing assembled and tested for $3400.
- Full kit with the case for $1499.
- Full kit without the case for $1299.
- PCB set with front panel and case for $699.
- Just the PCBs and front panel for $499.
So if you can handle a soldering iron there are some significant savings to be made by going the DIY route as well as a load of fun in the process of building your own synthesizer.
There have been a number of updates to version 3:
- Corrected the Pin out for the 2N3954/8
- Corrected the missing trace on the filtercard 4072
- Corrected the bc558 wring pinout on 4012 VCF Card
- Corrected the ‘via’ filling that created issues with jacks
- Add mainboard VCF header missing -15V power
- Add mounting hole for Gatebooster PCB standoff
- Removed dimming autostart on LED
- PCB set includes Gatebooster and VCO Synch sub-PCBs; full kits include necessary parts for those sub-PCBs
And if you’re in any doubt as to the sound, listen to a demo from Datachrome below.
Visit the order page for more info. And if you’d like to do more of a deep dive on this classic synth, check out our feature article.
