PPG Wave

“Please do not hesitate to ask for references from our clients in the US, in Canada and Europe.

Full service documentation for this units is included in the purchase.

It’s now ready for another 40 years of fantastic sound creation.

Considering that this fantastic machine is almost 40 years old, some wear is normal.

A few “mandatory” scratches on top of the unit, actually they are really minor for being a Wave.

Factory MIDI, individual outs are rare for such an early 2.2.” Click here to visit listing on eBay

“I have a significant amount of time [both mine and others] and money invested in making this work.
I am at my limits of abilities to work on it. I can get a display to run but no sound because of the Proz-mismatch.

The PPG has the latest Virtual Music 8.3 ROMs. I am including a second set of ROMs as well.

I would refer to this below from Alexander from Virtual Music https://www.virtual-music.at/en/ppg-zone/#1

When this was shipped, the cards were not removed and wrapped so the damages are listed below.
• 2-3 broken mylar caps [the leads are hairline thin and very fragile]
• 1 broken 27.460mhz Crystal
• LCD cable pins are bent / broken and some will need replacement.

from Peter Forrest / Vemia
Details from the original listing[s]:We don’t know much about this. What we do know is it doesn’t work. It would appear that someone took a PPG Wave 2.3, removed the PCB’s, display, knobs and power supply and re-mounted them in a rack-style case. The front panel has a very professional looking blue and white transfer so whoever did this was quite serious about it. It also comes with the Wave’s original Mod Wheel assembly which can be connected to the internal motherboard. We tested it and this is what we found: It appears to boot up and display what looks like sensible information on the LCD (see photo). It accepts commands from the front panel, such as program or Midi channel changes, or for example pressing the Analog button brings up the current front panel knob-settings in the display and these can be altered in real time. It also appears to have valid data in memory judging by the parameters when the program number is changed. It can also be switched to emulate PPG Wave 2.2 mode. So far, so good. Now the bad news: plugging in a Midi keyboard produces no output, so either the Midi circuitry or the sound-generating section has a problem. Without having another Wave to test it with against, that’s as much as we know. Ideally this would suit a PPG enthusiast who has a working Wave 2.3 and can diagnose this one using an external Wave keyboard and card substitution. **SO SOLD AS IS!!** IEC mains connector with switchable 110/240V supply. ” Click here to visit listing on eBay

“PHYSICAL CONDITION: Very Good – There are lots of scratches on the top side of the enclosure above the control panel. There are dings on the back side along the top edge and near the metal lip which sticks out on the back side with the labels for the jacks on the back side. There are two little stickers leftover from the previous owner with numbers labeling the MIDI thru and CH1 output jacks. The metal side panels also have scratches near the top edges primarily. The keys have light marks from being played. The marks are visible on the black keys mainly. WORKING CONDITION: Excellent. Perfect working order in all areas and it sounds wonderful. The PPG Wave has become an essential collectible synth for those looking to capture the amazing sounds of the 80’s! ” Click here to visit listing on eBay

“PHYSICAL CONDITION : Excellent. The top, sides, and back have numerous small scratches and scuffs. The face plate is spotless and looks brand new. For the age, this unit has been very well cared for and is in amazing condition.

WORKING CONDITION : Excellent – All keys work perfectly. MIDI implementation is perfect, CV/TRIGGER In and Out are working well, the sequencer works, the filters go from a warm glow to a full scream, the sounds are rad, and this is an incredible specimen of this synthesizer! Overall, excellent condition.” Click here to visit listing on eBay

“This was a Wave 2.2 that was upgraded to a 2.3 by the factory. The original unit did not have MIDI and wasn’t implemented during the upgrade. I installed a Kenton MIDI kit many years back that gives it basic MIDI functionality and served my needs well.

I’m an experienced PPG repair tech that has revived Rupert Greenall’s infamous Wave 2.2 that appeared on all those great Fixx tracks and has been dead since the 80’s. Before I ship the unit, I will go through this, do a thorough cleaning and maintenance that includes calibration, cleaning of all contacts and aligning the keyboards action so they evenly trigger across the full range of the keyboard. No dead notes!

This is a pretty rare beast. If you are looking for that classic PPG sound. This is one of the most reliable out there. ” Click here to visit listing on eBay

“PPG Wave 2.3 is nice condition but has no audio output. Cosmetically it looks great with just some light scratches on the top. It powers up and appears to function ok. All the knobs seem to work (I can turn them and see values change on the display). Display looks great. I just can’t figure out how to get any sound out of it. It does appear to be sending MIDI signals fine, as I was able to play another synth using the PPG. I’m hoping someone can breathe some new life into this guy. I bought it locally from the original owner. I was planning to repair it but it’s been sitting in its case for a year and I’ve just got too many projects. I’m moving soon so I really need to downsize.

It comes with two additional processor boards (plus there’s one in the synth…so basically you’re getting three). I did try each processor board but I still couldn’t get any sound output. Also comes with a handful of cassette backups (not pictured), and a custom flight-case that fits it very nicely. Between the flight case and the synth, this is very heavy. Local pick up in Chicago is fine. Otherwise, shipping is going to likely be somewhat high. As-is.” Click here to visit listing on eBay

” PPG Wave 2.2 synthesizer w/ road case, manual, and cassette (!!) backup tape. Circa 1982-1984. Ultra rare. Will need work to restore full functions.Unit powers up fine, but only produces some intermittent sounds when the keys are engaged. Had this unit restored to full functionality prior to 2009, though with the advent of the Great Depression lost the business and the warehouse studio and all the gear has been in storage since. Keyboard utilizes a weird pin and wire trigger system (similar to the old Vox Continentals), suspect that’s where at least some the problems might be. Originally thought the output was compromised when I first fired it up from storage, but managed to get intermittent tones from the unit after checking it out again, so I don’t believe that is the issue. Some of the keys stick when depressed, and of those that do some will return to position after a few moments, others need to be repositioned manually. Have more than a few vintage keyboards from the 70’s/80’s, though am not a synthesizer expert and believe this one would be better off with someone who could restore it to working order again and give it a good home in a climate-controlled environment. Would love to keep it and try to get it up and running and figure out all it’s capabilities, but have not been in a good place financially since the economy tanked and don’t know when that may change to permit me to hire the tech’s necessary to restore this unit to working order yet again.” Click here to visit listing on eBay

“Up for sale is my PPG Wave 2.3 synthesizer. I bought this within the last year with the intention of repairing it but will be moving to California due to a job opportunity and am consequently selling. The synth isn’t in great shape but is still very cool with the possibility of one day getting it running again. There are a few keys missing from the key bed and a few knobs and push buttons missing from the front panel. The power supply has been removed. The boards are otherwise all there and are pictured. However, it appears that a few chips have been removed from the boards as can be seen in the pictures. Please refer to the pictures for what is and what isn’t included in the synth. ” Click here to visit listing on eBay

“If you’ve been holding out for the best possible PPG WAVE 2.3 or 2.2, this is for you!

Comes with a clean and seldom used flight case (also in excellent condition) and extra back-light panel (!) (This unit is still using the original backlight!) Also included is the original manual and a CD containing just about every PPG technical document ever published, along with an updated manual PDF, SYSEX libraries, schematics, etc.

Note that I have restored all the original patches using the original SYSEX file. This is as close to a brand new unit as you’ll find.

The unit is fully 100% functional and has been upgraded to the latest v.8.3 OS chips from Virtual Music.

The unit has a few minor blemishes and has a slight “bend” to the left corner, but otherwise is in excellent condition. You would be hard pressed to find one in such great shape or working condition.

As this instrument has the original (non) velocity and slightly “sticky” keyboard, using the MIDI IN will achieve midi velocity (!!!) as this unit contains the latest OS chip, plus SYSEX support, among other improvements.

Little known fact about the Wave 2.3 is that you can easily switch into 2.2 mode for a whole new set of patches. The Wave 2.3 is also multi-timbral with 8 individual outs. It sounds AWESOME and is a joy to use, I will miss it. ” Click here to visit listing on eBay

“Classic analog poly synth in good condition – check out the high quality photos I uploaded. Keyboard was re-bushed 2 years ago by a friend of mine, but he did not level out the keys. It is still very playable. Missing a few knob caps which can be purchased from Virtual Music in Vienna.

Due to how the voice boards are affixed inside the synth, I will ship this via motor freight strapped to a pallet (in a box, of course) within the contiguous US and Canada (email your postal code for freight quote). Overseas bidders will need to email me their complete address for LCL freight quote. I’ve been shipping gear worldwide since the early 90s and never had anything damaged.” Click here to visit listing on eBay

“Classic analog poly synth in good condition – check out the high quality photos I uploaded. Keyboard was re-bushed 2 years ago by a friend of mine, but he did not level out the keys. It is still very playable. Missing a few knob caps which can be purchased from Virtual Music in Vienna.” Click here to visit listing on eBay

“PPG Wave 2.2 Digital/Analog Synthesizer
LOCAL PICKUP ONLY (in Hollywood) I don’t have a case or crate to ship this.

This synth was serviced this month (April) by Ed Miller here in Hollywood. It is now in great working condition, no problems or issues. This is quite rare I guess, they only made a few thousand of these over thirty years ago.

This belonged to a friend of mine who passed away. I believe he had owned it for about 20 years. It needed to be cleaned and otherwise tuned up, because I don’t think he had played it much in the past decade. Now it works just fine. It was not carried around to gigs, so it was not moved much.. and does not have a case. I do not know who originally purchased it in the 80s. It does have a light odor of cigarettes, that continues to fade.

This has been tested by a friend of mine both before and after the tune up, and now it has no problems. I’ve tried to take pictures to show the condition and inputs. Let me know if there is something specific I’ve missed. If you have technical questions, I can probably get an answer for you.

If you buy one of these, you need to turn it on every couple weeks. They have a battery inside, like an old 90s computer, that holds the software that makes it operate. If the battery runs down, the software has to be reloaded by a specialist.” Click here to visit listing on eBay

“The unit for sale is in very good shape with only very little wear. This PPG 2.3 is the best we had seen so far it looks and plays like almost new.You probably won’t find a better one than this 2.3.This 2.3 is a rare late revision with much better keyboard, different blue finish and with original PPG power-supply switchable from 110V-220V (!)Due to the complexity of this instrument we have decided to get it serviced by the worldwide leading expert in PPG.Virtual Music ; Mr. Alexander Guelfenburg fully checked and serviced this PPG 2.3” Click here to visit listing on eBay