guitarboy2828
So, I get the Turnkey second and thirds list and they often have a bunch of old processors on there for pretty cheap, some of the titles are:
DIGITECH TSR-24
DIGITECH TSR-12
LEXICON LXP-1
Digitech DSP-128
How bad/good are these older devices? Watching youtube videos shows that they have a few effects in them. Are they worth anything or not really? I'm just looking for something I can hook my voice and guitar up to to run through my loop station to mess around with, definitely not looking for gig worthy sounds.
AlanRatcliffe
There are two sides to the coin...
On one side you can get some pretty good/powerful processing on the cheap. Names like Lexicon and TC Electronic have always made good gear - the fact that units like the Lexi PCM series are only now showing up second hand (and still at stiff prices for your average user) are testament to how good these units are. In some cases, there is a particular sound to be had from specific units that is not the same in newer units.
On the other hand, when something goes wrong it can be difficult if not impossible to get them repaired. Component values drift over time and older units tend to be noisier and more prone to faults. Technology has improved and become much cheaper, meaning that a modern, inexpensive unit will likely be more powerful and better sounding (and come with a warrantee). Also, even the greats have made oddities and lemons, scaled-down units and ones that need remote units to program.
In short, the seconds list can be a great source of cheap gear if you just need something/anything and are on a tight budget. Can also be great if you're looking for studio furniture or accessories like patchbays, cables snakes, etc.. But otherwise you need to do your research into each unit individually as it pops up and get to know the market. Also you need to come to terms with the fact that while you save some major money, you have no idea if it's going to blow up six months from now or be a reliable workhorse for the next couple of decades. You pays yer money and you takes yer chances.
