New Keyboard for the Oberheim OB-8

The original keyboard in my Oberheim OB-8 was kind of flimsy. It felt soft and was kind of clacky and several notes would just stop working if I left it for a few days or longer and I would have to whack them many times to get them working again. I found out that I could get a new keyboard for it so I finally decided it was time!

New OB-8 Keyboard
New OB-8 Keyboard

I ordered it from Techsmechs Vintage Synth and it arrived via UPS about a week later.

Installation was pretty simple. First I removed the old keyboard and cleaned out a fair bit of dust.

OB-8 Keyboard
Remove Old Keyboard

Next you screw it onto the included back plate. The plate is a clever way to use the existing screw holes that don’t line up with the struts on the new keyboard. Oddly, they said there were 8 screws to install but I could only find holes for 7. Did I make a mistake? Maybe, but I think 7 is enough anyway.

OB-8 Keyboard
Attach Back Plate

Then you put the keyboard in place and put a couple of screws for now. Not you can plug it into the Processor board. Use any handy sequencer to hold the cover open.

OB-8 Keyboard
Sequence the lid open
OB-8 Keyboard
Plug it in

After that you just put in the rest of the screws (I think it’s 5 in total) and close it up. And it works! And wow does it feel great!! It’s basically the same keyboard that’s in the Prophet 10 so I was expecting it to feel the same but it actually feels better. Maybe the P10 keyboard has been worn in a bit after a year and a half of use.

So definitely a fantastic improvement to the OB-8. It feels like a brand new, up to date synth now! I highly recommend doing this if you have an OB-8 or Xa.

OB-8 Keyboard
Try it out – Amazing!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.