Minimal Wave Records

yeah there’s a tape input and output on the poly800 - you can save and load patch data from cassette (or just recording the audio on your computer…)
as far as prices: the polysix was like a 400-500 dollar synth not more than a couple years ago, so 850 does seem high…but that may well be the market price these days, particularly for one in great shape. i’ve seen a handful of polysixes as high as 800-850 on craigslist in recent months, but 600-700 seems to be closer to the going rate (i bought one for 600 last year, actually).
monopoly is a considerably more sophisticated synth than the polysix, so a higher price tag is likely warranted, but 1500 is very steep for one. although 1500 might be a reasonable price for an ms20 these days. oh, and don’t use any of those awakewalk prices as serious guidelines - those are boutique price tags. you should really only pay prices like that if you’re a serious collector, a lunatic, or trent reznor. haha, and don’t necessarily trust vintagesynth ratings, either!

yeah, you can never be to sure of feebay prices. i got my monopoly for $900 only a few months ago and haven’t see many go for too much over a grand.

I thought paying $1000 for a PolySix might be worth it knowing that I am buying an instrument of decent quality that has been “tested” and cleaned.

Do you think that’s hogwash when someone sells it for that much? Or a Mono/Poly for $1499?

I can sort of understand that there is a certain amount of work involved in replacing the battery inside the unit and cleaning contact points, buttons, etc. And replacing voice chips on a Juno 106…

bottom line: you should pay whatever you feel something is worth. it could well be worth a couple hundred extra dollars knowing that something is in good working shape and not needing to fret over possible damages during shipping. i’m perpetually broke, and get a mild kick out of bargain hunting, so i don’t mind taking some risks. however, i’ve ‘overpaid’ a bit for a few things, but that’s because i felt i NEEDED them quickly or was afraid the price was going to continue going up. i think 1000 is a lot for a simple one oscillator polysynth like the polysix. don’t get me wrong - it’s a great sounding synth, but it’s far from versatile, probably even less so than the juno 60. there’s really only a couple things it can do very well. of course, if a synth does ONE thing really well then it can be worth having, obviously. it just depends on how many synths you want or are able to have in your studio…and yeah, i do think the fact that a lot of people had to pay $$$ to fix their polysix batteries in the last few years has contributed considerably to their sudden price hike.
1500 is also very high for a monopoly, imo, particularly when you should be able to find an ms20 for about that much. 900-1000 seemed to be the going rate recently. but the prices on everything vintage continue to shoot up…
best of luck in your searches!

That’s great advice. Thank you.