Having already told us about 2020’s best-selling guitar pedals and microphones, Reverb has now revealed which synths and drum machines have been flying off its shelves in 2020.
The big news is that, just like in 2019, Reverb’s biggest selling synth of the year - taking into account both new and used sales - is Teenage Engineering’s OP-1, which can now be considered a modern classic. It’s also worth noting that the average used price for the OP-1 is over $1,000, a testament to its enduring popularity and mystique.
Elektron’s Digitone came in in second place - the Swedes know a thing or two about making synths, clearly - followed by a run of Korg favourites (Minilogue, Volca FM, MicroKorg and Monologue) and Moog’s Mother-32.
Over on planet drum machine, Korg’s Volca Beats - another ageing product, it should be said - took the crown, with Elektron taking another second place with the Digitakt. Then it was Korg again with the Volca Sample, followed by - you guessed it - Elektron again with the Model:Samples.
Reverb has also revealed its best-selling Eurorack modules, with Make Noise’s Maths taking the top spot, and confirmed its top-selling vintage synths and drum machines. Here it’s Roland’s classic Juno-106 that came out on top, with units changing hands for an average of $1,677 (which makes us wish we’d bought one cheaply years ago when we had the chance).
Predictably, Yamaha’s DX7 is also much in demand on the second-hand market (average price $587) while Casio’s SK-1 remains popular, too (a snip at an average of $156).
In terms of overall trends, Reverb says that the top synth brands on the second-hand market are Korg, Roland and Yamaha (the traditional big three), while for new synths, it’s Korg, Behringer - a company that has undoubtedly had a massive impact over the past few years - and Moog.
You can check out all of the results on the Reverb website.
