Tycho is selling 100 pieces of gear on Reverb, including the Eventide H3000 that he purchased after he learned that Eddie Van Halen used one, and an Oberheim FVS-1 synth that he says “has a mind of its own”

Tycho (AKA Scott Hansen) has become the latest artist to rig up a digital trestle table and sell a bunch of gear on Reverb. More than 100 pieces are going up for sale from 20 September, but fans can start browsing the collection from today.

One of the highlights is an Oberheim FVS-1, also known as the Four Voice, a synth that, for Tycho, proved to be inspirational.

“I first got it out, and it was like a magic synth,” he says. “It’s just so unpredictable that it has a mind of its own. It’ll lead you down these paths you never knew you wanted to go down. I’ve never heard anything like it. I used it a lot on [2011 album] Dive for pads and big atmospheres and for basses and leads on [2014 album] Awake. Then I went back to pad mode on [2016 album] Epoch. Everytime you sit down at it, it makes a sound that you’ve never heard.”

A Korg Trident - an instrument that Hansen was drawn to because he’d heard that Boards of Canada used it - is also up for grabs, alongside a Neve 54 Series mixer.

“It’s a broadcast console that I believe was mainly for South African radio,” explains Tycho. “I always had my eye on them because they had one at The Hangar in Sacramento and later at Panoramic Studios, and honestly, I just loved the way it looked. Right before [I started recording] Epoch, I got it. Most of that album ran through this mixer.”

Hansen is also preparing to say goodbye to his Eventide H3000, a legendary effects box that he purchased after he learnt that it was used by a very famous guitarist.

”I saw a picture of Eddie Van Halen next to one, and I loved [him] as a producer,” he confirms. “His process has always been fascinating to me. I always saw the Eventide in his studio, and I’d think,’I got to get that thing.’ It’s got a cool crystallizer effect and the classic Eventide algorithms that define that era of music.”

Why the big clearout, though? Fans can rest assured that Tycho isn’t retiring - he simply feels that it’s time for a change.

“I’ve been collecting synthesizers and gear for about 25 years now,” he explains. “And I’ve found that throughout my career, I get inspired by new machines and new ways of working with machines, so I always try to keep things cycling in and out. And I think, at this point, it’s time to refresh.”

You can preview the Tycho shop on the Reverb website.