EMU Proteus 2000 with yellow / brown controls?

[Rod S]

Friend of mine just picked an Emu Proteus 2000.  I thought it was odd that the controls are an odd yellow/ light brown color, first I wondered if a previous owner had modded it somehow (I recall them being a light grey). 

 

Doing a search I found a few pictures that had this module with the controls in this color (but the majority being the light grey / offwhite I remember), but I couldn't find any specific information.  Is it a different version from the 'standard' proteus? Anyone recall?  

 

Thanks!

[CHarrell]

1 minute ago, Rod S said:

Friend of mine just picked an Emu Proteus 2000.  I thought it was odd that the controls are an odd yellow/ light brown color, first I wondered if a previous owner had modded it somehow (I recall them being a light grey). 

 

Doing a search I found a few pictures that had this module with the controls in this color, but I couldn't find any specific information.  Is it a different version from the 'standard' proteus? Anyone recall?  

 

Thanks!

 

Is there any name on the rack such as "Orbit"?

[Rod S]

Yes, Proteus 2000.  Not one of the other modules in the series. (orbit, xtreme, mophatt...)

 

 Or they are just fade to this color with time?  (long shot) 🤪

 

[CHarrell]

Could that just be aging at play? 😂 Reminds me of my old Super Nintendo:

 

 

Apparently it has something to do with the ingredients used in the plastic.

 

 

[Rod S]

Yep, that was my thought after my initial post.  I guess it's aging then (not a differerent series.. LOL... feel kind of stupid now).  The equipment looks in good shape, though.  Everything checks out.  

[Rodan88]

That's not an "original" Proteus 1, which came out in 1989.  I have a Proteus 1 XR, which had expanded memory for storing patches.  The body and buttons are gray, with a few black buttons as well.  There are tons of pictures and info online

about the Proteus family of instruments.

[David Emm]

The yellow knobs are either from age or E-mu just having a run of them at the time of manufacture. The 2000 line was a leap ahead in range & quality of the sound data, IMO. I had the original Proteus, but when they started releasing models with sockets for chips of their other soundsets, it really took off. The Virtuoso 2000 was "just" an orchestral tool box, but models like the XL-1 and Planet Earth (I still have this one) included a SuperBEATS mode that allowed you to latch/unlatch various patterns in real-time. That's a major feature when you're doing percussion loops or dance things to begin with.

 

Its hit-or-miss to find those add-on chips today, but they can be had if you dig long enough. E-mu builds were always top-notch, so your friend should consider nabbing a set or two. If his 2000 is going to be strictly a studio animal, its a good investment. Even the Proteus/1 ran with the big dogs once I matched it with a decent reverb. Make sure he checks it out effected. If he's having any doubts, that'll clear them up quickly.

 

https://www.vintagesynth.com/emu/proteus2k.php     

[CHarrell]

18 minutes ago, Rod S said:

Yep, that was my thought after my initial post.  I guess it's aging then (not a differerent series.. LOL... feel kind of stupid now).  The equipment looks in good shape, though.  Everything checks out.  

 

Yeah apparently this yellowizing was caused by a combination of flame retardant chemicals that just yellows over time. It's entirely possible, much like the Nintendo I posted above, that Emu switched production of this plastic at some point which led to some models naturally yellowing over time, and some not. Nothing wrong with the unit inherently...unless it's from a smoker's house.

Just now, CHarrell said:

 

Yeah apparently this yellowizing was caused by a combination of flame retardant chemicals that just yellows over time. It's entirely possible, much like the Nintendo I posted above, that Emu switched production of this plastic at some point which led to some models naturally yellowing over time, and some not. Nothing wrong with the unit inherently...unless the yellow is actually caused from a smoker's house.