Best place to pre-order ?

[symbiat]

Just thinking about how difficult and frustrating it’s been over the past year to order just about anything, I was wondering where would be the best place to order the OBX8 ? Maybe a primary distributor or dealer ?

[black_label]

Take this with a grain of salt - but I've learned over the years never to pre-order anything. Every time I have, I've been stuck with all my money sitting with some retailer who's filling however-many orders in front of mine (including walk-ins) and I've been left waiting for the second batch. I've had better luck just buying it from that same retailer as soon as the item starts appearing on peoples' instagram feeds.

[Sacred Synthesis]

I would second that warning, having had the same experience with pre-ordering.  It's a reckless use of your own money.

[shells]

I came close to a preorder with Music Matter (in the UK), who are offering a £959 pre-order option - https://www.musicmatter.co.uk/oberheim-ob-x8-deposit.

However, having had a long chat with Sales, it was hazy as to 1. When they would get them. 2. How many (if any) they would get. 3. Where I was on the list (for the units they may or may not get). 4. He was unable to rule out that I would be second batch, even at that very early stage - just post announcement. As I understood it, retailers make 'bids' for units but how they are divvied up post import was unclear - and he was being candid. Having said all that, depositing £959 for a few months in the hope you may get one is not the end of the world. Paying up the whole amount up front though, no.

I suspect Oberheim/Sequential have moved heaven and earth to get this shipped amidst the global shortages of this and that. I really want a desktop version, because if I buy this, where is the P10r4 going to live? Can't see a desktop OB-X8 inside of 2 years but I hope I'm wrong. So this brings you back around to locating and buying a keyboard version. Dave Smith was a big fan of the modules, but will Oberheim be?

The cost of owning the keyboard for a couple of years? Negligible I would say - but its the space. Nice problem to have.