Aphex Twin's Yamaha GX-1 Synth Is On Sale for Over $125,000

Wednesday, 9 April 2025 00:23

The hyper-modified synthesizer is up for grabs, marking a rare opportunity to own a piece of Aphex Twin's production arsenal.

It looks like a spacecraft, sounds like the future and once belonged to electronic music's most elusive architect—Aphex Twin’s personal Yamaha GX-1 synthesizer has landed on the auction block.

An ultra-rare Yamaha GX-1, painstakingly restored and MIDI-enhanced for Aphex Twin himself, is now available for purchase through a VEMIA auction. With a starting price of £99,950 ($127,784 USD) and a provenance as rare as the synth itself, the listing marks a moment in the ongoing mythology surrounding one of electronic music's most prolific talents.

Introduced in 1973, the Yamaha GX-1 was towering with three manuals: a foot pedalboard, dual tone programmers and a pair of colossal speakers. Fewer than 100 units are believed to have been produced and even fewer remain intact, let alone in playable condition.

Aphex Twin's Yamaha GX-1 is on auction and comes complete with the main console, bench, pedals, two massive speakers, two programmers and all cabling.
VEMIA

Aphex Twin's ear and technical curiosity made him one of the few capable of wrangling the product's immense potential. The artist acquired the synth in the late '90s after it passed through the hands of British pop producer Mickie Most, and under his ownership, the GX-1 underwent a transformative restoration.

The result not only returned the instrument to its original glory but outfitted it with MIDI capabilities across all three manuals, opening a portal to the creative controls of the 21st century. The synth featured prominently in Aphex Twin's side project The Tuss, particularly in the track "GX1 Solo."

The unit's auction is scheduled to close on April 12th, and given the instrument's scarcity, condition and celebrity ownership, it’s unlikely to go quietly.