“I don’t think people can tell” the difference between original and re-issued Prophet-10, says Jungle’s J Lloyd
The vintage Sequential synth was released in 1977, while a re-issued version was launched in 2020
Left: Image by Fiona Garden
J Lloyd, one half of UK band Jungle, says that “I don’t think people can really tell” the difference between the re-issued version of the Sequential Prophet-10 synthesizer and the original.
The highly-regarded and sought-after Prophet-10 – the first-ever polyphonic synth – was released in 1977 by Dave Smith’s Sequential brand. Since then, the company rehashed the legendary synth, with a re-issued, cheaper version being launched in 2020.
While a vintage Prophet-10 will set you back about $10k today, and a re-issued Prophet-10 Rev. 4 costs just under $5,000 on Thomann, J Lloyd believes there to be no significant difference in sound between the two.
“I don’t think people can really tell, to be honest with you,” Lloyd says on the latest episode of the My Forever Studio podcast. “I could play a Prophet-10 – the new one – and I don’t think you’d be able to go ‘cool, that’s the old one, that’s the new one’. Do you know, I mean?”
“Okay, if you’re a gear guy, cool, I’ll get an old one but they’re always just a little bit fucked,” he says, referring to the wear and tear state of vintage synths.
J Lloyd isn’t the first artist to publicly praise Sequential’s impressive synth catalogue. Tame Impala recently described the sound of the Sequential Pro One as “crying in outer space”.
“I just thought it sounded incredible, you know?” He said. “The Pro One to this day is still one of my favourite synths. I guess just because of that reason, because of that time. It had this sound that I just fell in love with.”
In 2021, MusicTech reviewed the 2020 Sequential Prophet-10 Rev.4, describing its sound as “fat, lush” and “fantastic”.
We said: “Think about so many of the tricks synths rely on to capture your interest, whether it’s a slew of onboard effects or multiple synthesis personality types. The Rev4 Prophet is the opposite; it’s like climbing into a classic car which has made a couple of small concessions to the modern nature of driving.”
Listen to My Forever Studio via our Podcasts page.
