The MPC 60 is one of the most classic sampling drum machines ever made. Aside from that fact, the MPC 60 is a product of one of the most revered collaborations in the history of beatmaking, Akai & Roger Linn. Not to mention, the MPC 60 is one of the few models of MPC to bear Roger Linn’s signature. Nothing is more classic than that. Save of course for the fact that the sound of the MPC 60 conjures up the 12 bit punch reminiscent of the Golden Era of Hip-Hop.

So, on my quest to collect a few particular classic sampling drum machines, I usually keep an eye out for the ones on my list. The MPC 60 II is one such machine. I recently came across a particular MPC 60 II on Craigslist.  Actually there were several of them. But one in particular seemed more prime than the others. The key to aftermarket classic  gear is knowing what you’re looking for and knowing when you find it.  In my case, I found exactly what I was looking for and the price was perfect. The seller was a cool cat too.

Long story short, I took a long drive and a short while later I was the proud owner of a classic Akai / Roger Linn MPC 60 II. The machine was in really good shape. But there were a couple of stickers on the top of the case near the screen. One of the stickers was a Behringer sticker  and the other was for a tube manufacturer that nearly covered Roger Linn’s  signature.  Well, we certainly can’t have that. So I removed both right away.

As for functionality, the MPC was in  perfect working order except for the fact that the screen’s back light was dead.  Even with a working contrast knob,  it was pretty tough to see the screen’s type. Otherwise,the MPC 60 II was good to go. Even the old floppy disk drive worked perfectly. Still, there were a few things that needed to take care of to bring this baby back to life.

The operational tests proved fruitful as the machine worked like a gem. It had been kept in pretty good order. So the 1st order of operation was to  clean it up a bit. This means inside and out. I’ve been given some advice on the forums own steps to take to properly clean the inside of the MPC 60 II. As for the outside of  machine,  there was a bit of grime that I needed to work through which included removing those pesky stickers. So I proceeded to pull out the cleaning products which included Lysol wipes, mineral spirits, a rag, a flat head screw driver for hard to reach crevasses.  at that point I went to work on cleaning the outside of the MPC 60 II. As for the inside, a can of air would do the trick  for now.

Plans going forward  include, installation of a new back light for the screen,  a new USB floppy disk drive emulator to replace the old floppy disk drive, a nice new set of thick pads and finally the latest operating system ROM update version 3.10 sold exclusively by Roger Linn himself.  Until then, the current 2.12 operating system and the old floppy disk drive will do just fine. However, that dark screen must go immediately. So with no time to spare, I ordered a solder-less backlight.

When the back light, thick pads and USB floppy disk drive emulator arrive I’ll get started on the operational overall. I only want to open this boy up once more.

Stay tuned.

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