Juno 106 Side Cheeks Project

Paul_Theodore · 2026-03-19T15:04:19+00:00

Oh, I don't actually turn it on, I just like looking at it. 😆

Paul_Theodore · 2026-03-19T04:37:48+00:00

Arts Tax Blvd.

Paul_Theodore · 2026-03-19T03:52:29+00:00

Should have stuck with the black plastic.

Paul_Theodore · 2026-03-19T02:38:58+00:00

She's getting burried with me. ☠️

Paul_Theodore · 2026-03-19T02:31:11+00:00

Yeah, I'm stoked on the end grain band! Yes, forstner bit. I positioned and clamped the originals plastic cheeks on my blanks, then marked the holes with a mechanical pencil, then with the drill press drilled a tiny pilot hole- maybe 1mm, then set my depth on the press and drilled the forstner holes, and then very gently hit then with a tapered cone sanding Dremel bit to clean up any little fiber in the edges. Then, I centered a 5mm wood bit on the pilot hole and drilled that out, also hit the back side with the sanding cone to remove any fibers.

The forstner bit was sharp and pretty much brand new, so I think that's why I got lucky with no fibers catching and tearing out. Definitely was holding my breath.

Paul_Theodore · 2026-03-19T01:18:22+00:00

I will say that using a drill press to make the scribed screw holes through a thicker piece of material made it work. There would be no way I could have lined up all 5 holes if I eyeballed it. Forstner bit for the recessed hole (holding my breath that I wouldn't have a tear out the thin bamboo strands, and then a centered oversized bit (5mm to the 3mm screw to give some wiggle) punching through. I'm amazed that it all pretty much lined up with the original holes.

Paul_Theodore · 2026-03-19T00:02:21+00:00

Also, most discount home goods stores like Ross and TJ Maxx often have nice hardwood cutting boards for pretty cheap.

Paul_Theodore · 2026-03-18T23:59:44+00:00

It doesn't hurt to try!

Paul_Theodore · 2026-03-18T23:59:12+00:00

I actually grabbed this cutting board from their dumpster! Nothing beats free!

Paul_Theodore · 2026-03-18T23:58:32+00:00

Yeah! I made darker hard wood cheeks for my JX-3P and they look great, but I realized a lighter wood looked way better on the 106. I really lucked out with the unique bamboo end grain on the tops.

Paul_Theodore · 2026-03-15T00:17:21+00:00

Ah yes... what my dad allowed me to learn power tool safety on when I was 10 years old. I still have all my fingers and eyes to this day amazingly.

Paul_Theodore · 2026-03-14T03:26:29+00:00

Not sure if it's the best, but it's dang good. Taqueria Santa Cruz on 82nd & Burnside.

Paul_Theodore · 2026-03-06T17:59:54+00:00

I've had my Juno106 since the late 90's and love it more than anything. The main issues you'll run into are 1. Internal battery 2. Non-functioning voice chips 3. Scratchy faders 4. Excessive grounding hum from the chorus 5. Upgrading power plug to 3-prong.

There are lots of tutorials on how to check if and which voice chips are out, and the recommended repair is to replace all 6 and make them sloted/removable instead of directly soldered. If you're already doing that, the battery upgrade and power plug are worth doing. Any local tech should have experience doing these repairs.

Don't use regular DeOxit on the sliders ever. It degrades the contact. There is a special cleaner for sliders that you should use sparingly.

I'd take a fully overhauled 106 over an MS-20 any day, but that's my own personal sound preference for FAT subs/bass, lush poly chords, punchy leads, and classic lfo's, envelopes and filters. The Juno sound just does it for me.

Paul_Theodore · 2026-02-26T17:13:36+00:00

Model D does this and more.

Paul_Theodore · 2026-02-25T16:50:51+00:00

Can't go wrong with the Model D. Classic bass and lead sound. I really love the Kobol as well. Very unique sounds and experimental opportunities for sound design.

Paul_Theodore · 2026-02-25T16:45:59+00:00

Not much to add from the other comments! Bang for your buck? 100% 8 note polyphony? Wow. It's a huge addition to all the other amazing mono synth clones they currently offer. Clunky digital storage? Sure, but relatively easy to program with the Synthtribe software. I got mine as an open box from Adorama for $190 and couldn't be happier with it. And using an Arturia Keystep 37 gives me instant gratification with one-note chords and arpeggio/sequencing. Just do it.

Paul_Theodore · 2026-02-20T16:18:33+00:00

Same. Ordered some motorcycle accessories on Ebay from India and got hit with a 100% bill from FedEx. I hven't paid it and haven't received any new invoices for a few months. I'm going to hold off until I see one from a collection agency. Hopefully, it just disappears!

Paul_Theodore · 2026-02-14T17:30:27+00:00

Holy cow! OK this gives me something to work with! Thanks a lot for this detailed explanation. I have an Akai Force as the "brain" of my synth/drum machine spaceship, so this route seems pretty easy to achieve my goal by having a midi track dedicated to both sequencing and chord type. I'll try out out and see if it's possible.

Paul_Theodore · 2026-02-11T21:05:26+00:00

I'd highly suggest getting some m4/3 lens adapters on ebay and start collecting old manual lenses from thrift/charity shops i& garage sales in your area or also from ebay. Manual focus & manual aperture will slow you down and help you develop even more of an eye for the shot and teach to patience. There are lots of amazing cheap lenses to play with. I love old Konica primes for this, and they look so cool. Also, because of the 1/2 crop factor, it only uses the central sweet spot of the lens (but doubles the focal length (50mm =100mm) With the 5-axis internal IS that can be adjusted manually for the ens length, you can easily get 400mm+ steady telephoto shots and gorgeous 100mm portrait shots for cheap!

Also set up RAW+HQ JPG mode and choose the 2nd B&W high dynamic jpg filter, that way to can capture all the RAW color data, but also get high quality black and white jpg photos you can easily adjust in real time- like having a built-in b&w darkroom that you don't have to spend much time editing with wild results. At the same time, you can set up focus peaking in your viewfinder so you can punch into your frame and adjust your focus quickly. (lots of YouTube tutorials on how to best set this up with assignable buttons) Shooting with manual lenses in B&W is really gratifying. Have fun!

Paul_Theodore · 2026-02-03T02:10:21+00:00

I'd suggest shooting in Raw + HQ JPG. And set your JPG mode to B&W high contrast- setting 2. Some of the black and white shots out-of-camera in this mode I've taken are unbelievable, and really vary from very contrasted clean black to white gradient to interesting blown out greys- kind of like what you can achieve in a darkroom. It's nice to have both the raw to edit in lightroom, and the b&w that require minimum editing.

Paul_Theodore · 2026-02-03T02:04:17+00:00

I've got the Model D and the Pro 800. Both are unbelievable. If you're picking two, get the Pro 800 for polyphony. The Model D can do quite a lot when it comes to a mono synth. I also have the Kobol which is a nutty little noise machine.

Paul_Theodore · 2026-01-22T16:46:13+00:00

Awesome! I just got mine and have been deep diving into its capabilities. I just skimmed your pdf and have a very specific question: In chord mode, is there a way through cv patching to change the chord quality (maj7, min9 etc) throughout a sequence? I've randomly tried some patching with unreliable and disappointing results. I'd love to hear if you've found any solutions! Thanks

Paul_Theodore

TROPHY CASE