I purchased this monster new in 1981 and I'm the only owner. I played it in a band for about 4 years and since then it's been in my studio and off the road.  8 voices 16 oscillators of the fattest analog sweetness you ever heard. I just had it gone over with a fine tooth comb by Wes Taggert of Analogics expert vintage synth repairs and restorations. It was cleaned, calibrated, battery replaced. He's known worldwide for his expertise on vintage analog synths and he's done many of these. Noteworthy to mention is this unit also has been retrofitted with the Encore Electronics Midi kit which adds another dimension of coolness to be able to sync arpeggiator and control via midi for sequencing, doubles the patch memory to 128  and much more. Also included in the sale is all manuals and documentation from Roland and Encore Electronics and a RokSak gig bag. Everything on it works as it should. Buyer is responsible to pay for shipping and insurance which will be determined by the destination.

The Jupiter-8 is an 8-voice polyphonic analog synthesizer. Each voice features two with cross-modulation and sync, , a non-resonant , a resonant with 2-pole (12 /) and 4-pole (24 /) settings, an with variable waveforms and routings, and two (one invertible).

Features include adjustable polyphonic and a Hold function for infinite sustain of notes and arpeggios. A versatile can be synchronized with external equipment by using the proprietary Roland DCB interface, clock input via CV jacks on the rear panel, or one of the aftermarket MIDI kits from Encore or Kenton. An assignable bender can be used to control pitch or filter frequency.

From the factory, the JP-8 could store 64 patches. Patches could be stored to, or loaded from, a standard analog tape/cassette. The Encore JP8MK MIDI kit doubles the patch memory to 128 and enables the JP-8 to store and recall patches over a MIDI connection, using a computer with utility software.

The Jupiter-8 includes balanced stereo XLR outputs as well as unbalanced 1/4" outputs. In addition to monophonic and polyphonic modes, the Jupiter-8 includes a unique, polyphonic unison mode, in which all 16 oscillators can be stacked onto one note, but would then be divided down should more than one key is pressed. This was an unusual feature as no other polyphonic synthesizer at the time did this.

The wide range of sounds that the Jupiter-8 can produce, the efficient front panel layout (each synthesizer sound parameter adjustment had its own dedicated controller), and its sturdy construction, make the Jupiter-8 a venerable and desirable instrument even 30 years after it was first produced. Units in good condition still fetch more at auction than most new synthesizers, suggesting that the Jupiter-8 will continue to be heard for years to come. While the characteristic sound of the Jupiter-8 can be heard on many songs from the early 1980s onward, it is still being recorded to this day. For example, Alicia Keys can be seen playing one in the video for the number one hit "No One."

The Jupiter-8 was Roland's first truly professional analog synthesizer. The Jupiter-8 features 16 rich analog oscillators at 2 per voice, eight voice polyphony and easy programming! At eight voices you can get some pretty thick analog sounds. Easy and intuitive programming via front panel sliders, knobs and buttons for all your tweaking needs. The legacy of the Jupiter synthesizers is due to their unique voice architecture and design, creating sounds that were so unreal and amazing that they have to be heard! No other synths in the world can create analog sounds as cool and authentic as these.        

The Jupiter-8 was the biggest and fattest of them all (Jupiters and Junos)! It was one of the first synths to allow its keyboard to be split and layered - it's eight voices of trance heaven! Cross-mod, oscillator sync, a great LFO and a classic arpeggiator are also on-board. There's also a killer resonant analog low pass filter, same as the / , with the added option of choosing 2-pole (12 dB/oct) or 4-pole (24 dB/oct) modes as well as a separate high-pass filter. Patch presets can store keyboard splits, arpeggiator settings, voice assign mode, hold, portamento and modulation settings.

The Jupiter-8 has been used by Tangerine Dream, Orbital, Future Sound of London, Moby, Duran Duran, Underworld, Vince Clarke, Überzone, Jean Michel Jarre, Roxy Music, OMD, A Flock Of Seagulls, Depeche Mode, Rush, Meat Beat Manifesto, Banco De Gaia, Josh Wink, Thomas Dolby, Howard Jones, The Cars, Prince, Gary Wright, Jan Hammer, BT, Adrian Lee, Heaven 17, Kitaro, Elvis Costello, Tears for Fears, Huey Lewis and the News, Journey, Moog Cookbook, Toto, Yes, Devo, Freddy Fresh, George Duke, Greg Phillanganes, Jonathan Cain of Journey, Greg Johnson & Kevin Kendrick of Cameo, Stevie Wonder and Simple Minds.