Vintage Junghans Timer Clock - $450

A vintage metal Junghans timer clock, made in Germany, from the personal collection of Kraftwerk founding member, Florian Schneider.

Source and more: https://www.juliensauctions.com/en/items/2078276/florian-schneider-vintage-junghans-timer-clock

 

Last edited: Oct 25, 2025 at 9:54 AM

Florian Schneider - Two Hand-Built MIDI Devices with Matrix Switches & Phoneme Keyboard with Stand - $1,500

A pair of hand built MIDI-based devices in metal enclosures from the collection and personal studio of Florian Schneider, co-founder of the legendary electronic band Kraftwerk (see image). These two devices were built by Schneider himself. According to the Estate of Florian Schneider these devices were in-use at Kraftwerk's Kling Klang studio in conjunction with the Robovox and Votrax Silver Rack Case in the previous lot.

The first has a phoneme keyboard with 40 keys hardwired to a pair of Doepfer MIDI boards, one being a CTM64 dated 2007. On the top panel, bank of four potentiometers with unspecified functions, an on/off switch with indicator lamp, a VU meter, and a two way toggle switch and momentary push button on the left hand side. On the back panel a single MIDI jack, an IEC power cable receptracle, and fuse holder. On the bottom of the unit is a Votrax/Federal Screw Works plaque indicating model 6-931 (the company’s phoneme keyboard, likely the donor for this unit) and the serial #9786 8M28. It wears a high voltage warning sticker on the front side.

The second unit contains a pair of Doepfer CTM64 MIDI boards hand wired to matrix switches on the top panel, which has two banks of potentiometers on either side with various hand labeled functions. There are also a pair of two way toggle switches and yellow momentary buttons, an on/off switch, and an indicator lamp.

Source: www.juliensauctions.com/en/items/2078341/florian-schneider-two-hand-built-midi-devices-with-matrix-switches-phoneme-keyboard-with-stand

 

It's kind of sad that like it or not, these are collectors' museum pieces. It would be awesome to get this kit in the hands of someone willing to use and abuse it, to create something new continuing Florian's legacy. But let's face it, it's just too expensive for that, and people who could afford it would never put it to good use.

Kind of like someone buying Hendrix's Strat would never smash one up on stage, as awesome of performance art that would be.

 

If I'm reading this correctly the auction was put in place by Florian Schneider Estate, so I'm guessing it goes to his family. Fair enough I guess... part of me wishes the money would go to set up a permanent exhibit of electronic music, and perhaps sponsor a school for music.

 

Ralf, although seemingly in good form, is turning 80 in August. The museum would take some years to complete by which time we'd be soon enough drooling over a second auction to help his estate pay off the debt upon his exit due to the need of outbidding everyone else to scoop up the gear, clothing and furniture.

To me it's more about the spirit of the music, less so the effigy worship of hardware that helped create it.

 

Last edited: Oct 25, 2025 at 1:45 PM

I was outbid!

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As everyone knows, it's very difficult to earn enough money with music to support yourself. Poor musicians at the auction? Not them, they don't have the money. It's an investment for the rich, or just a fun activity.

Today's modern musicians use plugins and virtual synthesizers, which saves on expensive acquisition costs, repairs, and electricity bills. The analogue is and will become digital... even Kraftwerk is going completely digital.

 

Actually it's several years (10+) they used mostly PCs - for sure in concerts they used Sony VAIO.

Back to topic...
I see two Sennheiser vocoders (the silver is the prototype, right?), but I read somewhere they had a custom Doepfer and maybe an EMS 5000 vocoders too.
Florian himself compared the original EMS 5000 with the Xils 5000 version.

 

Kraftwerk has utilized the Roland VP-330 Vocoder Plus
https://equipboard.com/items/roland-vp-330-vocoder-plus

Kraftwerk has used the Roland SVC-350 Vocoder in their music production
https://equipboard.com/items/roland-svc-350

Kraftwerk - Equipbord --> https://equipboard.com/pros/kraftwerk & http://kraftwerkfaq.hu/equipment.html

 

Kraftwerk started transitioning Kling Klang to mostly digital post Computerworld/Computerwelt, which makes sense, weren't they at the bleeding edge of tech at all times?

In the end it's all sound and what you make out of it... Tour de France Soundtracks is digital (at least most of it) and it's a killer album because the tunecraft of KW is still in full evidence here. Funnily enough it's one of the few electronic albums my brother loves even though he's a rock kind of dude (owns more guitars than I do, the bastard), because he can stick it on when going out cycling. That's how I sold the record to him... you love TdF and cycling, here's a bunch of cycling fanatics making a record out of it.

 

Thanks @Will Kweks for your comment!

In theory, it's about making music that people want to hear and that helps them progress. If a band does that, they get paid. With the money from the buyers, they buy new musical instruments, or, like Kraftwerk, they solder together what they need themselves. Kraftwerk, like Einstürzende Neubauten, was a model of success abroad. Is Kraftwerk important for electronic culture? I think so, they were partly an inspiration for later electronic and techno music.

For German listeners, they were extremely important. Along with Pink Floyd, they were the ones who wrote lyrics about radioactivity and robots and successfully brought their finished pieces of music to the masses. Kraftwerk brought people a well-thought-out, intelligent, and stylish culture in sight and sound.

 

Kraftwerk is important. Full stop. To all music.

As for how it is especially important to German folks I couldn't imagine. I guess my point of view comes from Krautrock, and especially the BBC documentary "Krautrock - Rebirth of Germany", because you'd still be German going forward postwar, and you'd rather look towards the future instead of dwelling in the past. Kraftwerk were huge part of that. I can't imagine German techno labels like Kanzleramt or Kompakt existing without them. Or a lot of electro music for that matter.

As for Einstürdenze Neubauten, they were hugely influential but in a very smaller, underground way. Sound of modern urban noise, the sound of collapsing buildings? That's them. They did show a lot of people to just go forward, fuck everybody else. But hardly pop music is it now?

...the documentary referred, worth a watch:

Spoiler

 

One of the first Kraftwerk's performances, just Schneider on synths and the flute, with Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger (later Neu!) on guitar and drums. Still, interesting how a lot of Kraftwerk's ideas came from a classically trained wind player.

In all fairness, it's more of formation of Neu! (you hear bits of "Für Immer" and "Neuschnee" and I think "Weissensee") than KW, but it's still ridiculously good.

 

BBC Documentary: "Kraftwerk Are More Important Than the Beatles"

The film, made in 2013 during the band's guest appearance at the Tate Modern, features previously unreleased concert footage – and makes a bold claim. by Rolling Stone, May 6, 2020

With their concert series "The Catalog 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8," the Düsseldorf-based electronic music band Kraftwerk has performed in museums around the world – including the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, where they performed almost all of their studio albums over eight sold-out evenings.
When they performed at the Tate Modern in London in 2013, the British broadcaster BBC filmed an in-depth documentary about the band, which is now available online.

Not only can you see exclusive live footage from 1981 and Ralf Hütter's last on-camera interview to date, but many music critics also have their say, discussing Kraftwerk's music in detail. The statement by British music journalist Paul Morley, who rates the group's pop cultural influence higher than that of the Beatles, is particularly noteworthy. You can watch the full documentary here:

Kraftwerk - Pop Art

Kraftwerk & The Electronic Revolution (documentary) von Electro Empire
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF71EA83F9E42D365

 

I had pretty much the same reaction as Hainbach when first going over the collection. So much of this stuff is just incredible. Most of it is priced so wrong too, it will end up selling for much, much higher. Im placing a couple bids, but i don't have a ton of cash to play with. If crypto takes a massive leap up in the next couple weeks i'll have more to throw at the auctions. Just incredible. I mean, not only are these some incredible pieces, with excellent sonics and rich history, but they are Florians!!! There are a couple of cheaper pieces that i don't even need, that im planning to bid just to repurpose as an enclosure for a diy / circuit bent instrument. Idk if thats sacrilegious or is continuing the legacy, but im choosing to view it as continuing the legacy.

 

Without proper documentation and someone understanding and being able to service everything, most of the old custom built devices will end up as useless electronic waste in a show room or museum, totally over hyped and too expensive, but nice for some fans photos.

 

I want that VW Bully with the 2-parted front window. A (felt) thousand years ago I have stood beside that vehicle and talked with Ralf Hütter before a gig, at times when nearly nobody knew who or what Kraftwerk was, shortly after the release of their first album. (With RuckZuck on it.)

Regarding the VW: if someone can get that car to work the new owner can get a so called oldtimer license in Germany, what means that the car is tax free or tax reduced.

The new KlingKlang studios (and the storage of all other Kraftwerk hardware collected over the years) is now nearby in Meerbusch-Osterath. (Google knows.) Hütter had put a rumor out, that they would install there an ice-cream parlor. 2 years later: no ice-cream parlor. Maybe after all the Schneider things are gone they will remember and consider that again.)

So all in all I am absolutely not interested in the instruments. The VW it is.

 

SMEM (Swiss Museum and Center for Electronic Music Instruments) in Fribourg, Schweiz

A living archive with one of the world's most comprehensive collections of synthesizers, drum machines, effects units, and studio equipment. Founded in 2016, it serves as a platform for researching the history of electronic music.
- Collection size: Approx. 5,000 devices
- Special features: Guided tours on Saturdays at 3 p.m.; interactive workshops; instruments from 1938 to the present day (e.g., Novachord, Moog synthesizer).

smem,Passage du Cardinal 1, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland, CHE-329.972.598 --> www.smemmusic.ch

I visited the biggest synth museum in the world! (It's in Switzerland.)

 

These pieces represent a hell of a lot more than just their functions.