Behringer ARP 2600 (BARP 2600) Console Stand

The ARP 2600 has fascinated me for decades. I heard it on numerous movie soundtracks (for both music and sound effects) as well as some of the most interesting recordings (Rainbow Dome Musick from Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy, Heavy Weather from Weather Report, etc.) and it seemed to be used in ways the ever-popular MiniMoog seemingly wasn’t ever applied. I read about them, learned their architecture, kept watching the marketplaces for a chance that one might become available for less than $10k, I looked at the kit-based clone (TTSH), and eventually decided that I’d settle for a software version from Arturia to satisfy that curiosity I’d had for so many years for this underrated workhorse instrument.

When I learned that Behringer was planning a very affordable hardware-based copy of the 2600, I suspected that if it ever came to fruition (of course, it did, hence this article) that I would grab one while they were still available since a niche monophonic hardware synth would likely not have a long production run.

I got mine and dove straight into creating some truly excellent sounds right out of the box. I spent a few hours with it and realized it needed two things to best serve me: 1) it needed to be upright for better viewing of the controls and 2) it needed to be in a place where it could always be available for experimentation and exploration.

I checked the markets for a desktop stand for it and found a few that were quite nice, but none of them exactly fit what I was looking for in my limited home studio space, so I decided to make my own, specific stand for the BARP 2600.

I’m a big proponent of CAD (Cardboard-Aided Design) and I did a couple of preliminary mock-ups with corrugated cardboard before going to the computer and using the newer form of CAD (Computer-Aided Drafting) to finalize the dimensions of the unit. I found a 20 degree angle (from vertical) for the face was ideal for my situation, so I started from there and came up with the derivative measurements for all three dimensions.

I then took my drawing, a square, pencil, tapes, and some more cardboard, and set to work making the template I’d use to cut the cheeks.

I used the square and dimensions on the drawing to plot the points on the cardboard, and then used a straight edge to connect the dots.

Time to mark the 3/4” (allegedly furniture-grade) plywood panel and cut it into pieces that will become the cheeks…

I traced the template onto one piece, marked and drilled the pilots for the dowel locations, lined-up the two panels I had just cut, and put deck screws in a few of the dowel locations (and one outside the piece’s outline) in order to keep them attached through the coming steps so that they had a chance at coming out close to identical.

I made a few adjustments to the overall height and the dimensions of the cut-out at the bottom after doing a final re-check of the fit against the actual 2600.

I committed to it and brought out the bandsaw…

Now cut-to-shape and edge-sanded from 100 to 220 to 320 grit, I removed the screws and got the cheeks ready for threaded inserts on the rack-mount face where the 2600 will live.

I used a self-centering doweling jig and 5/16” holes and dowels to make the job go quickly and with the best repeatability.

Depth stop on the drill first…

These threaded inserts have a hex for driving them into the holes. They’re standard rack-hardware 10-32 threaded internally.

The doweling jig just needs to line up with the scribe marks I placed to locate the where the rack-mount holes need to be. It’s easy to see by eye, but very difficult to photograph, so I have this pic of the line inside the hole next to the correct one which has the drill guide threaded in.

Once lined up, the guide makes it easy. You just need to feed your drill in until the stop collar hits the guide.

I verified the depth of the hole to make sure my drill stop collar was set correctly for these.

With all of the holes drilled and debris cleared out of them, it was time to install the threaded inserts. These are really snug in the recommended bore, and the flutes on the outside exert a lot of pressure outward as they displace wood to anchor the fastener. It’s best to clamp the sides of the hole to counter those forces and avoid blowing-out the edges of the wood. A simple step, but a necessary one, I’ve found.

With the sides secured I twisted the fasteners in…

I then used some corner clamps to line everything up and my previously-drilled pilot holes to glue and screw the cheeks to the back and side pieces. I’ll be taking the screws out once the glue is dried (24 hours) and then drill out those locations for wood dowels to make the holes practically disappear once the stain and finish are applied.

Now it’s starting to look like something…

The next day, after the glue had dried, I removed all of the screws, drilled out the holes for 5/16” dowel, and glued and hammered the dowel pegs into all of the holes.

Once the dowel glue dried, I used a Japanese razor saw to cut them all flush to the face of the wood. I followed up with a palm sander running 120, then 200, and then 400 grit over the whole piece, used a tack cloth to get it super-clean, and then sprayed it all down with a mist of water to raise the grain, sanded again at 600 grit, cleaned it up again, and finally applied Behr all-in-one water-based Polyurethane as a stain and finish.

I was skeptical of the all-in-one product, and it was a real hassle to apply and get a decent finish, but I did manage to pull it off. Part of the technique that worked for me with that product was that I diluted it with about 1/20 part water and I used one of those painter’s edging pads instead of a brush. I first tried a foam brush (which I think it instructions on the can recommended) but it was awful. Some quick thinking (thin the stuff, use something that doesn’t rely on pressure to spread it) managed to get me to the point where I got an even, natural looking finish.

I came back the next day and sanded with 800 grit all over the piece to knock down the slight amount of additional grain raised by the water-based poly and cleaned it up with a tack cloth. I carefully spread the final layer of stain/finish and got a pretty good result. Better than most of the furniture I ever saw in Pier One or places like that, but that bar is admittedly kinda low.

It’s a studio cabinet, not a dining table, so I think it’ll look exactly as good as it needs to.

I then focused on the internal features which will sit inside, behind the 2600. I used a barrier strip to distribute the 110 VAC from the switch on the rear to the various loads inside.

Some cable-tie mounting squares helped to secure all of the accessories connected to the barrier strip and keep them up behind the 2600, out of sight…

Some 10-32 rack screws and all of the hard work to install those bushings (as opposed to just some wood screws) is starting to really pay off…

All of the power and peripheral connections can stay connected permanently. One switch will turn the whole cabinet on/off.

Even the LED music lamp is run from the USB power cube I wired in earlier…
Also, if you were wondering why I put all of that extra space in the base of it, I had two main reasons: 1) a keyboard controller is usually 2-3” tall, and 2) I needed a place to park the Boss GM-800 guitar synthesizer as well as other peripheral equipment.

What about that square notch a few inches above the base?
That was so I could continue to use my DigitalDeckCovers custom dust cover.

I am endorsing DigitalDeckCovers without their knowledge, consent, or any kind of compensation. They make great stuff. Check them out if you’re serious about protecting your hardware investments. They have a wide selection of pre-defined covers you can choose from (such as the one here specific to the BARP 2600) and they will also make to spec as well. Made in USA. Very reasonable prices for quality stuff.

That’s it for the BARP 2600 cabinet. I came out pretty good and serves well the exact purpose I made it for.

While building this, I was also building an 18U 104HP “Eurorack” cabinet that will be its neighbor. I’ll share the details of that rack and the process of building it in a later post.

As a reminder— I am not a woodworker, carpenter, cabinet maker, furniture finisher, or anything of the sort. I am, in fact, pretty bad at all of those things, yet I still managed to make this.

I have only a vision and determination. And that’s all I needed to make this exist and serve its purpose. If this is the best I can do, surely anyone can do better. This means you.

Make your ideas into reality.