Telepathic Instruments Orchid is Off to a Great Start

Still early, but solid interest for over $1,000

Telepathic Instruments Orchid Reseller Tame Impala
News

By RC Staff

Key Points

  • Kevin Parker’s latest business venture is the Orchid synth

  • 1,000 of these were sold for $549 this week

  • Resellers are flipping them for over $1,200

Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker has launched his own equipment company: Telepathic Instruments. Their first product is the Orchid, an eclectic synth/workstation/sequencer that they label as an “Ideas Machine”. After a few months of cryptic marketing, the first 1,000 Orchids dropped online this week. The drop was a massive success, with all of the synths selling out in under five minutes. A few were picked up by resellers, and we’re already seeing a market emerge for them in the $1,200 range. Let’s take a look.

Tame Impala Telepathic Instruments Orchid ORC-1000

You’re probably familiar with Tame Impala. Largely the work of multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker, the band’s last major release was 2020’s “The Slow Rush”, but they’ve produced several other collaborative works since.

In June, a new musical instrument company began posting on Instagram as Telepathic Instruments. It was quickly linked to Kevin Parker, and snippets of Parker playing an unidentified synth were posted on the account.

Finally, Telepathic Instruments revealed the Orchid. We’ll let their video explain:

So what is it? Telepathic Instruments bills the Orchid as an “Ideas Machine”, and that makes sense. It’s designed for musicians to quickly iterate on a base melody, building a song in seconds or just exploring a tune stuck in their heads.

The Orchid launched on December 18 exclusively through their website. The site was password-protected just ahead of the launch, with the password (F#MJ@zZ) posted to their Patreon at 5 P.M. PST.

Telepathic Instruments sold the Orchid for $549 + ~$40 for shipping. Additional merch was available at the same time, and orders of $600 or more qualified for free shipping. Buyers would also receive a free carry case for their Orchid.

Just 1,000 Orchid keyboards were sold during this initial drop, with shipping only available to US customers. Telepathic Instruments has confirmed a restock is set for “the first half of 2025“.

Telepathic Instruments Orchid Resells

From what we can tell, a lot of people were left disappointed by this drop. Even at a $549 price point, the drop sold out in under five minutes. Telepathic Instruments has made it clear this would be a limited edition “trial run” for the Orchid.

Future restocks will be on a larger scale, open to customers outside the US, and possibly cheaper. Still, a new product selling out this fast is a great sign for the manufacturer – and resellers.

Speaking of which, we can confirm that at least a few of these keyboards made their way into the hands of resellers. Following the sale, seven Telepathic Instruments Orchid Keyboards were listed on eBay for an average price of $1,500. At least one has sold for $1,299.

Telepathic Instruments Orchid Keyboard for Sale

That’s a very promising start. The Orchid is set to start shipping in February, so these are right out for a Christmas present. Even if a restock is on the way, we don’t know when or how many will be available. It makes sense that people who missed out are willing to pay a hefty markup to get one.

In any case, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the Orchid in the future. Kevin Parker and the team behind Telepathic Instruments have clearly built something special, and you better believe resellers will want to join in the fun.

Make sure you’re subscribed to our newsletter if you want to stay updated on this product and the many others that resell for a profit. We’re always covering the latest flips, but you won’t hear about any of them if you’re not subscribed.

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