ICONS

Some are happy accidents and others intuitive modifications to common practices.

Prized for its rich sound quality and technological innovations, the Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 was used by such musical titans as Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, and Talking Heads—as well as on the soundtrack for the 80s dystopian flick, Blade Runner.  Learn More Here

Developed by Thomas Garnet “Gar” Gillies—founder of the Garnet Amplifier Company—the Garnet Herzog was built in collaboration with The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive guitarist, Randy Bachman.  Learn More Here

The creamy overdrive and sustained guitar tone produced by the Garnet Herzog went on to become the signature “Winnipeg sound” heard on tracks such as “American Woman” and “No Time.”  Learn More Here

The Hohner Clavinet is among the most widely used electronic instruments in popular music, featuring what is perhaps one of the most recognizable and distinctive sounds among electric pianos.  Learn More Here

Famously heard on “Because”—the trippy, mournful second cut on side two of The Beatles’ album Abbey Road—the  Baldwin Electric Harpsichord was used extensively throughout the psychedelic 60s.  Learn More Here

Essentially consisting of an acoustic harpsichord turbocharged by an electric guitar’s pick-up system, the electric harpsichord is now a highly prized collector’s item.  Learn More Here

The original Vox Continental combo organ was an iconic instrument in the mid- to late-60s, beloved by bands like the Animals, The Velvet Underground and The Doors. The more sophisticated Vox Continental Baroque was introduced to the market in 1968.  Learn More Here  

After the piano, no other keyboard instrument has been used in more musical recordings than the Hammond B-3 organ. Designed in 1954 as a low-cost alternative to the acoustic church organ, the instrument enjoyed immense popularity in almost every genre of music, from jazz to funk to prog rock. Learn More Here

One of the most widely used keyboard instruments of the 60s and 70s, the Wurlitzer 200 is featured on such classic cuts as Supertramp’s “Dreamer,” The Guess Who’s “These Eyes” and Pink Floyd’s “Money,” as well as on Beck’s 1996 album, Odelay.  Learn More Here

The Oberheim Four Voice combined four synthesizers with a four-octave keyboard to produce four voices or notes simultaneously, and some very diverse and complex sounds. It was used through the late 70s and early 80s by artists such as Depeche Mode, Pink Floyd, John Carpenter, Herbie Hancock, Rush, Patrick Moraz and Tangerine Dream.  Learn More Here

Meant to be performed with the feet, the Moog Taurus Pedals - a monophonic bass synthesizer - frees up a user’s hands to play another instrument simultaneously; a valuable asset during live performance.  Learn More Here

The Fender Rhodes Mark II is a type of electromechanical instrument that, like an acoustic piano, generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, the hammers strike thin metal tines which vibrate between an electromagnetic pickup. They are considered “classics” and among the most iconic keyboard instruments of the 1960s and 70s.  Learn More Here

The Roland Juno-106 is a polyphonic synthesizer with six voices. It introduced Roland's performance lever for pitch bends and modulation, which became a standard feature of Roland instruments afterwards.  Learn More Here

Early analog synths like the Sequential Circuits Pro-One left an indelible mark on synthesizer design. They promised new timbres and uninhibited methods of control and ultimately set into motion the foundations of synthesis practice that would follow into the modern era.  Learn More Here   

With its mystifying array of multicoloured dials, switches and input jacks, the Buchla 200e looks like it could be the control panel of a primitive spaceship.  Learn More Here

The renowned Canadian electronic musician Deadmau5 has outfitted his production studio with a pair of 200e synthesizers.  Learn More Here