Keyboards

This is an almost complete, chronological list of keyboards I have owned, played and loved over the years.There are a few I have left out either because they weren’t mine and or I just hated them…..

		Hohner Pianet N This was my first ever electric piano which I bought in the autumn of 1974. It was one of three choices at the time, the cheapest but had a distinctive sound and a nice tremolo. The notes were metal tines which were struck or rather pulled on by little sticky pads. I brought it home on the bus, I think I bought it in south London somewhere.
		Fender Rhodes 73 Suitcase Piano A true classic as important as the Stratocaster guitar, the Hammond organ and the Mini Moog. Invented by Harold Rhodes. The sound of jazz pianists, especially the fusion and funk eras of the 70s. I had mine restored a couple of years ago. It sits on a speaker cabinet with two pairs of speakers which give it a very rich and real vibrato. Herbie Hancock was introduced to the Rhodes by Miles Davis and of course Herbie introduced it to me.
Herbie Hancock / Vein Melter / Headhunters
		Wasp Synth My first synthesizer and my introduction to analogue subtractive synthesis. As you can see it didnt have real keys but it had great sound and it was the only thing I could afford. I actually worked for a day in Rod Argents keyboard store and sold one!
		Hohner Clavinet D6 The first time most people heard this instrument was on Stevie Wonders “Superstition” everyone thought it was a guitar. Along with the Rhodes it defined the 70s fusion and jazz funk keyboard sound. It was designed as an electric harpsichord!
Stevie Wonder / Superstition / Talking Book
		MicroMoog So my first real synth, this one had keys. Moog, long after Bob had gone introduced a budget line and this was the entry level. It experimented with a pitch bend ribbon which was fashionable at the time but never caught on. It was with this synth that I really learnt how to orchestra and programme different sounds. How to make one instrument work for me.
		Prophet 600 This was my first poly synth and again it was a budget version of the real thing. I was not making any money from music in these days and I took a job to pay for this. It was a budget version of the Prophet 5 but was distinguished by being the first ever synth to have MIDI
		Prophet T8 My first non budget synth! In fact it took and entire North American tour to pay for it back in 1984. It was a mammoth thing with fully weighted piano action and 8 voices based on a Prophet 5. It had velocity and release sensitivity, poly pressure sensitive. It was way too complicated to have on the road. On its first trip to the US it was dropped from the plane on to the runway but Sequential used to look after me very well.
		Korg M1 The best selling synthesizer of all time, over 250k sold and I got mine free hah. It was the first of the line of what are now called romplers in that it was full of samples of real instruments but saved to rom. It basically played built in samples. It had on board effects and a workstation sequencer. The sounds were head and shoulders above anything else at the time at that price and it paved the way for modules like the Emu Proteus. The fretless bass sample is excellent and I used it for years.
Roger O’Donnell / The First of Many Views / Grey Clouds Red Sky
		Prophet VS Whenever I was in the area on tour in the 80s I would always stop by the Sequential factory and get my stuff serviced and hang out. One time i went there and they took me in the back into the secret prototype room and showed the VS. It was a totally different approach to synthesis and the sound was incredible and it was Stereo! Took me a while before I got one and recently I bought the Arturia virtual version which although quite good is nowhere near the real thing
Roger O’Donnell / Next Time It’ll be Different / Grey Clouds Red Sky
		Mini Moog The most important historically and culturally of all these instruments. It gave keyboard players there own voice, an identity. The design is so classic it is a generic.
Jan Hammer / Quadrant4 / Billy Cobham/Specturm
		Memory Moog Eight mini moogs in one box ! and a computer to control it and remember settings. I never really ever played one but I have one in my collection.
		Moog Source Another of those attempts to bring synthesis to the masses and Bob had nothing to do with this. It is something that Moog have done quite well with their new LP
		Prophet 5 The price of a one bedroom apartment when it was released but a revolutionary instrument, 5 voices and a computer to remember settings. It had a very west coast sound to me though and I never used one apart from before samplers when people wanted strings or brass on a session. I have a very nice one in showroom condition.
		Kurzweil PC88 I use this mainly to play other sounds from but it has a great piano in it and nice strings. The guys that designed the piano sound are now called Synthogy and make an incredible piano sampler called Ivory which I use all the time.
Roger O’Donnell / A Clear Blue Day
		Moog Voyager What can I say that I haven’t already said about this instrument. When Bob Moog decided to make a Mini for the 21st century he put everything in people had been asking of for years and its perfect.
		The Little Phatty an awful name for a nice little synthesizer. I think it should have been called something like Enterprise or the Discoverer something Star Trek, basically anything but Little Phatty. I refuse to call it that and refer to it as an LP as do most people I know that have one hah. It was an answer to all those people who want to own a modern analogue synth but couldn’t afford a Voyager. It was the last instrument that Bob had a hand in and in fact it was his vision and seen through by Cyril who is now head of design and electronics at Moog. I was actually very honoured to be asked to contribute in some small way to it’s design. When I first saw it in secret at NAMM in 06 I was nearly moved to tears its such a nice design. It sounds great and Cyril is continually working on it, more importantly the architecture involved in it should pave the way for a Poly Moog, hopefully sooner rather than later!