List of keytars

Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater playing a Zen Riffer keytar alongside guitarist John Petrucci

A keytar is a keyboard or synthesizer hung around the neck and shoulders, similar to a guitar.

List of keytars

• [no grip] ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ — keyboard model without control grip.
• [opt grip] ^ ^ — keyboard model with optional control grip.

Dates	Model	Type	I/F	Notes
1795	Orphica[1]	acoustic piano	–	a portable miniature piano in horizontal harp form.
1963	Weltmeister Basset[2]	electric bass piano using struck reed	–	an electric piano bass, similar to Hohner Bass or Rhodes PianoBass, used by dance bands in East Germany probably late 1960s.
1966	Joh Mustad Tubon[3] (in the UK: Livingston)[4]	electronic bass organ	–	tube-shaped monophonic electronic keyboard instrument with guitar strap. Used by Paul McCartney in 1966 to compose the intro of "Strawberry Fields Forever" (1967) (later replaced by Chamberlin),[4] Ralf Hütter of Kraftwerk on the album Kraftwerk (1970),[4][5] Swedish and Finish bands during 1970s, including Lådan.[6]
1977	Hillwood RB-1[7]	synth piano	–	used by Haruo Chikada (The Vibratones).
1977	Powell Probe	controller	(CV/Gate)	Roger Powell's keytar by Royalex
1979	PMS Syntar[8]	synthesizer	(CV/Gate)	an earliest synthesizer keytar product, prior to the Moog Liberation in 1980
1980	Davis Clavitar	controller	(CV/Gate)	used by George Duke, Herbie Hancock in 1980.
c.1980	Davis Clavitron	unknown	unknown
1980	Moog Liberation	synthesizer	CV/Gate
1980	Royalex Probe	controller	(CV/Gate)	Jan Hammer's keytar by Royalex, ca. 1980.
1982	Dynacord Rhythm Stick (Jamma)[9]	percussion controller	MIDI & CV/Gate
1982	Roland SH-101^[opt grip]	synthesizer	CV/Gate	control grip was optional. used by Bob Casale (Devo).
1982	Sequential Circuits Remote Prophet	controller	SCB	used by Geoffrey Downes of ASIA and Dave Stewart. (SCB:Serial Control Buss, a MIDI prototype developed by SCI)
1982	Yamaha CS01^[no grip]	synthesizer with breath controller	CV/Gate	used by Chick Corea in the early 1980s.
1983	Yamaha KX1	controller	MIDI	used by George Duke in 1983.
1983	Korg Poly-800^[no grip]	synthesizer	MIDI
c.1983	Yamaha CS01II	synthesizer with breath controller	CV/Gate
1984	Korg Poly-800 MkII^[no grip]	synthesizer	MIDI
1984	Casio CZ-101^[no grip]	synthesizer	MIDI	a medium size keyboard with strap pins
1984	Korg RK-100	controller	MIDI
1984	Yamaha KX5	controller	MIDI	a medium depth keyboard
1985	Lync LN1 (The Lync)	controller	MIDI
1985	Roland AXIS	controller	MIDI
1985	Yamaha DX100^[no grip]	synthesizer	MIDI	a mini keyboard with strap pins
1986	Casio AZ-1	controller	MIDI
1986	Siel DK70^[opt grip]	synthesizer	MIDI	control grip was optional
1987	Korg 707^[no grip]	synthesizer	MIDI	a synthesizer with strap pins
1987	Yamaha SHS-10	electronic keyboard	MIDI
1987	Tyco HotKeyz	toy keyboard	–	a toy keyboard
1988	Lync LN4	controller	MIDI	also Jan Hammer signature model existed.
1988	Yamaha SHS-200	electronic keyboard	MIDI
1989	Tsumura JD21[10]	percussion controller	MIDI
1990	Lync LN1000	controller	MIDI
1990	Formanta Mini	synthesizer	(MIDI)
1991	Junost 21	synthesizer	(MIDI)
1993	Roland AX-1	controller	MIDI
1999	Baldoni Midi Accord	accordion controller ?	MIDI
2000	Suzuki MK-3600 YAMAHA YMK-80	electronic keyboard	MIDI	a keyboard for marching band
2000	Lag LeKey	controller	(MIDI)
2001	Roland AX-7	controller	MIDI
2002	Casio SA-75	electronic keyboard	MIDI	a mini electronic keyboard with handsfree microphone and strap pins
c.2007	Zen Riffer Solo Axe	keyboard controller	(MIDI)
2008	Behringer UMA25S^[no grip]	controller	USB & MIDI
2008	Zendrum	percussion controller	(MIDI)
2009	Roland AX-Synth	synthesizer	USB & MIDI
2009	Stoneboard	controller	MIDI
2010	Politrep^[no grip]	controller	MIDI
2010	Roland Lucina AX-09	synthesizer	USB & MIDI
2010	Mad Catz Rock Band 3 Wireless Pro Keyboard	Video game controller	PS3 & MIDI
2012	Alesis Vortex	controller	USB & MIDI
2014	Korg RK-100S	synthesizer	USB & MIDI	used by Rick Astley in 2016

Custom/rare keytars

Rare keytar products

• Delmar Brown "Illuminator" (illuminating display attached to keytar)
• Guess Musical Instruments "Schizotron", a product which combined keyboard and guitar/bass
• "Nissin C-16", a custom keytar version of Casio SK-1, distributed as lottery goods for promoting Nissin Cup Noodles
• Suzuki "Omnichord" and "QChord", electronic chord instruments inspired by Oscar Schmidt Autoharp
• "Zen Riffer", used most notably by Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater.

Drum/Percussion keytars

• Dynacord Rhythm Stick (also known as "Jamma" since 1982) ^[9]
• Tsumura JD21 ^[10]
• Drumitar / Zendrum (2008)
• "Riday T91"

Custom made keytars

In alphabetically order :

• "Alien Guitar Simulator", a selfmade keytar by Le Orme keyboard player Michele Bon.
• "Arcadetar", a keytar-like keyboard controller combined a pitch sensor in 20 inch. (50 cm) long, developed by Italian musician Andrea Lomuscio of Teapot Industries in 2012.
• Jeri Ellsworth's FPGA-based C64 keytar^[11]
• Lady Gaga's custom made keytar during The Monster Ball Tour in 2010.
• "Lag Circulaire" made for Jean Michel Jarre
• "Lag Insecte" made for Jean Michel Jarre
• "Lag Mad Max" made for Jean Michel Jarre
• Matthew Bellamy's "Keytarcaster" Manson, made for playing Undisclosed Desires from Muse's 5th studio album, The Resistance
• Prince's "PurpleAxxe", also played by Tommy Barbarella
• "Politrep", a copy of the Zen Riffer keytar made by order at the website space4keys.com
• "Remote" for Jean Michel Jarre's studio by Lag
• "Syblade", a keytar designed to be unique and to inspire.

Customized keytars

Based on minimoog keyboards

• Custom minimoog keyboard used by Gary Wright and Steve Porcaro around 1976.
• Cruder, Jan Hammer's early custom keyboard with block shaped controller.^[12]
• Plexi minimoog keyboard used by George Duke

Based on Yamaha KX series

• Jean Michel Jarre's custom KX5, two versions: Houston and Docklands Concerts.
• Lights Poxleitner plays a rare Yamaha KX5 keytar.

Based on Roland AX series

• Vadim Pruzhanov of DragonForce and Henrik Klingenberg of Sonata Arctica both use a custom Roland AX-7 (although nowadays Henrik Klingenberg uses custom Roland AX-1)
• Christopher Bowes of Alestorm owns a Roland AX-7 which he has customised over the years with various stickers of animals.
• Jeff Abbott, long-time keytar player and product demonstrator for MusicLab plays a custom wooden keytar based around a Roland AX-1.

Gallery

• 
  Orphica (19th century)
• 
  Royalex Probe (1977/1980) and fire organ car
• 
  PMS Syntar (1979) by George Mattson
• 
  Moog Liberlation (1980)
• 
  Davis Clavitar (1980) played by George Duke
• 
  SynthAxe (1985) by Bill Aitken, et al.
• 
  Yamaha KX-5 (1984)
• 
  Korg RK-100 (1984)
• 
  Yamaha SHS-10 (1987)
• 
  Lync LN-1000 (1990)
• 
  Roland AX-7 (2001)
• 
  Zen Riffer Solo Axe (2007) by Roy Wooten
• 
  Zendrum (2008)
• 
  Mad Catz Rock Band 3 Wireless Pro Keyboard

See also

• Keytar
• List of keytarists

References

1. "Orphica (?Vienna, c.1805)". Centre for Performance History, Royal College of Music.
2. "Weltmeister Basset". blackroses.de. Archived from the original on 2002-03-22.
3. "Joh Mustad AB Tubon (1966, Sweden)". Stockholm Music and Theatre Museum. Archived from the original on 2012-04-22.
4. "The 'Tubon' Joh Mustad AB, Sweden, 1966". 120 Years of Electronic Music (120years.net). The instrument was manufactured by in 1966 by the Swedish manufacturer of electronic tube organs, Joh Mustad AB, in Gothenburg, Sweden and also sold under license in the UK as the ‘Livingstone’. Very few of the instruments were sold outside of Sweden but one was purchased by Paul McCartney ( the original score for ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ includes a Tubon intro which was replaced by a Chamberlin on the final recording) and by Ralf Hutter of Kraftwerk in the early 1970s.
   See also: photographs of Paul playing Tubon 1, 2 (at the Schloss Hotel in Hamburg, during The Beatles’ last world tour), Tubon part score of "Strawberry Fields Forever".
5. Sean Albiez, David Pattie, eds. (2011). "Kraftwerk (1970)". Kraftwerk: Music Non-Stop. A&C Black. pp. 100–101. ISBN 978-1-4411-9136-6. It is also worth mentioning the use of phasing and the application of ring modulator effects to the keyboard's Tubon sound, which gives the music an industrial quality.
6. "Lådan: Va i helvete har dom för sig inne i banken efter tre?". YouTube.
7. "Rockeyboard RB-1". Hillwood Keyboard / Synthesizer Catalog 1977. Hillwood Musical Instrument/Zen-On.
8. James D. Maier. "The Performance Music Systems Syntar".
9. "The Jamma & Dynacord Rhythm Stick official site". — including the stories, photographs, videos, technical stuffs and manuals (see below).
   • Dynacord Rhythm Stick MIDI - operating manual. Dynacord.
   • UK application 8,423,427, Jones Peter Stephab (Dynacord Electronic-Und Geratebau GmbH & Co.), "A Music Synthesizer, Especially Portable Drum Synthesizer", published 1984-09-17  (EP 0195038 A1 (published on 1986-09-24), WO 8601927 A1)
   • US patent 4,867,028, Peter S. Jones (Dynacord Electronic-Und Geratebau GmbH & Co.), "Music Synthesizer Especially Portable Drum Synthesizer", issued 1989-09-19  (a continuation of co-pending application Ser. No. 871,442, filed as PCT EP85/01927 on Mar. 22, 1986, now abandoned.)
10. "JD21 official manual" (in Japanese). Tsumura Inc.
11. http://blog.makezine.com/2012/05/19/jeri-ellsworth-rocks-a-commodore-64-keytar/
12. Jan Hammer playing Cruder in 1970s. ShowBiz.cz (photo).