ARP Avatar

The ARP Avatar was a guitar-controlled synthesizer (guitar synthesizer), manufactured by ARP Instruments, Inc. beginning in 1977. While innovative, being one of the first commercial guitar-controlled synthesizers, it was a commercial flop for ARP, and is widely blamed for causing the financial collapse of the company.

Avatar
ARP Avatar
ManufacturerARP Instruments, Inc.
Dates1977
PriceUS $3000 [1]
Technical specifications
PolyphonyMonophonic
TimbralityMonotimbral
Oscillator2
LFOSine, Square
Synthesis typeAnalog Subtractive
AttenuatorADSR, AR
Storage memorynone
Effects1
Input/output
Keyboardnone
External controlCV/Gate

Nearly $4 million was spent in the first year on production and R&D for the Avatar, and the $3,000 machine sold only about $1 million worth of units over its lifespan. Guitarists were not quick to adopt the new technology, mostly due to the unit's price and technical eccentricities. The Avatar, however, did find a few advocates and paved the way for more successful guitar synthesizers. Because of its architecture - essentially an ARP Odyssey with a 6-way "fuzzbox" distortion effect - it has regained a little stature among collectors as a standalone synthesizer.

References
  1. "ARP Avatar | Vintage Synth Explorer". www.vintagesynth.com. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
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