The culmination of more than 20 years of keyboard reviewing for the world's specialist music technology magazines, Julian Colbeck's Omnibus Edition examines, in microscopic detail, the big names, instruments, and personalities behind the synthesizer revolution.
Central to this edition is the Hot 100, a fresh look at all the most important electronic keyboard instruments produced since the 1970s (see list below). Reviews contain full specs, price guides, sales figures, designers, as well as a comprehensive and authoritative assessment of features and current applications.
Supporting the Hot 100 are biographical sections on all the major synth producers, plus an exhaustive Product Directory containing 1000+ thumbnail reviews of additional instruments.
KEYFAX Omnibus Edition is both a good read - "The Clavinet's eventual appeal, to r & b musicians playing loud, raw, funk, must have been a great shock to the genteel ice maidens of the German home market for whom the instrument had been originally planned." - and an invaluable work of reference.
Supplies are limited so pick up a copy while you can.
The Hot 100
360 Systems Digital Keyboard
Akai S612
Akai S900
Akai S950
Akai S1000
ARP 2600
ARP Odyssey
Bit One
Casio CZ-101
Casio FZ-10M
Cheetah MS6
Crumar Spirit
Digital Keyboards Synergy
EDP Wasp
Elka Synthex
EMS Synthi 100
EMS VCS3/Putney
E-Mu EII
E-Mu EIII
E-Mu E4
E-Mu Emulator
E-Mu Morpheus
E-Mu Proteus
Ensoniq ESQ-1
Ensoniq Mirage
Fairlight CMI
Farfisa Compact
Fender Rhodes Stage73
Gleeman Pentaphonic
Hammond B3
Hohner Clavinet D6
Hohner Pianet
Kawai K1
Kawai K5
Kawai SX240
Korg 01/W
Korg CX-3
KorgDW-8000
Korg M1
Korg MonoPoly
Korg MS-20
Korg Poly -61
Korg Polysix
Korg PS-3200
Korg SG-1D
Korg Wavestation
Kurzweil 250
Kurzweil K2000
Logan String Melody
Mellotron Mark II & 400
Moog Memorymoog
Moog Minimoog
Moog Multimoog
Moog Prodigy
Moog Source
New England Digital Synclavier
Oberheim 4-Voice
Oberheim Matrix-12
Oberheim Matrix-1000
Oberheim OB-1
Oberheim OB-8
Octave-Plateau Voyetra-8
OSC Oscar
PPG Wave 2.3
Rhodes Chroma
RM! KC-II Keyboard Computer
Roland D-50
Roland JD-800
Roland Juno-60
Roland Juno-106
Roland Jupiter-8
Roland JX-3P
Roland MC-202
Roland MKS-80
Roland MT-32
Roland RD-1000
Roland SC-55 Sound Canvas
Roland SH-101
Roland TB-303
Roland U-20
RSF Kobol
Sequential Circuits Pro One
Sequential Circuits Prophet t-8
Sequential Circuits Prophet VS
Sequential Circuits Prophet-5
Sequential Circuits Prophet-600
Vox Continental
Waldorf Microwave
Wurlitzer EP-200
Yamaha CP-80
Yamaha CS-80
Yamaha Disklavier
Yamaha DX7
Yamaha GS1
Yamaha KX88
Yamaha SY77
Yamaha TX802
