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 [de][3] (in the UK: Livingston)[4] | electronic bass organ | – | tube-shaped monophonic electronic keyboard instrument with guitar strap. Used by Ralf Hütter of Kraftwerk on the album Kraftwerk (1970),[4][5] Swedish and Finnish bands during the 1970s, including Lådan.[6] |
1977 | Hillwood Rockeyboard RB-1[7] | synth piano | – | influenced by Edgar Winter's style of hanging a keyboard from a neck. Used by Haruo Chikada (The Vibratones). |
1977[citation needed] | 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 [citation needed] | 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 CircuitsRemote Prophet | controller | SCB | used by Geoffrey Downes of ASIA and Dave Stewart. (SCB:Serial Control Bus, 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 Herbie Hancock in 1983, George Duke in 1983. |
1983 | Korg Poly-800[no grip] | synthesizer | MIDI | |
c. 1983 | Yamaha CS01II | synthesizer with breath controller | CV/Gate | |
c. 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 | |
c. 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 | |
c. 1990 | Formanta Mini | synthesizer | (MIDI) | |
1991 | Junost 21 | synthesizer | (MIDI) | |
1993 | Roland AX-1 | controller | MIDI | |
1994 | Zendrum | percussion controller | (MIDI) | |
c. 1999 | Baldoni Midi Accord [citation needed] | accordion controller ? | MIDI | |
c. 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 | |
c. 2002 | Casio SA-75 | electronic keyboard | MIDI | a mini electronic keyboard with handsfree microphone and strap pins |
c. 2007 | Zen Riffer Solo Axe | controller | (MIDI) | |
2008 | Behringer UMA25S[no grip] | controller | USB & 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 | controller & video game controller | MIDI & console specific | ||
2012 | Alesis Vortex | controller | USB & MIDI | |
2014 | Alesis Vortex Wireless | controller | USB & MIDI | first keytar with wireless USB connection to a PC or laptop |
2014 | Korg RK-100S | synthesizer | USB & MIDI | used by Rick Astley in 2016 |
2017 | Yamaha Vocaloid Keyboard | synthesizer | USB[11], Bluetooth LE[12] | To be released in 'Winter 2017'.[13] First wearable prototype in 2014;[13] limited rental available in 2015 [14] |
2018 | Alesis Vortex Wireless 2 | controller | USB & MIDI | |
2018 | Roland AX-Edge | synthesizer | USB, MIDI, Bluetooth LE | |
2019 | Behringer MS-101 | synthesizer | USB & MIDI | Clone of the original 1983 Roland SH-101 |
2019 | Yamaha Sonogenic SHS-500 | synthesizer | USB, MIDI, Bluetooth LE | |
2019 | Korg RK-100S (NEW) | synthesizer | USB & MIDI | To be announced |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Keytars. |
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.
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.CS1 maint: Uses editors parameter (link)