ARP Avatar

Avatar
ARP Avatar
Manufacturer	ARP Instruments, Inc.
Dates	1977
Price	US $3000 [1]
Technical specifications
Polyphony	Monophonic
Timbrality	Monotimbral
Oscillator	2
LFO	Sine, Square
Synthesis type	Analog Subtractive
Attenuator	ADSR, AR
Storage memory	none
Effects	1
Input/output
Keyboard	none
External control	CV/Gate

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.

Nearly $4 million^{[citation needed]} 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^{[citation needed]} 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[]

External links[]

• ARP Avatar Entry on Sonicstate.
• The Rise and Fall of ARP Instruments (article from April 1983, Keyboard Magazine)
• ARP Avatar at VintageSynth.com