Back in 1977, this synth made history as one of the first commercial guitar-controlled units, letting electric guitarists unleash analog synth tones through a custom hexaphonic pickup mounted on their instrument—ARP's bold bid to conquer the massive guitar market.
At its core, it's a monophonic subtractive analog powerhouse based on the Odyssey circuit, packing two VCOs with sawtooth and pulse waves, ring modulation, PWM from LFO or envelope, and sync options, plus pink/white noise. You'll find a resonant 12dB/oct low-pass filter (later versions 4-pole), static high-pass filter, one ADSR and one AR envelope, a slow LFO with sine/square waves for pitch/filter/vibrato, sample & hold triggerable from guitar, and a unique 6-way fuzz distortion for grit. Controls mirror the Odyssey's slider-heavy panel in a compact desktop module, with CV/gate I/O, pedal inputs for filter/pitch/sustain, mono audio in/out, dedicated guitar/hex/synth outputs, and string selector switches to isolate specific guitar strings for tracking. The pitch-to-voltage conversion via epoxy-potted D/E Prime modules aimed to minimize latency on low notes, though it demands clean single-string picking.
Collectors cherish its raw, experimental vibe and Odyssey-like bite, but note the tracking quirks and repair challenges from those sealed modules—vintage gems that reward patient tinkerers with fat leads and wild effects.
