B3 of synths?

Fifty years ago there were 1.37 zillion brands of professional and home organs out there and, I would assume, there were people who actually preferred different organs.

Now, there's really only one go-to organ or organ sound and that's the Hammond B3. All the others are either utterly forgotten and worthless (your grandmother's Baldwin) or also-rans (Farfisa, Vox, or the Hammond C or L series).

Just sticking to synths (not romplers or controllers), do you think there is or has been an equivalent to the B3?

Compare and contrast. No fisticuffs, svp.

I think what did it with the B3 is that it has so many different sounds that come from the drawbar system and leslie combinations that it never got boring. Its easy to get bored with the cheesy one-trick sound of a Farfisa or a Vox Continental.

I think you'ld have to go by category, eg VA, workstation etc.

I'd say Nord Lead in the VA category. It may not be the absolute best VA, but it's the go-to VA for a lot of people.

Oh please.

The only iconic synth that has enough of its own signature sound to remain recognizable, many examples of which have been working for close to 40 years, and is still highly desirable today, is the Minimoog.

And the Prophet-5 or JP-8 regarding polysynths.

"The only iconic synth that has enough of its own signature sound to remain recognizable, many examples of which have been working for close to 40 years, and is still highly desirable today, is the Minimoog."

I dunno... what about the 303 and 808.

Or the DX7?

Maybe they are not as iconic, maybe not as difficult to emulate, maybe not as generally useful, but these are things that even non-musicians know about.

I mean, it seems like you could come up with a list of simply "iconic" synth sounds. Of course, then the idea that the b3 is the only organ worth owning is suspicious to me.

I like my Hammond M3 quite a bit, and if a cheap Vox organ came up on CL, I'd at least look at it.

303 and 808 came after Minimoog, and the entire industry that they were able to thrive in was made possible by the Mini.

Mini is a first class instrument made with the best possible construction at the time, like the Hammond. 303 was intended as a cheapish consumer item.

The DX7 ain't even in the game. Hammonds and Minis are living, breathing instruments. Every one is different. They were largely hand built by real people. They are analog, imprecise, and have magnificent tone. They are repairable and maintainable using electronic components that are simple, plentiful (with 1 exception), and can be worked on by ordinary mortals. They are poetic.

The DX7, is err, not. It is mass produced, beginning the unfortunate trend of reduced user interface in the name of cost savings, computer intervention between the user and the instrument, and proprietary ICs that limit the lifetime of the instrument once they can't be sourced.

The Minimoog seems pretty clearly to be the only answer.

Do you realize that the C3 is a B3 in a slightly different cabinet.

Gotta go with the Minimoog here. +1 all of Moe's reasons.

b3 the only organ sound?

rather contentious

but then hey, they are only organs anyway and imo boring

there is no synth, because of vast array of sounds from different ones

again imo

No such thing. Ask yourself: what is a synth sound?

Infidel! :poke:

Minimoog.

The fact there there are several manufacturers that are producing instruments to emulate the sound of the B-3/C-3/A100 organ is a testamony to the original's sound. They come very, very close to the sound of the original, but still haven't captured it 100%.

Almost every analog synth that came after Mini, incorporated it's basic design structure, including all the VAs today.

There is a reason that the acoustic piano, Hammond B-3, Wurlitzer piano, Fender Rhodes, Clavinet, and Minimoog are considered "staples" for keyboard sounds. The instruments have stood the test of time.

minimoog.

I will go along with what has been said above. Moog, Prophet 5, Jupiter 8. These are staples.

The TR-808 for drum machines.

Soon to be, the Nord Lead 2.

Am I the only one that doesn't see the appeal of the Nord Lead? To me it sounds the thinest compared to the Korg, Novation, Roland and Alesis VAs (effects added).

So I'm thinking the answer is no, there is no such thing as a B3 of synths. There's several synths that are unique and the Minimoog is one of them, but there's no such thing as an ubiquitous synthesizer.

dx-7

I knew that for about ten minutes once but had forgotten.

From synthmuseum.com and other interwebs sources...

Korg M1 - 250,000 units (some say 185,000)

Roland D-50 - some say 175,000 units

Yamaha DX7 - 160,000 units

Sequential Prophet5 - 30,000 units

Moog Minimoog - 12,000 units

Roland Juno 106 - 40,000 units

Roland Jupiter 8 - 2,000 units (some say 2,600)

Roland Juno 6/Juno 60 - 30,000 units

Akai S950 - 15,000 units

Akai S1000 - 22,000 units

ARP 2600 - 3,000 units

Rhodes Chroma - 3,000 units

Ensoniq ESQ-1 - 50,000 units

Ensoniq Mirage - 30,000 units

Korg Mono/Poly - 10,000 units

Korg Poly-61 - 15,000 units

Moog Memorymoog - 3,500 units

Moog Prodigy - 11,000 units

Oberheim Xpander - 2,000 units

Yamaha CS-80 - 2,000 units

Currently, I'm willing to bet that the MicroKorg and the SH-201 are the best selling synths in the world.

Nope.

Synths are more comparable to other electronics in the music world, eg guitar effects. There are very popular models and some have a signature sound. But there is no *one* model.

For instance, Smallstone phasers have a unique "sound" but they are hardly the only phaser out there. Likewise, Minimoogs have a unique "sound" but they are not the only analog subtractive out there.

funny I thought it was the dx-7 that sold the most.

the number on the prophet5 is mighty impressive though.

I thought so too. That number was found on the internet and not on synthmuseum.com, so it might not be accurate at all... in fact I wouldn't be surprised if the number is actually well below 10,000. The P-5 did have a pretty long run and several revisions. Revisions 1 and 2 are pretty rare and Rev 3 went on for years and several sub-revisions...

* 1000.1 -- Rev 1: Serial Numbers 1-182

* 1000.2 -- Rev 2: Serial Numbers 184-1299

* 1000.3.0 -- Rev 3: Serial Numbers above 1300

* 1000.3.1 -- Rev 3.1 adds some changes to the RAM.

* 1000.3.2 -- Rev 3.2 (USART, Analog)

* 1000.3.3 -- Rev 3.3 with 120 Programs

* 1001 -- Prophet-5 Synthesizer with Remote Keyboard

* 1005 -- Prophet-5 Synthesizer with Polyphonic Sequencer"

Yes, Korg M1 outsold even the DX7. Offered better sounds and better split/dual capability at the time, plus 2 FX units.

I reckon Tritons are also sold in great numbers.

Right. Next time I want to gig I'll post myself as a Rodgers player.