ONCOR SOUND

Oncor Sound of Salt Lake City sold guitar and bass synthesizers in the 1970s. The Oncor guitar synthesizer had 96 fret switches which determined which note would play when you struck one of the six "strum bars" laid out where you would normally strum the strings. It was a bit like playing a full size Guitar Hero controller

Synthesizer circuitry built into the instrument, let you mute, bend, hammer on, and infinitely sustain notes. The lack of strings however, meant that you couldn't get any real guitar sounds, and the intrument was not a commercial success.

MISA digital guitar

The MISA digital guitar is a MIDI controller. It is essentially a guitar synthesizer, but needs to be plugged into a MIDI capable sound module. The guitar does not have strings, instead there are individual buttons corresponding to each key/string position. The sound effects are modulated by pressing a touch sensitive screen with the strumming hand.

MISA

MISA is the brandname founded by Michael Z, a software engineer. Michael spent a lot of his time working in embedded systems, even working for a guitar tube amp & effects company before releasing the MISA digital guitar in January 2010.

CASIO DG-20

The Casio DG-20 was a budget guitar synthesizer. It had plastic strings triggering onboard synthesizer sounds as well as a built-in speaker, built-in drum machine, drum pads and MIDI output.

Weird sound generator guitar

Submitted by guitar-list on Fri, 2008-10-17 14:32

Dan Wagoner modified his first guitar (a Fender stratocaster) to include a weird sound generator analogue synth. The synth control knobs protrude from a hand made pick guard made from a motherboard. Three switches have been mounted in the fingerboard. This instrument liberates the synth player, allowing them to assume outrageous poses previously reserved for guitarists. The downside is there are no strings.

Link: Dan-Wagoner Guitar Synth Mod.

BOSS

BOSS is the division of Roland Corporation most easily recognized for its line of colorful guitar and bass effects pedals.

For over 25 years BOSS has also developed innovative multi-effects, rhythm machines, personal digital studios and other easy-to-use instruments for musicians of all types.

Markbass

Source: Mark Bass website (2 February 2022)

Zeta

Zeta is a brand active since the late 1970s and best known for its electric violins & cellos, but they also made guitars and basses. For example: the Mirror 6 MIDI Guitar (developed in 1984) and the Prism Bass.

Source: Zeta website (archived 2001)

Roland

Ikutaro Kakehashi founded Roland in Osaka in 1972. Roland's first product was the TR-77 drum machine. In 1973 they introduced a compact synth - the SH-1000. Guitar effects were added to the line-up in 1974 and in 1975 they began making amplifiers including the legendary Jazz Chorus model. In 1977 Roland introduced the GR-500 guitar synth (by 1980 they also had the 303 and 808 guitar synth models). Roland also owns the Boss brand name known for its effects pedals.

Fishman

Larry Fishman etablished the Fishman company in 1981 - to produce acoustic guitar pickups. He soon had orders from Martin and began to branch out into pickups for other acoustic stringed instrument. From the early 1980s Fishman also made amplifiers and other guitar related products. Fishman also provide OEM parts to many other guitar makers - particularly transducers and preamps tor acoustic guitars.

Source: Fishman website (14 February 2022)

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