Rhodes Keyboard Instruments U.S.A. Belt Buckle, approximately 1979

Rhodes Keyboard Instruments U.S.A. belt buckle from approximately 1979.

While I'm getting acquainted with my new Monotribe (weeeeeee!), I thought I would post something short and simple - and figured it was about time I posted another belt buckle from my collection.

Earlier this year I posted my ARP belt buckle, and way back in August 2009 I posted my Sequential Circuits Inc buckle (still my favorite!). You can click on the images below to go to those blog posts and see a few more photos, some history, etc...

As has become customary, I've included photos of the front and back of the buckle, as well as a photo with an instrument so you can get an idea of the size of the buckle. Since I don't own a Rhodes instrument, I couldn't include one in the photo - so I thought I would substitute it with the Korg Monotribe since it is one of my favorite instruments I'm currently noodling about with. :)

One of the coolest things about this buckle is that it was made in Canada by Century Products Ltd (engraved on the back of the buckle). Unfortunately, there is no date on the buckle, but it was given to me along with a few other belt buckles (including the ARP buckle), and was told it came from around the same time period (1977-83). I have no reason not to believe this.

I haven't bothered to research this logo too much to see if it fits the time line, but I did come across a Rhodes Keyboard Instruments USA service manual scan (PDF link from vintagevibe.com) that includes this exact logo along with a 1979 date.

So... 1979 it is! If you know different, please email me!

ARP Brass Belt Buckle, 1977

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ARP Brass Belt Buckle from 1977.

Man, I've been having fun. I've been playing around in my studio, but I find myself more interested in the logistics of it all rather than actually using it to create some semblance of sound. Moving this synth over here. Swiveling in my chair to see how it looks. See if my arm can reach it easily. Then moving that synth over there. Then back again...

Clearly I've hit rock bottom in some kind of creative slump.

Anyways, the whole studio switcheroo has been taking up a fair bit of my attention, and will probably continue to into the near future. So, to help free up some time I thought I would post a quickie, but a goodie.

Back in August 2009, I uploaded a few photos of my Sequential Circuits belt buckle and mentioned that I also had an ARP buckle in my collection. Since then, I've had more than a handful of emails asking me to post some photos of it. "Angelo" even posted a request for it in the comments section of this SCI merchandise blog post.

So, I finally got my lazy butt away from my scanner and over to my camera.

The one thing you will notice right away is that this ARP buckle isn't in as good condition as the SCI buckle. But, that ARP logo is still gorgeous. And the buckle does have the date stamped clearly on the back. Nice. Like my SCI belt buckle photos, I've also included a photo of the buckle with my favorite ARP synthesizer (Odyssey) so you can get an idea of it's size. It measures just a hair under 6 centimeters, which is about a hair and a half under 2.5 inches. So, lets just call it 6 cm/2.5" even.

Aside: The Odyssey in the photo was found at a second-hand music store a long while back. Poor thing wasn't in bad shape, but my tech buddy at the time cleaned up its innards nicely. It's missing most of it's slider caps, and the ones that are there are in pretty bad condition. I was thinking of getting new slider caps off eBay or somewhere (seen them there a few times) but now I'm thinking I might just save up for this "Lumina illuminated slider" upgrade. That is beautiful.

One thing that I find interesting is that this belt buckle is NOT included in the ARP software and accessories catalog that I posted recently. Both are dated at around 1977, so if the buckle was available to the general public, chances are it would have made it into the catalog. Especially since that ARP director's chair got in there. :o)

The person that I got this buckle from (and a few others that became the start of the collection) said he received it at a trade show. So, maybe these buckles were only available to dealers and a few fortunate others.

Lucky them!

ARP Software and Accessory Catalog, 1977

ARP Software and Accessory Catalog from approximately 1977 (?).

Okay - before I even start in on the cool contents of this catalog, does anyone remember a time when software didn't mean... er... software? In this case, ARP's definition of software obviously refers to the manuals, patch books, etc.

But, it has me wondering - how far back does the word "software" go? And, was it common to refer to manuals and such as "software" before all those computer-folks took the term for themselves? Or was it just ARP using it?

Ivars Peterson did a bit of digging back in 2000 and wrote a piece for MathTrek (awesome column name BTW) about the word's origins, and it included this little bit about the Oxford Dictionary's records:

"The current edition of the dictionary dates the word software back to 1960, though researchers have discovered an 1850 occurrence of the term in a very different context--for distinguishing two types of garbage, where "soft-ware" referred to matter that would decompose and "hard-ware" to anything else."

No help there. But he also includes this quote from a 1958 American Mathematical Monthly article by John W. Turkey:

"Today the "software" comprising the carefully planned interpretive routines, compilers, and other aspects of automative programming are at least as important to the modern electronic calculator as its "hardware" of tubes, transistors, wires, tapes and the like."

And in a way, the patch books and manuals are "software", in the sense that they are providing the programming instructions that our brains use to program the hardware synthesizers.

Wow. That was getting a little deep. Gonna stop there and look at this ARP catalog content.

What a great piece of synthesizer history. This six-page fold-out mailing catalog has so much information. And besides just being something fun to look it, it is literally a check-off list for anyone collecting ARP memorabilia.

I mean, just look at "Et Cetera" section... the stuff you could have ordered from ARP!

• ARP T-Shirt - $5.25
• ARP Case Sticker - $1.00
• ARP Window Decal - $1.00

• And **THE** BEST: ARP Director's Chair - $40.00

Director's chair? That seemed a little out of place. But, one quick Google Images search later and I come across these photos.

The first is a photo from this Web page of a Sequential Circuits director's chair apparently taken at Dave Smith's booth at NAMM. The second is a photo of TWO Oberheim director's chairs from a 2007 MATRIXSYNTH post.

Aside: Obie Taylor wins the award for prediction of the decade with the comment at the bottom of the MATRIXSYNTH post: "Now if only Tom Oberheim would sit in one of those dang chairs to direct the making of a new monster synth. Mmmmmm luscious."

Okay - back to the chairs.

WTF? No seriously. When did this all begin? And how did I miss out on the whole "Hey! Every synth company needs a director's chair" thing? Gah!

I couldn't find any evidence of Moog or Korg director's chairs, but that doesn't mean they didn't exist. I've never been to NAMM, so maybe they are all sitting on these things in their booths. But, even without any Moog or Korg chairs, three companies is enough for me to consider that this was maybe some kind of weird trend during this time period.

Which brings me to the big question. What is the time period for when this catalog became available for mailing? There is no date anywhere that I can see, but the content of the catalog does give us some good clues.

The creepy ARP sequencer advertisement that becomes visible to the reader when he/she would have first unfolded the catalog after excitedly taking it out of the mailbox could be found in Contemporary Keyboard magazine by the end of 1976.

Also, the instruments in the catalog pretty much line up with this 1976 ARP family of products ad that appeared in the spring of 1976. Except for the ARP Omni - which isn't listed in that 1976 ad, but was promoted in CK starting in early 1977. And in my blog posts about those Omni ads, I spend a bit of time on the Omni's manufacturing start date.

So, based on this evidence, I'm guessing the catalog became available sometime in 1977.

Anyone else have any ideas?

Sequential Circuits Brass Belt Buckle, 1978

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As promised in an earlier post that featured various Sequential Circuits merchandise, I've uploaded a few photos of my SCI brass belt buckle. I've included images of the front and back, as well as a photo with my Pro-One to give you an idea of its size. The date on the back looks to be 1978, although part of the date has worn off over time.

I was given this buckle (as well as a few others) a while ago by one of the long-time managers of my local music store. Most of the store staff over the years have been great - knowledgable, friendly, and willing to go the extra mile to find gear. Come to think of it, they even tracked down the Pro-One in the photograph. $200 bucks. Canadian. Seriously. I know. :o)