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ARP 2600
The ARP 2600 is a semimodular, subtractive, analog synthesizer first produced by ARP Instruments from 1971 to 1981.
Developed by a design team headed by ARP namesake Alan R. Pearlman and engineer Dennis Colin, the ARP 2600 was introduced in 1971 as the successor to ARP's first instrument, the ARP 2500, at a retail price of $2600 (equivalent to $21,200.00 in January of 2026).
Unlike fully modular synthesizers such as the ARP 2500, which often required modules to be purchased individually and wired by the user, the 2600 is semimodular, with a fixed selection of basic synthesizer components internally prewired with connections that can be altered with patch cords. It features clear text labels and front panel graphics indicating the functions of different sections and the signal flow between them. On its initial release it was heavily marketed to high schools and universities.
The ARP 2600 features three voltage-controlled oscillators, a 24 dB/octave low-pass filter, a voltage-controlled amplifier, a ring modulator, a sample-and-hold unit, a white/pink noise generator, a microphone preamplifier, a spring reverberation unit, two envelope generators, and a four-octave keyboard controller.
In 1973, Tom Oberheim, who was an ARP dealer, produced a kit that converted the keyboard into a duophonic keyboard capable of triggering two different oscillators simultaneously. The 3604 keyboard used the same circuit board as the earlier 2500 keyboard, but ARP did not fit the duophonic components. The following year, ARP adopted this improvement and introduced the Model 3620 duophonic keyboard, which also included a low-frequency oscillator for vibrato and single and multiple triggering functionality.
All versions of the ARP 2600 produced through 1976 used ARP's 4012 filter submodule, which was an imitation of Robert Moog's transistor ladder filter. This became the subject of a patent dispute eventually settled out of court[when?] and was then replaced by an ARP filter design, the Model 4072.
Model 2600 "Blue Meanie" (early 1971): The earliest 2600s were assembled in a small facility on Kenneth Street in Newton Highlands, Massachusetts, during ARP's early stage. Housed in a bright blue and light gray aluminum case with a keyboard mated to the synthesizer, this version was nicknamed the "Blue Marvin" (after Marvin Cohen, ARP's CFO), but is now commonly referred to as the "Blue Meanie".
Model 2600C "Gray Meanie" (mid-1971): The 2600C was produced in the ARP factory and featured a gray control panel and updated keyboard model 3604C. Only 35 "Gray Meanies" were produced.
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ARP 2600
The ARP 2600 is a semimodular, subtractive, analog synthesizer first produced by ARP Instruments from 1971 to 1981.
Developed by a design team headed by ARP namesake Alan R. Pearlman and engineer Dennis Colin, the ARP 2600 was introduced in 1971 as the successor to ARP's first instrument, the ARP 2500, at a retail price of $2600 (equivalent to $21,200.00 in January of 2026).
Unlike fully modular synthesizers such as the ARP 2500, which often required modules to be purchased individually and wired by the user, the 2600 is semimodular, with a fixed selection of basic synthesizer components internally prewired with connections that can be altered with patch cords. It features clear text labels and front panel graphics indicating the functions of different sections and the signal flow between them. On its initial release it was heavily marketed to high schools and universities.
The ARP 2600 features three voltage-controlled oscillators, a 24 dB/octave low-pass filter, a voltage-controlled amplifier, a ring modulator, a sample-and-hold unit, a white/pink noise generator, a microphone preamplifier, a spring reverberation unit, two envelope generators, and a four-octave keyboard controller.
In 1973, Tom Oberheim, who was an ARP dealer, produced a kit that converted the keyboard into a duophonic keyboard capable of triggering two different oscillators simultaneously. The 3604 keyboard used the same circuit board as the earlier 2500 keyboard, but ARP did not fit the duophonic components. The following year, ARP adopted this improvement and introduced the Model 3620 duophonic keyboard, which also included a low-frequency oscillator for vibrato and single and multiple triggering functionality.
All versions of the ARP 2600 produced through 1976 used ARP's 4012 filter submodule, which was an imitation of Robert Moog's transistor ladder filter. This became the subject of a patent dispute eventually settled out of court[when?] and was then replaced by an ARP filter design, the Model 4072.
Model 2600 "Blue Meanie" (early 1971): The earliest 2600s were assembled in a small facility on Kenneth Street in Newton Highlands, Massachusetts, during ARP's early stage. Housed in a bright blue and light gray aluminum case with a keyboard mated to the synthesizer, this version was nicknamed the "Blue Marvin" (after Marvin Cohen, ARP's CFO), but is now commonly referred to as the "Blue Meanie".
Model 2600C "Gray Meanie" (mid-1971): The 2600C was produced in the ARP factory and featured a gray control panel and updated keyboard model 3604C. Only 35 "Gray Meanies" were produced.