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Stylophone
The Stylophone is a miniature analog synthesizer played with a stylus. Invented in 1967 by Brian Jarvis, it entered production in 1968, manufactured by Dubreq in London. Some three million units were sold during its original run, mostly as children's toys, but it was also used by professional musicians such as John Lennon, Kraftwerk and David Bowie. The Stylophone was relaunched in 2007 by the toy company Re:, in partnership with a rebuilt Dubreq, and has since been released in several new models.
The Stylophone consists of a metal keyboard made of printed circuit board and is played by touching it with a stylus. Each note on the keyboard is connected to a voltage-controlled oscillator via a different-value resistor, and touching the stylus to the keyboard thus closes a circuit. The only other controls are a power switch and a vibrato control on the front panel beside the keyboard, and a tuning potentiometer on the rear.
The Stylophone was available in standard, bass and treble variants, with cabinet colors used to distinguish them. The standard model was black-and-white, the treble model was white and tuned an octave higher, and the bass model was beige-and-white and tuned an octave lower. The standard version was the most common. There was also a larger version called the 350S, released in 1971, with more notes on the keyboard, various voices, a wah-wah effect that was controlled by moving the hand over a photosensor, and two styluses.
In the early 1970s, Dubreq introduced the Stylophone Pianomate, released in 1972, a piano attachment synthesizer. It used plunger switches placed behind the keys of an acoustic piano, allowing the Pianomate to add electronic voices alongside the piano’s natural sound. It offered three timbres and vibrato, controlled through a separate amplifier and pedal.
Dubreq also manufactured accessories such as the Stylophone Mini-Amp, released in 1973, a small amplifier designed for use with Stylophones and other portable instruments. It featured controls for tremolo, tone, and dual inputs, offering expanded sound-shaping options.
In the mid-1970s, a new model appeared that featured simulated wood on the speaker panel and a volume control. However, production of the Stylophone ceased in 1975.
Entertainer Rolf Harris served for several years as the Stylophone's advertising spokesman in the United Kingdom and appeared on many "play-along" records sold by the manufacturer.
In October 2007, 28 years after the Stylophone had ceased production, the toy company Re:creation, in partnership with Dubreq Ltd. (re‑formed in 2003 by Ben Jarvis, son of the original inventor), relaunched the Stylophone. The 2007 revival model, manufactured in China and officially called the S1, is a digital recreation that closely resembles the 1960s original but adds a volume control, audio throughput, and two additional sounds.
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Stylophone AI simulator
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Stylophone
The Stylophone is a miniature analog synthesizer played with a stylus. Invented in 1967 by Brian Jarvis, it entered production in 1968, manufactured by Dubreq in London. Some three million units were sold during its original run, mostly as children's toys, but it was also used by professional musicians such as John Lennon, Kraftwerk and David Bowie. The Stylophone was relaunched in 2007 by the toy company Re:, in partnership with a rebuilt Dubreq, and has since been released in several new models.
The Stylophone consists of a metal keyboard made of printed circuit board and is played by touching it with a stylus. Each note on the keyboard is connected to a voltage-controlled oscillator via a different-value resistor, and touching the stylus to the keyboard thus closes a circuit. The only other controls are a power switch and a vibrato control on the front panel beside the keyboard, and a tuning potentiometer on the rear.
The Stylophone was available in standard, bass and treble variants, with cabinet colors used to distinguish them. The standard model was black-and-white, the treble model was white and tuned an octave higher, and the bass model was beige-and-white and tuned an octave lower. The standard version was the most common. There was also a larger version called the 350S, released in 1971, with more notes on the keyboard, various voices, a wah-wah effect that was controlled by moving the hand over a photosensor, and two styluses.
In the early 1970s, Dubreq introduced the Stylophone Pianomate, released in 1972, a piano attachment synthesizer. It used plunger switches placed behind the keys of an acoustic piano, allowing the Pianomate to add electronic voices alongside the piano’s natural sound. It offered three timbres and vibrato, controlled through a separate amplifier and pedal.
Dubreq also manufactured accessories such as the Stylophone Mini-Amp, released in 1973, a small amplifier designed for use with Stylophones and other portable instruments. It featured controls for tremolo, tone, and dual inputs, offering expanded sound-shaping options.
In the mid-1970s, a new model appeared that featured simulated wood on the speaker panel and a volume control. However, production of the Stylophone ceased in 1975.
Entertainer Rolf Harris served for several years as the Stylophone's advertising spokesman in the United Kingdom and appeared on many "play-along" records sold by the manufacturer.
In October 2007, 28 years after the Stylophone had ceased production, the toy company Re:creation, in partnership with Dubreq Ltd. (re‑formed in 2003 by Ben Jarvis, son of the original inventor), relaunched the Stylophone. The 2007 revival model, manufactured in China and officially called the S1, is a digital recreation that closely resembles the 1960s original but adds a volume control, audio throughput, and two additional sounds.
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