2017 NAMM Show Preview: The Stylophone Gen X-1 Synthesizer

Ahead of the 2017 NAMM Show, being held January 19-22, at the Anaheim Convention Center, Dubreq has announced that it will be introducing the Stylophone Gen X-1 synthesizer – a souped-up version of its classic Stylophone electronic music instrument. 

Here’s a preview of the new Stylophone Gen X-1 in action:

The Stylophone pocket synth was invented in 1968 by Brian Jarvis of Dubreq. In 2003, Dubreq was re-formed by Brian’s son, Ben. Since then, they’ve released the Stylophone BeatBox and the Stylophone S2 synthesizer.

No details have been released on the Stylophone Gen X-1, but it builds on the original’s design by adding envelope and filter control, a delay effect and more.

18 thoughts on “2017 NAMM Show Preview: The Stylophone Gen X-1 Synthesizer

  1. if it is cheap I am all over this – I am the rare bird that loves my stylophone. I just wish at some point they could make the stylus either wireless or allow it to have a detachable, like 3.5mm cord or something –

    1. Why? Cordless just means it’ll get lost sooner or later.
      For player ergonomics one might wish for a longer stylus so that cord stays out of the way, but even that would necessitate a correspondingly longer cord which could become a storage issue.
      And besides, the corded stylus gives the instrument a bit of old-school charm. It is undoubtedly the simplest and possibly most reliable way to trigger a note, as it completes a circuit without the use of any mechanical moving parts or capacitance or other tricks. And playing it can feel satisfyingly archaic, like filling out a form at a local bank or post office where the pens are all tied to the tables. 🙂

  2. by the way, all kork something-tron are deeply “inspired” by this gadget, a true relic from the past. It’s always been sort of a toy from the future, not real music instrument (bowie in the ziggy era was a testimonial.) So is really ironic that all you kork gadgetized boys show no respect for this…

  3. It looks like fun. I love my Stylophone. It is about as limited as you can get. That’s part of its charm. It would be great if it had midi out.

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