Synth Guru John Leimseider Has Died

Canada’s National Music Centre (NMC) has announced that synth guru John Leimseider has died:

The National Music Centre team was absolutely devastated today to hear of the sudden passing of our dear friend and colleague John Leimseider (JL).

JL was an incredibly kind, talented and gifted person. He was one of the world’s most sought-after electronic instrument and equipment technicians who had serviced instruments for many of the most celebrated musicians of our time, and had been NMC’s Electronics Technician since 2002. He was also a talented veteran musician who still performed regularly in and around Calgary. Throughout his 40-year career, he was a mentor to countless technicians, engineers and musicians.

NMC mourns alongside the music community in Calgary and with many that knew and loved JL from around the world.

Leimseider had an international reputation in the world of synth repair, working out of Calgary as JEL Keyboards. Composer and synth designer Peter Grenader described him as “the best synth repair guy ever hatched.”

“He was a friend and a mentor,” notes composer Drew Neumann. “He kept all our old synths going long past their ‘sell by’ date and was full of brilliant advice on keeping them running.”

Leimseider had recently completed restoration of the unique TONTO modular synthesizer, and was scheduled to present on it as part of the upcoming TONTO Week.

He is survived by his wife, Laura, his son, Noah, and daughter Zoë.

6 thoughts on “Synth Guru John Leimseider Has Died

  1. Huge loss. The National Music Centre in Calgary is amazing and I got to meet John when I visited in 2016. He personally took us around and showed us the museum (including TONTO) when it was under renovation. He was just a wonderful guy with lots of stories and an impressive career as a keyboardist with Iron Butterfly and as a world renowned synth tech. He will be missed…If you can, go up to Calgary and check out the awesomeness that is the National Music Centre and raise a glass to John Leimseider when you are there.

  2. I met JL when I lived in L.A. back in the 80’s and 90’s. He worked at Music Tech in North Hollywood. After he moved to Alberta, I still sent him synths to repair. Ironically, he had been working on my OBXa when he passed. He called me three days before he passed away and said “it was close” to being done. Fortunately his son Noah, helped get the Xa back to me. I truly cannot believe he is gone. He was a very sweet and generous person. He will be missed by many.

  3. I knew JL from the 80’s in L.A. – I worked in the recording, songwriting, touring and manufacturing sides of the industry and we became well acquainted – great guy and really would go above and beyond to treat everyone respectfully. He gave me an incredible surprise gift by rescuing my prized 1979 Oberheim OBX – which had vanished in the 90s as MusicTek went out of business. Many years later after trying to recover it unsuccessfully – JL found it, fixed it up and returned it to me in 2013!!!! Amazing generosity, integrity and honor.

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