- Miniature stylus operated synthesizer is a recreation of the 1967 classic
- Choose from three different retro organ sounds, Optional vibrato effect
- Tuning knob on bottom allows you tune the Stylophone or do pitch-bend effects
- Built in speaker with volume control, Optional headphone jack
- Input for MP3 player mixes your music with the Stylophone and outputs everything through the built-in speaker
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Product Description
The Stylophone is a miniature stylus operated synthesizer invented in 1967 and used by such iconic musicians as David Bowie, Kraftwerk and Erasure. It features a metal keyboard played by touching it with a stylus. That's right, over four decades ago with computers the size of a gymnasium and nary a PDA in sight the Stylophone was a portable electronic music instrument with stylus based control. This exact recreation of the original sounds the same as it did in the 60s. Simply remove the pen and tap any key for classic synth sounds. There is a switch to add vibrato and you can choose from one of three different retro organ type sounds. The tuning knob on the bottom allows for some pitch-bend effects if you must. The Stylophone is one of the simplest electronic instruments you will find, but it's minimal style is a big part of its charm.
Requires 3 AA batteries (not included)
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 47 people found the following review helpful
I recently saw this thing for 25% off, and thought i'd give it a try. I wasn't sure what it would be like, but it is pretty fun. My favorite thing about the new stylophones is the MP3 jack, you can play your mp3s through the speaker and jam along, it's quite fun. I might have given it five stars, but after about ten minutes of playing the keyboard area was obviously scratched by the stylus. I'm betting the build quality is not as good as the original, but hey, it works and is very cheap to buy.If think you might like it, go for it. Even if it does break later on you barely spent any money on it and you had some fun.
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
By Leonardo Lee
Amazon Verified Purchase
This is something I bought for just because I needed a portable keyboard on the go. I have fallen in love with this piece of equipment. Not only was it cheap , but it can play in three octaves using a switch and it can bend pitch almost up an octave. It also works as a portable speaker (sadly its Mono). You can also use it with earphones or a Amplifier. Overall this stylophone synthesizer is loads of fun.
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
By L
Amazon Verified Purchase
just got this in today, and i love it, it has that now antique synth sound, like out of a fellini movie, response is excellent considering the price, nice and loud, with three dif octaves and a pitch knob on the bottom, i love it, you cant get sounds from scary movie to church organ,and to beat all that, very very cool design, it looks like a anacronism embedded in the dashboard of a 57 chevy, or imagine a furturistic 350 style top panel on a fender tube amp, ok thats silly, but this things cool
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By DJ
The Stylophone is a fun instrument but its not a toy. Like any instrument, it can be used as a toy - as a means of entertaining oneself or a child. However the more you know about music and especially electronic music, the more likely you will be able to coax music from the Stylophone. I am a musician and I love it's quirky transistor organ sound. In this day and age of everything being digital its nice to have such an affordable electronic analog instrument available, if even just for the novelty of it. By running the Stylophone through a few effects (think Korg Mini-KP) via the 1/8th inch output you can really start to tap into some amazing sounds. It definitely has a cheesy retro sound to it, but this is part of its charm. Arranging music is all about color, texture, and contrast and the Stylophone can sometimes add just the right amount of slightly nasty wheeze to a track to really make it stand out. If you don't believe me just ask David Bowie.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Durability:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Educational:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Fun:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It might be easy to pass this mini-synth off as just a useless toy. Yes, it is plastic and yes, it is dirt cheap!
However, this is a reproduction of a classic instrument invented in the 1960s and has found it's place in many influential recording since it's release in 1967. Featuring all the original features of the original with an added audio through input and volume control, this little bit of Electronic Music Gadgetry is one cool stocking stuffer for the Electronic Musician.
Noted recordings which feature this instrument are David Bowie's 'Space Oddity', Kraftwerk's 'Pocket Calculator' and it's featured regularly on a few They Might be Giants songs.
Most of us can afford the small penny this thing costs and I seriously recommend it!
However, this is a reproduction of a classic instrument invented in the 1960s and has found it's place in many influential recording since it's release in 1967. Featuring all the original features of the original with an added audio through input and volume control, this little bit of Electronic Music Gadgetry is one cool stocking stuffer for the Electronic Musician.
Noted recordings which feature this instrument are David Bowie's 'Space Oddity', Kraftwerk's 'Pocket Calculator' and it's featured regularly on a few They Might be Giants songs.
Most of us can afford the small penny this thing costs and I seriously recommend it!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By rocknurse56
Amazon Verified Purchase
I saw that Bowie used 1 of these little things in his song Space Oddity & decided to pick 1 up for kicks, due to its miniscule price & cool retro looks. I really enjoy playing around with this thing. It's kind of nerdy, but awesome at the same time. It sounds great in the right context. I played a duet with my husband a few hours ago. He has a Yamaha P155 digital piano, and the Stylophone blends quite well with its own unique little organ voice. Some of the sounds that the Stylophone makes are reminiscent of the the Nintendo and Atari games I played growing up(not bad kind of nostalgic actually). It's pretty easy to play. I'm more of a guitar player, but I've found it easy to pick out songs by ear. It's great for 80's synth pop & new wave covers. This gadget will in no way replace a real keyboard, but it's a fun addition to any musicians collection of STUFF. I like that you can hook it up to your MP3 player or run it through an amp with effects for more tonal weirdness. I've actually just ordered the Stylophone beatbox from the UK because the clips of it on Youtube seem equally awesome, and I can't seem to find a seller here in the US. Hey Amazon, how bout getting some Stylophone beatboxes on your site too!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
Great item. I bought this for my husband for Valentines day. Simple, easy to use, and comes with a few beginner songs to learn. He loved it. Something to add to his collection of musical instruments and show to the guys in his band.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By bread
Amazon Verified Purchase
From the second I opened the weird kitschy box, I knew I was in for a good time. Add three AA batteries, and zoom off to simple synth bliss. This thing is a BLAST. Three different tones, built in vibrato, and pitch bend knob on the bottom...this adds up to a ton of tonal variety for this tiny plastic box. It's a blast. It's portable. It's 15 bucks. If you have any musical inkling at all, you should really check it out. Way too much fun.
If I lost it, I'd buy another in a heartbeat.
If I lost it, I'd buy another in a heartbeat.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Legendary
This thing is as dependable as the original - meaning the stylus connection cuts in and out frequently. Read more
Published 5 days ago by Timm Davison
5.0 out of 5 stars
gift
Gave this as a gift to my nerdy bro-in-law and he loved it. It is kinda a funny novelty gift.
Published 7 days ago by Leah Beech
1.0 out of 5 stars
Some keys don't work correctly
I would be okay with the quality, if mine worked correctly. I see it as a fun toy for my piano students to experiment with. Read more
Published 16 days ago by MoonDeerSounding
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, not much else
This thing is cool to have around or play with outside with people. Once you get bored of it, its hard to pick up again if your not just messing around.
Published 29 days ago by Trevor
5.0 out of 5 stars
love this
This is the perfect little addition to my live shows and makes for a really convenient and cost effective alternative to the simple MIDI synths out there.
Published 2 months ago by Cypress Smith
1.0 out of 5 stars
You pays your money, you takes your chances. Mine doesn't even power...
These are insanely inexpensive. Kudos to the people who source these and bring them to market. Unfortunately, I am one of the unlucky purchasers who gets a nonworking unit on the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Helmut LandLine Sporgersi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thank you, Rolf Harris!!
Rolf's praise for this synthesizer truly intrigued me. "Amazon.com" provided me with this synthesizer from Great Britain in a very professional and timely manner. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tru
2.0 out of 5 stars
This is definitely a toy, and not much of one...
...not sure what educational value this has. I had fun playing with it for a minute, and now it's in my stash of curiosities, like that harmonica with four sides.
Published 2 months ago by Jerry Nepon-sixt
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, but not durable.
It's a fun toy instrument. I don't get why people are upset that it doesn't sound like the original. Of course they aren't going to replicate the original analog circuitry for $25. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Joe
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really fun portable little analog synth
So inexpensive. Very primitive technology but it sounds just fine and it's a easy to play. There are some fun youtube videos of people playing these.
Published 4 months ago by Dr Java
