SynthAxe

Overview

The SynthAxe is a guitar-shaped MIDI controller released in 1986 by the British company SynthAxe Ltd. It is not a synthesizer in itself: instead, it senses the player’s left-hand fretting on a set of metal strings and the right-hand picking or trigger-key activity on a separate set of switches, then sends that information as MIDI messages to drive external synthesizers. The instrument was designed to give guitarists more reliable and expressive synthesizer control than earlier guitar-to-MIDI systems could provide.

Origin & History

By the early 1980s, several manufacturers had tried to fit guitar-style controllers to synthesizers, but most early systems suffered from tracking delays and pitch errors that frustrated players. SynthAxe Ltd. designed the instrument to bypass these problems by separating fretting and triggering and by using digital rather than acoustic pitch detection. The instrument was expensive and complex, and only a few hundred were produced before the company closed in the late 1980s, but the small number that reached players have continued to be used in music ever since.

How It’s Played

The player frets one set of strings with the left hand to choose pitches, then triggers notes either by picking a separate set of strings on the body or by pressing a row of trigger keys. Pitch bends, vibrato, and breath-style controllers can shape the connected synthesizer in real time. The SynthAxe is most rewarding for players who want to combine fast, complex left-hand guitar lines with the timbres and sustain of synthesizers.

Cultural Significance

The SynthAxe is most associated with British guitarist Allan Holdsworth, who used it extensively on solo recordings from the late 1980s onward. His playing remains the clearest demonstration of what the instrument can do at a high level, and his recordings are the main reason the SynthAxe is remembered today.

Related Instruments

• Synthesizer – the sound-producing systems the SynthAxe controls
• Guitar – the basic interface model
• Theremin – another non-traditional electronic interface
• Continuum – a modern continuous-pitch electronic controller
• Ondes Martenot – an earlier expressive electronic instrument

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the SynthAxe a guitar?
It is shaped like a guitar and played with guitar-influenced technique, but it produces no sound on its own. It is a MIDI controller that drives external synthesizers.

How many SynthAxes were made?
Only a few hundred SynthAxes were produced before the company closed in the late 1980s, making them rare today.

Image: photograph uploaded by Chrisfromcanberra, public domain (Wikimedia Commons).