Roland TB-303 / TR-606 vintage ad
This is the first part in a multi-part series on vintage synthesizer advertisements that appear in (usually old) magazines. I used to drool over some of these synthesizers and drum machines, as the closest thing that my small town had to a synthesizer was a Lowrey organ. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
Roland TB-303 / TR-606
This ad appeared inside the front cover (prime ad space!) of Keyboard Magazine in May of 1992 and features the Roland Bassline TB-303 and the Roland Drumatix TR-606. It’s interesting how they try to sell these two pieces of gear based on how they are “like individual members of the band.”
“The programmable accent and slide functions bring true bass technique capabilities to the TB-303.”
Of course as we all know, these two little boxes sound nothing like ‘real’ instruments (could you imagine a TB-303 used to play a walking jazz bass line?), but they absolutely shine for techno and other types of electronic music.
Over time, I’ve owned 5 different tb303′s and 3 tr-606′s. I’ve still got one 606, but sort of regret selling my last 303 – I still often long for that squelchy, acid sound. If you’re a 303 fan like me, you definitely have to check out the Acid Symphony Orchestra.
Photo courtesy of RetroSynthAds.
