Silver Stylophone Pocket Electronic Organ

Did you know that Little Boots played the Original Stylophone at Glastonbury 2009? See - it's even being played by serious popstars of the noughties!

The Original Stylohpone is a divine combination of 1970s design and 2007 technology which can only mean that the original electronic pocket synthesizer is back and now with additional fun features! Simply touch the metal "keyboard" with the stylus and a note is made.

The original pocket electronic organ' now offers a choice of three synth sounds, classic, synth or base - each with vibrato option. It also has volume control (unlike the original), a headphone socket (handy for beginners!) and you can use it to play along to your MP3. A particular hit with anyone who remembers Rolf Harris' legendary ads!

Ideal for those old enough to remember Rolf Harris or not! So, what was the story behind the Stylophone?

The Stylophone

The Dubreq Stylophone was a runaway success in the '70s, not so much within musical circles (although they have been used by such luminaries as David Bowie, Kraftwerk and Pulp) but as a gimmick, a toy, a marketing success story.

Dubreq was founded in 1967 by three British workmates: Brian Jarvis (inventor of the Stylophone), his brother Ted and Burt Coleman. They worked in the Broadcast / Film industry, dubbing and recording film sound.

The company brought in jovial Australian entertainer Rolf Harris to help promote the Stylophone. Rolf was a popular kid's TV presenter at the time and his almost shameless propensity for jolllity and self-promotion made the Stylophone a huge success to the point where most people thought that Rolf actually invented the thing himself... he did not - he was merely a well-known face used to promote it.

But he did a great job (and was quite a virtuoso on it) and the Stylophone was a huge commercial success in its short life!

Marketed as a 'pocket electronic organ' that anyone could play with no musical training, it used a stylus to play the notes - you touched the metal 'keyboard' with the stylus to complete a circut and a note was triggered. There were two settings: a 'straight' sound and a vibrato sound selectable from a slider switch to the left of the 'keyboard'.