MusicRadar

Welcome to MusicRadar's Synth Week - a celebration of the designers, programmers and players who've taken the synth from the laboratory to the very heart of the music business. We kick off with an in-depth guide to what we firmly believe are the greatest synthesizers of all time, based on their performance, longevity and influence.

This year marks the 40th, yes 40th anniversary of the legendary VCS3 synthesizer from EMS. That self-contained miniature electronic music lab led a long and sporadic life, being in on-again-off-again production until the mid-'90s.

An undeniable classic, it, like a handful of other classic instruments, fetches ridiculous prices on the second-hand market. A trawl through eBay listings reveals just how high a price electronic music aficionados are willing to pay for certain instruments.

Some of them are indeed brilliant machines, worthy of every ounce of praise heaped upon them, while others, frankly, lead to a bit of head-scratching. It seems that people will pay a premium for anything vintage, no matter what its real musical worth.

Certain instruments, though, can claim true classic status. They made a historical impact, changing the way future instruments would be designed and, most importantly, inspired the musicians who played them. Some in our top 10 you will know, and some you may own. Others might come as a surprise.

"Each and every one of these synths has made an indelible mark on the music industry."

You will, of course, have your own ideas of what we should have included (or omitted) and those ideas aren't any less authoritative than our own. It pained us to leave some of classics out, and we debated long and hard over some of the inclusions.

Still, it can't be denied that each and every one of these synths has made an indelible mark on the music industry. You'll note that a good number of them were designed and built by individuals, working with limited means, but with unlimited imaginations. All of them have a character that is unique to that instrument. Some are classy, some quirky and all of them still worth a look. Maybe more so now that the industry is awash in mass-produced, assembly line instruments.

If you own one of these instruments, then you can count yourself among those insightful enough to recognize a Very Good Thing when you saw one. If not, then maybe we'll give you something to look for next time you are rummaging through the thrift shops.

With that, let the countdown begin.

NEXT: Oberheim OB-Xa

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