| Yamaha GX-1 |
Description: One of the most mythic and unique analog keyboards of all time due to it´s size and sound.
Numbers made: 6 – 12 ( noone really seems to know )
Used by : Stevie Wonder, Hans Zimmer, Keith Emerson, Abba, Led Zeppelin and Celestine.
Weight : 250 kgs ( ! )
Keys : 2 5-octave 61-note (C-C) keyboards, a small monophonic pressure-sensitive manual 3/4 scale, 3-octave 37-note (C-C) keyboard, a 25-note pedalboard
” It has no limits that machine ” – Benny Andersson ( He is right you know…)
Description : About two years ago I recorded two tracks with Ludvig Andersson for his debut album SRO. On one of the days of recording mixer, engineer and Benny Anderssons sonic right hand Bernard Löhr dropped by and commented on the fact that Benny´s old GX-1 would blend in nicely with the other keyboards in the studio and that it was more or less neglected at Polar. Maybe I could take care of it on Bennys behalf and see to it that it was used again. I didn´t really think anything would come of it but when the Polar studio folded early in 2004 the idea came to surface again…I spoke to both Benny and Bernard about taking care of the GX-1 instead of it ending up in a case in a warehouse somewhere and all of a sudden it was agreed. The GX-1 was to be moved to Roth Händle. I went to Polar took measurements, took measurements of my studio to make sure that it would fit through the doors and called a moving company to help me with it.
Polar studios is/was the only ” real ” recording studio in Stockholm in the sense that it has that great 70´s ambience about it. Everything is brown and dark wood….there is a reception with a receptionist taking calls and just about every keyboard you could think of. Weird guitars and amps, drums, leslie cabinets, 2 or 3 different pianos, Plate and spring reverbs…. the works….And on top of that Benny Anderssons Yamaha GX-1.
The Yamaha GX-1 came to the studio on the 9 th of January…a date I chose with a certain consideration in mind. It´s my birthday. If the movers got it up the two flights of stairs in one piece…it would be a great birthday to remember…if they dropped it and/or killed one of the movers….well anyway it was bound to be a day I´d never forget.
This keyboard is the kind of piece that you´ll never forget if you´ve seen it once…Pineforest Crunch recorded at Polar in the late 90´s and I remember sitting behind the GX-1 with Mats just laughing our heads off due to the size and looks of the keyboard. It looks like something out of Star Trek.
Also it is hard to talk about this keyboard without mentioning it´s track record. It was used extensively on the last three Abba albums. Led Zeppelin used it on ” In through the outdoor ” ( I will be getting John Paul Joness string patches sometime over the next couple of weeks ) and John Paul Jones was apparently so impressed with it he bought his own GX-1 to tour with.
So far I have mostly used the small monophonic keyboard of the GX-1 due to the fact that I only got the linebox ( one cable out from the synth divided into 5 lines ) required about a week ago ( May 2004 ). So as soon as I am up and running I´ll give a more detailed commentary to the Synths sound and hopefully some films as well.
Update May 2004. If you have read the news page on the site somewhat frequently I have now had some more time to listen to the keyboard as it was supposed to be heard and I can only say that it is FANTASTIC. Warm lush polyphonic analog sounds that you can modulate and change infinitely while you are playing. The GX-1 has a lot of different types of aftertouch/sustain/portamento filter stuff that you can do very easily while playing giving the keyboard a very organic feel despite it´s Sci-fi exterior.
I wouldn´t call it an allround keyboard as in me selling every pedal and keyboard I own but for what it does it is amazing. I wouldn´t use it for a organ patch or a breathy flutey part but for massive almost industrial polyphonic sounds that pulsates and vibrates it is completely unique as far as I have heard. When I first got it I thought it sounded remiscent of the CS-60 in character but I was terribly terribly wrong. It is like comparing a T-rex with a frog that´s been splattered under all 16 wheels of a 16-wheeler truck. The GX-1 is truly an amazing instrument.
Mattias -Brian Wilson likes cheap curry
Mattias -Julle, Hjalle o Julius
Mattias -Penguins are for cults