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Fender stratocaster
greatly influenced music through the artists; many artists used this guitar due to its greater tone & power, making it a common sound on many tracks
used by Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan & Buddy Holly
surprisingly, the stratocaster has been used very little in mainstream music in the 21st century, possible due to the phasing out of rock in favour of pop & electronic tracks -
Mellotron
an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard
played by pressing its keys each of which presses a length of magnetic tape against a capstan drawing it across a playback head used The Moody Blues' on the band's 1967 album Days of Future Passed
used by The Beatles on several tracks, including "Strawberry Fields Forever"
subsequently used by groups like King Crimson & Genesis, & becoming a common instrument in progressive rock -
Fender rhodes
an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, became popular in the 1970s
generates sound like a conventional piano with keys & hammers, but instead of strings, the hammers strike thin metal tines
these are amplified via keyboard amp/speakers
BS oversaw mass production in the 70s
The Doors' Ray Manzarek began using Rhodes instruments when the band was formed in 1965
also used by Miles Davis in the 60s making it a popular part of jazz music -
Polymoog
a polyphonic analog synthesizer that was manufactured by Moog Music from 1975 to 1980
based on divide-down oscillator technology similar to electronic organs & string synthesizers of the time
Gary Numan was one of the Polymoog's most recognizable users. The electronic string sound featured prominently on the track "Cars" & most of the album The Pleasure Principle became his signature sound in the late 1970s & early 1980s
it was also used by Cliff Richards in his 1979 hit "we don't talk anymore" -
Synclavier
used by many prominent artists from the 70s to the 90s due to its versatility, its cutting-edge technology, and distinctive sounds
it proved to be highly influential among both electronic music composers and music producers, including Mike Thorne -
Fairlight CMI
a digital synthesizer, sampler and digital audio workstation introduced in 1979
one of the earliest music workstations with an integrated digital sampler
credited for coining the term "sampling" in music
greatly influenced pop & film music, due to its use by artists such as Stevie Wonder & Hans Zimmer