I started as a kid with the Yamaha upright piano from my grand father. Still the instrument closest to my heart.
First hardware synth I had was a Roland d-50 which was actually borrowed from someone else and happened to lie around (!) in the rehearsal room where we played as a band. I was around 16 at the time. Always wanted to buy it from him, but the deal never happened.
Two years ago i found the very same d-50 accidentally on eBay – the guy was actually selling it. Couldn’t believe it!! I managed to buy it and it seemed no one ever had played it in the meantime. it even had my own patches still on it!!! Unbelievable… I love this machine!
@RTK Damn! You were cheated! The Rogue isn't polyphonic!!!
I know, right? I should totally have haggled 
I started as a kid with the Yamaha upright piano from my grand father. Still the instrument closest to my heart. First hardware synth I had was a Roland d-50 which was actually borrowed from someone else and happened to lie around (!) in the rehearsal room where we played as a band. I was around 16 at the time. Always wanted to buy it from him, but the deal never happened. Two years ago i found the very same d-50 accidentally on eBay – the guy was actually selling it. Couldn't believe it!! I managed to buy it and it seemed no one ever had played it in the meantime. it even had my own patches still on it!!! Unbelievable... I love this machine!
That’s always the best way, something with a long connection! I love the D-50 too - it was amongst the first synths I bought and I only parted with it (paired with a D-550 and PG-1000 by that time) when I got a V-Synth XT. Didn’t get on as well with the V-Synth though, I feel like I had it at a time when I wasn’t prepared to experiment or learn enough.
8-bit Casio SA-11. I still have it somewhere…
First instrument: Got a student acoustic guitar for my 9th birthday.
First synth: Got the Casio VL-1 for Xmas 1981.
First drums: Bought the Mattel Synsonics drum kit in 1984.
First effects unit: Realistic Reverb 42-2108
First sequencer/software: Sequencer Plus Pro
First Pro kit: Roland U-220 rompler
Still have all of it (except the sequencer, as I no longer have that computer either), and it all works great.
Roland MC-307… the charming brother of the MC-505. I still use it for sentimental reasons as a sequencer for my Roland MKS-7 super quartet.
MC 303 Groovebox. $700! (Boss digital 8-track rec for $800…). In perspective, makes the op1 a real bargain.
First sampling synth device i played was a casio sk-5. Great burp noise machine.
The first one i bought myself was a philips pmc. Synth somewhere in the 1980ies.Sort of a stoneage op-1. With a tape deck and fm synth plus drumcomputer and a shoulderstrap after that a long time nothing. The a maestro fuzz pedal. In the nineties ofcourse. The mc303. After that a juno 6 minikorg. And a mc 202 Nowadays ive got Roomfull of electronic goodies.
The op-1 is my newest and already one of my favorites, next to my Moog voyager oldschool.
I think I spent $1000 on a Boss 1180CD back in the early 2000s, was an upgrade from my Tascam Porta 02mkII for sure (which was my first multitrack). 20GB hard drive and CD-R, COSM FX, virtual tracks/takes, it was great for being away from the computer and recording guitaring.
I started as a kid with the Yamaha upright piano from my grand father. Still the instrument closest to my heart. First hardware synth I had was a Roland d-50 which was actually borrowed from someone else and happened to lie around (!) in the rehearsal room where we played as a band. I was around 16 at the time. Always wanted to buy it from him, but the deal never happened. Two years ago i found the very same d-50 accidentally on eBay – the guy was actually selling it. Couldn't believe it!! I managed to buy it and it seemed no one ever had played it in the meantime. it even had my own patches still on it!!! Unbelievable... I love this machine!That’s always the best way, something with a long connection! I love the D-50 too - it was amongst the first synths I bought and I only parted with it (paired with a D-550 and PG-1000 by that time) when I got a V-Synth XT. Didn’t get on as well with the V-Synth though, I feel like I had it at a time when I wasn’t prepared to experiment or learn enough.
Nice! Always wanted the PG1000 but they are somewhat hard to find for a reasonable price …
first kit loaned to me indefinitely (as in i still have it but it isn’t “mine”) was korg er-1. great little groovebox for learning x0x sequencing and some basic synthesis. first kit bought was korg ms2000b which taught me waaaaaay more about synthesis.
lots of torrented software in between
For Christmas 1983, I got a Casio PT-30 keyboard, and it still exists to this day. I was 9 or so years old, and yeah, that thing freaking rocked- it had a LCD screen which was pretty awesome to a 9 year old kid in the 90s.
My first bit of hardware was a Boss DR5, probabably around 1996/97. It was a weird drum machine aimed at guitarists. It had midid 4 tracks, a load of GM midi sounds along with quite a few kits, and the notes were laid out in frets.
It was pretty rad, as it was essentially a 4 track sequencer; I could sequence external midi kit (a Waldorf Pulse soon became my 2nd purchase)
One unusual feature, was that it actually had a line-in and converted audio to midi, albeit with very bad tracking. Still, not bad for it’s time.
I pulled it out my cupboard recently, as I was getting back into ‘computer-less’ hardware jams, but it had died, beyond resuscitation. I very nearly bought another one, but eneded up with a 2nd hand korg ESX.