Vintage Gibson Maestro MRK-1 Rhythm King Drum Machine SN 08838

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via this auction

"This unit has a cable built-in with 1/4" male end, so using your own cable isn't even necessary to hook it up to an external device, as well as having a built-in foot switch..." [pictured below]

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Vintage Gibson Maestro MRK-2 Rhythm King

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analoglsd (RSS)

More pics of the inside below.

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Maestro Rhythm King MRK-4 Analog Vintage Drum Machine

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via this auction

"This is an analogue drum machine from the mid 1970s. It uses inductor coils or "tuned tanks" to produce its sound in a similar way to the Roland TR-77 and the Korg Mini-Pops. The modulator section is key to this unit and sets it apart from other drum machines of the era. You can connect an instrument to the rear modulator input (say, a synthesizer), and then that input gets triggered by the Rhythm King' beat. Must be heard to believe. YouTube this, and you'll hear that feature. Very cool.

It's a rare piece, especially in this condition. All sounds work, all rhythms work and all sliders are nice and crackle-free. There are 10 sounds and 16 rhythms plus an intro/break feature. The rhythms can be combined as is typical with these older 'diode matrix' rhythm units. The two cymbal sounds have various decay amounts depending on the rhythms chosen ranging from a short maracas type sound to open high-hat. This is a heavy unit in tolex."

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Maestro Rhythm King MRK-2

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via this auction
Perfect Circuit Audio

Click through the listing for the rest of the pics and be sure to see the sellers other items for more. Cutting these short due to NAMM.

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Switched On Demos: Rhythm King and Moog Rogue (Modified)

YouTube Published on Aug 20, 2012 by Switched On

"We thought we would look into the interactivity of the Maestro Rhythm King drum machine and the classic Moog Rogue that we have modified.

These mods are readily available to your Moog Rogue or its Realistic branded equivelant the MG-1.

For more information and contact please visit:
http://www.switchedonaustin.com/"

Maestro Rhythm King MRK-2

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via this auction

Audio demo at the auction while up.

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Maestro Rhythm King MRK-2 SN 13423

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via this auction
Perfect Circuit Audio (RSS)

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New 2011 Optigan Disc - VIBRASCAPE

YouTube Uploaded by optigandotcom on Nov 28, 2011

"New 2011 Optigan Disc - VIBRASCAPE
Now available for pre-order at http://www.optigan.com/shoptigan/new-optical-discs/optigan-discs/new-2011-opt...

Like our popular PIANOSCAPE disc, VIBRASCAPE presents the sound of the vibraphone in a uniquely Optigan fashion. The keyboard tones are arranged as a series of rhythmic patterns that create hypnotic, pulsating soundscapes when chords are played. (This disc is not particularly suited to melodic playing). The chord buttons feature sustained bowed vibraphone chords. The special effects switches help keep the groove going with a selection of rhythms from the Maestro Rhythm King MRK-2, an old-school beatbox and technological contemporary of the Optigan. Optigans equipped with a spring reverb will provide the most haunting sound, which is further enhanced by inserting the disc upside-down for backwards play.

LEFT HAND: Bowed Vibraphone.
RIGHT HAND: Vibraphone Rhythms.
SPECIAL EFFECTS SWITCHES: 1. Samba, 2. Rhumba, 3. Bossa Nova, 4. Bolero, 5. Go-Go.

Vibraphone played and recorded by Mark Greenberg
Music produced, edited, and mastered by Pea Hicks.
Disc creation software, disc production cover artwork and jacket layout by Robert Becker.
Photography by Pea Hicks."

Maestro Rhythm King MRK-4 drum machine

via this auction

"This is an analogue drum machine from the mid 1970s. It uses inductor coils or "tuned tanks" to produce its sound in a similar way to the Roland TR-77 and the Korg Mini-Pops.

It is quite rare especially in the UK and in this condition. All sounds work, all rhythms work and all sliders are nice and crackle-free. There are 10 sounds and 16 rhythms plus an intro/break feature. The rhythms can be combined as is typical with these older 'diode matrix' rhythm units. The two cymbal sounds have various decay amounts depending on the rhythms chosen ranging from a short maracas type sound to open high-hat.

There is a 'modulation' feature that takes an external input and modifies it (probably gating it rhythmically). However, I must stress that I have not been able to test this and the unit is now well and truly boxed-up and ready to go. I have absolutely no reason to suspect that it doesn't work and would be surprised if it didn't, but please assume that it doesn't and bid accordingly, then you won't be disappointed. This unit is first and foremost a drum machine and that part of it is fully working. There is also a multi-pin socket on the back for a foot controller I believe, but I do not have the controller and so haven't been able to test it. I wasn't able to find a service manual on-line so don't know each pin's function."

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Klemt Echolette-Maestro Rhythm Master-Astor Tube Radio-Vintage Jam.MOV

YouTube Uploaded by NakagawaGakki on Aug 6, 2011

"Vintage Tube Jam. My decrepit Astor Tube Radio from 1949 being mashed by the modulation gate of the 1971 Maestro Rhythm King Mk4 then fed to the awesomely hungry 60s era Klemt Echolette NG51s Tube Tape delay... Spat straight out at the camera.

Live recording of a similar setup for Noizemaschin #1 19/07/2011:
http://soundcloud.com/i-n0jaq/thermionik-molestah

Video of the same:
http://youtu.be/a3aXp1KesWM [below]

Live recordings of all artists performing at Noizemaschin #1:
http://theartifactory.bandcamp.com/album/noizemaschin-1"

I.n0jaQ

Uploaded by cirtcele on Jul 23, 2011

"Artifactory NoizeMaschin#1 July2011 From the blurb:
I.n0jaQ - I.n0jaQ will be dusting off 1950s tube radios, 60s tape reverbs, 70s preset rhythm boxes, 80s educational machines and 90s found electronics. The unmistakable warm tone of last century's analogue circuitry intensely over-driven to timeless noise brutality levels."

Vintage Maestro Drum Machine Rhythm King

via this auction

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Vintage Maestro Rhythm King Drum Machine MRK 1

YouTube via bobbybot2000 | January 29, 2011

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MAESTRO RHYTHM KING

via this auction
"THIS IS AN AWESOME MAESTRO RHYTHM KING ELECTRONIC DRUMMING MACHINE WITH A COLLAPSIBLE STAND.

ITS RHYTHMS ARE:

LATIN –
Bossa Nova
Samba
Bolero
Rhumba
ChaCha
Mambo
Tango

AMERICAN –
Slow Fox
Slow Rock
Swing
Dixie
Shuffle
GoGo
Swing Waltz
And one I cannot read

TRADITIONAL-
Waltz
March Polka
Western

IT COMES WITH A FOOT PEDDLE AND CORDS TO HOOK INTO ANY AMPLIFIER.

IT ALSO HAS FEATURES FOR DOWN BEAT, VOLUME CONTROL, BALANCE, METRONONE WITH SPEED CONTROL AND ON-OFF-PILOT.

THE BLACK BUTTONS ARE: BASS DRUM, SNARE DRUM, HI-HAT CYMBAL, CYMBAL, TOM TOM, BONGO, BLOCKS AND CLAVE.

IT’S COVERED WITH BLACK VINYL INCLUDING A CARRYING STRAP ON TOP. WITH OR WITHOUT THE STRAP IT’S VERY PORTABLE TO ANY GIG.

IT’S APPROXIMATELY 19-1/2” LONG, 8-1/2” HIGH AND 6-1/2” DEEP. ON THE STAND, IT IS APPROXIMATELY 33” TO THE TOP AND THE FACE IS TIPPED TO FACILITATE EASY READABILITY."

1969 Maestro Model MRK-2 'Rhythm King' Rhythm Machine

via this auction

"This is a 1969 Maestro Model MRK-2 'Rhythm King' Rhythm Machine. Made in USA by Gibson Inc, Lincolnwood, Ill. USA. Serial #15314.

Features and Problems: 18 Pre-programmed 'Rhythms'. (7) Latin, (8) American and (3) Traditional. Controls for: 'Volume', 'Balance' and 'Speed/Metronome'. Lighted On/Off rocker switch. Eight additional 'momentary' black switches for: 'Bass Drum', 'Snare Drum', 'Hi-Hat Cymbal', 'Cymbal', 'Tom Tom', 'Bongo', 'Blocks' and 'Clave'. This unit was tested by our electronics tech and he said it all worked except for the 'Bongos', 'Blocks' and 'Clave' switches which are non-functional and do not work. All control switches were cleaned. All other switches and rhythms/controls work fine. Exterior wood case covering has much wear (see photo). The AC cord, 1/4" cable and Footswitch all work and are stored in the compartment on the back."

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Maestro Rhythm King MRK-2

via this auction
"Vintage 1970s Maestro Rhythm King MRK-2 Analog Drum Machine w/ Original Cover, Footswitch

This auction is for an all-original Rhythm King Mrk-2 analog "beat box" drum machine by Maestro, a division of Gibson. Sly Stone is said by many to have considered this "funk box" a key to his sound! As posted on the internet, he purportedly used it throughout his classic album, 'There's a Riot Goin' On.'

The auction includes the original footswitch and the cover, which is in good shape but has a tear at one of the back corners. This classic gives you an amazing array of rhythm combinations available at your fingertips. From the Bossa Nova and Bolero to Waltzes and Western, you are sure to find your sound on this thing, with individualized percussion like tom toms, blocks, cymbals, and more!"

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FunkBox Drum Machine for iPad Demo

YouTube via syntheticbits | July 25, 2010

"Demo of the FunkBox Drum Machine iOS app from Synthetic Bits. FunkBox emulates the look and feel of a vintage drum machine, using classic beatbox sounds including the TR-808, TR-909 and Maestro Rhythm King MRK-2. It works on the iPhone, iPod Touch and now the iPad. FunkBox is a universal app, so you only need to buy it once and you can use it on any of those devices. This demo is of the iPad version, especially designed for the iPad to be fun and super easy to use. Available now in the Apple app store"

iPads on Ebay

The iTunes link above is for both the iPhone or iPad version. I have had the iPhone version for a while now and it's a great app.

NOT NAMM: FunkBox Drum Machine iphone app demo

YouTube via syntheticbits

"Demo of the FunkBox Drum Machine iphone app from Synthetic Bits. FunkBox is a pocket-sized emulation of classic vintage beatboxes, along with all their dirt and quirks. Grab a Funkbox and get busy making yourself some funky beats. Available now from the Apple iTunes iphone app store!"

on iTunes here:


Official Press Release:

"Sometime late last night the FunkBox Drum Machine dropped on the iTunes App Store, bringing some much needed fun and funk to grateful humans across the planet Earth. The latest release from iPhone developers Synthetic Bits, this app brings all the sound, feel and features of a vintage drum machine to your iPhone, without letting the slick iPhone interface detract from the quirky charm of the original boxes blinky lights, clicky buttons, and sticky sliders.

"Putting in all the most useful parts of a classic beatbox was important, but what we really wanted to do was capture the real feel of using these things. They aren't cut and dry and precise - they are quirky, they're dusty, they're funky." says Art Kerns of Synthetic Bits. "Mostly we tried to make something that people could have fun just playing around with, because it can have all the features in the world, but if it isn't fun you'll never actually use it."

The idea for FunkBox came while Art was working on recording a retro-styled electronica album (Submodern's 2009 release "Slowburn") where he used an assortment of old vintage drum machines from the 70's and 80's. Rather than mousing around with the latest drum plugins, or triggering samples from within a modern digital audio sequencer, he sat down and recorded all the beats for the album using those original dusty, finicky, and funky decades-old beat boxes, giving him a new appreciation for their quirky interfaces, classic sounds, and limited but inspiring feature sets. Synthetic Bits' goal in making the FunkBox app was to create something similarly fun, funky, and easy to use.

"It's cool because you don't have to be an electronic musician to enjoy this thing," explains Synthetic Bits' co-founder Chris Kerns. "I didn't have any experience with drum machines and still had a lot of fun messing with the different beats and boxes in there, even if I didn't understand what everything did at first. And then when you're ready, you can also get a little deeper and really tweak things."

FunkBox brings everything you need to make your own dirty, funky beats on your iPhone, anywhere you go. A variety of preset beat patterns, tempo adjustments on the fly, classic drum box sounds, a live mixer, and for those who want to really get in there a classic x0x style drum programming grid. Beat heads everywhere can use the Funkbox to drop dirty beats sampled from Synthetic Bits personal collection of coveted vintage drum machines: the Roland TR-808, Roland TR-909, Roland TR-606, Roland CR-78, Maestro Rhythm King MRK-2 (the drum machine that Sly Stone nicknamed "the Funkbox"), and Korg ER-1. Yep, all the classic beatboxes that were used on all your favorite old school electro, techno, hip hop and synthpop tracks, and that are still being heavily used and namedropped to this day by artists like Beck ("Bangin' like an 808..."), Outkast ("I know y'all wanted that 808..."), the Beastie Boys ("...nothing sounds quite like an 808!"), and others.

"I was just trolling around the iTunes App Store this morning, and realized something was different," observed Chris. "Do you smell that? I think someone just brought the funk."

The FunkBox Drum Machine is available for download in the "music" section of the iTunes App Store today."

Deltalab DL-5 Harmonicomputer Demonstration

YouTube via caffeinatedrecording
"This guys has a very noisy signal path, but here's what one of these weird contraptions sounds like. I am running a Maestro Rhythm King into it."

Demo of Maestro Rhythm King MRK-2 Drum Machine

YouTube via submodern.
Demonstration of the sounds and preset rhythms of the Maestro Rhythm King MRK-2 drum machine, dubbed "the funk box" by Sly Stone and used on his classic album "There's a Riot Goin' On"."
via Art who also put up a page here with samples.