Roland

Roland is a company that sells musical instruments and equipment. The company specializes in keyboards, synthesizers, electronic percussion, and digital recording equipment. In addition to these products, they also have a wide variety of guitar pedals and electronic effect processing equipment.http://www.rolandus.com/corporate/

In addition to the name Roland, the company also owns different brands in the musical instrument market. The brand Boss, a producer of digital effect processors, is owned by the Roland Corporation.http://www.bossus.com/site_info/about.php Rodgers is a company that produces classic American organs, and also operates under the Roland Corporation.http://www.rodgersinstruments.com/aboutRodgers

Before starting Roland, Ikutaro Kakehashi worked with watches, clocks, and eventually Hammond organs. Kakehashi was employed part time with a watch repair shop, then eventually built his own in competition with his former employer. This business lasted until Kakehashi decided to liquidate his watch repair shop to move into the world of music.http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov04/articles/roland.htm#1

In 1954 Kakehasi started "Kakehashi Musen" or Kakehashi radio. This was a electronics repair store that eventually changed its name to Ace Electrical Company. Kakehasi built his first guitar amplifier in 1959. This was after experimenting and becoming frustrated with trying to produce an electronic instrument that generated simple monophonic melodies.http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov04/articles/roland.htm#2

In 1972 after a short run working with Hammond organ company, Kakehasi started the Roland Corporation. The first items produced were AF100 "Bee Baa" Fuzz & Treble Booster and the AS1 sustain pedal. Many different stories have been conceived about where the name Roland came from, but the word was simply chosen for the way it sounds. He wanted two syllables with soft consonants, and Roland is what he came up with.http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov04/articles/roland.htm#3

• 1972 - The name Roland is coined and the first products are developed.http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov04/articles/roland.htm#3
• 1974 - Roland develops the space echo pedals.http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov04/articles/roland.htm#14
• 1976 - Boss pedals begin to be available; the first pedal is the CE1 Chorus Ensemble.http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov04/articles/roland.htm#7
• 1977 - Roland's first guitar synthesizers, the GR500 & GS500 are produced.http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov04/articles/roland.htm#8
• 1984 - The first DG CMU 800R CompuMusic was put on the market.http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec04/articles/roland.htm#6
• 1988 - The corporation buys Rodgers Organs.http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan05/articles/roland.htm#3
• 1992 - The Compact Drum System is created by Roland. This is the first electronic drums to mimic the set up and the sound of an actual drum set.http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb05/articles/roland.htm#9
• 1997 - The VS880 Digital Studio Workstation was released on the 25th birthday of the company.http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb05/articles/roland.htm#12
• 2001 - The VP9000 Variphrase Processor is released, the first of a long line of Variphrase products.http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar05/articles/roland.htm#11