Korg’s iconic ARP 26000 FS gets limited edition re-release for Star Wars Day
The synth was originally used for the voice of Star Wars character R2-D2
A small batch of full-sized ARP 2600s are being released by Korg to mark 4th May, aka Star Wars Day.
The ARP 2600 was the synth originally made by ARP in 1971 that was later used to produce many of the sounds in the 1977 Star Wars film, most notably R2-D2 .
Korg acquired the rights to ARP around 2014 and has since recreated many of its synths, including releasing a limited run of full-sized 2600s in 2020.
Now, the Japanese company is putting a small number of 2600s up for sale on the US market. Customers can buy the full-sized synths via Reverb for $4,499.99, including shipping.
When Korg released the 2020 limited run of 2600s, the synth remakes sold out quickly at the unit price of $3,899.99 and were later sold for greater sums on the second-hand market. At the time Korg said that it would never make more full-sized ARP 2600s, however smaller "module" versions have been released in larger quantities.
Ben Burtt was the brains behind the sound design for the original Star Wars film. He said that creating R2-D2's voice was the "hardest" aspect of his work on the movie, which he crafted by mixing noises from the ARP 2600 with his own voice.
