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| Crumar | |
|---|---|
| Name | Crumar |
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Musical instruments |
| Founded | 1970s |
| Headquarters | Italy |
| Products | Electronic keyboards, synthesizers, organs |
Crumar Crumar was an Italian manufacturer of electronic keyboards and synthesizers prominent in the 1970s and 1980s. The company produced a range of organs, string machines, and digital instruments that competed with firms such as Yamaha Corporation, Roland, Korg, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, and Hammond Organ Company. Crumar instruments were used by artists associated with progressive rock, disco, new wave, synth-pop, and electronic music scenes, appearing alongside gear from Moog Music, ARP Instruments, Oberheim Electronics, Sequential Circuits, and Kraftwerk-related studios.
Crumar was founded in Italy during a period of rapid expansion for companies like Elka, Vox, Farfi, Hohner, and Wurlitzer that sought to supply live and studio musicians who worked with labels such as EMI, Island Records, Virgin Records, Polydor Records, and RCA Records. Its early models appeared as alternatives to instruments from Hammond Organ Company used by artists including Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Yes (band), Genesis (band), and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s Crumar navigated market pressures from multinational corporations like Korg USA, Yamaha Corporation, and Roland Corporation as well as boutique builders such as Pultec, EMS (Electroacoustic Music Studio), Buchla, and Steiner-Parker. Management decisions were influenced by distributors and retailers including Guitar Center, Sam Ash, Musician's Friend, and European chains such as Musicland and HMV (entertainment).
Crumar's product line included combo organs, string ensembles, stage pianos, and early digital synthesizers marketed to performers who shared stages with acts like The Police, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Gary Numan. Notable instruments in the market context were often compared to models from Yamaha CS-80, Roland Jupiter-8, Korg Polysix, Oberheim OB-Xa, and Sequential Circuits Prophet-5. Retailers and session musicians associated with studios such as Abbey Road Studios, Sun Studios, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, and Electric Lady Studios sometimes listed Crumar keyboards among gear inventories alongside Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer electric piano, Hammond B-3, and Mellotron. Models were employed on records produced by engineers like Alan Parsons, Trevor Horn, Steve Lillywhite, and Brian Eno.
Crumar instruments used analog subtractive synthesis, divide-down technology, and early digital scanning systems similar in application to those from Elka Synthex, Arp Odyssey, Moog Minimoog, Yamaha DX7, and Ensoniq. Their string machines incorporated topologies and filter designs with parallels to Solina String Ensemble and voice allocation strategies seen in Roland RS-202 and Korg CX-3. Digital features resonated with developments from Bell Labs, Fairlight CMI, Synclavier, and semiconductor suppliers such as Texas Instruments, Intel, Motorola, and Analog Devices. Controls and interfaces reflected design trends influenced by industrial designers who had worked with Apple Inc. and IBM, while manufacturing techniques paralleled processes used by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation and Gibson Brands for cabinetry and chassis fabrication.
Production and supply chains for Crumar components intersected with European electronics ecosystems including firms like STMicroelectronics, Philips, Siemens, Bosch, and Scandinavian suppliers used by Korg and Yamaha. Distribution networks engaged dealers and wholesalers comparable to Soundcraft, Roland UK, Korg UK, and GAK (music retailer), and operations were subject to trade dynamics observed in European Economic Community markets and export relationships with the United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, and France. Competition, currency fluctuations tied to the Bretton Woods system aftermath, and patent landscapes influenced partnerships similar to licensing arrangements seen between Arnold Schwarzenegger-era companies and electronics firms. Corporate strategy responses mirrored those of contemporaries like Elka, Viscount International, and Hohner Musikinstrumente.
Crumar's instruments influenced session players, touring musicians, and producers associated with acts such as The Cure, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Tangerine Dream, and Vangelis. Vintage Crumar keyboards are now collected by museums and private collectors alongside machines exhibited by institutions like Museum of Modern Art, Science Museum (London), and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Enthusiast communities, restoration specialists, and boutique builders reference Crumar designs when creating modern recreations and clones in the spirit of projects by Arturia, Dave Smith Instruments, Moog Music, and Mutable Instruments. Scholarly and journalistic coverage appears in publications similar to Sound On Sound, Electronic Musician, Rolling Stone, NME, and The Wire.
Category:Italian musical instrument manufacturers Category:Synthesizer manufacturing companies