Buchla Under New Ownership, Expect More New Synthesisers

Well, this is exciting news for those interested in Buchla instruments. Being taken over by Eric Fox bodes well indeed for the future of Buchla. We met him at Superbooth and were immediately taken by his commitment to synths, Buchla, and its future. Plus, Marc Doty is onboard at Buchla USA too. Honestly, if you were ever concerned about the long term future of Buchla synths, don't be. We anticipate more interesting synth modules and machines from Buchla in the coming years!

Here's what Buchla USA LLC tells us about their new acquisition:

Announcing the purchase of Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments by Buchla U.S.A. LLC. The iconic electronic musical instrument company founded by Don Buchla as Buchla and Associates in the mid-1960s is now headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and headed by CEO Eric Fox.

The new company will continue to create unique, expressive, and iconic electronic performance instruments and controllers with a focus on the 50+ year history of Don Buchla. Buchla U.S.A.’s lead design and engineering is being performed by Don Buchla's right-hand-man, Joel Davel, who worked with Don for over 20 years. Production of the majority of Buchla modules is being handled by Dave Reilly, who was hand-picked by Don to manufacture Buchla products. Both design and production are located in the San Francisco bay area, as they were in the 1960s.   

Buchla Music Easel - popular with Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Steve Horelick, and a growing number of influential artists.

“With such an amazing legacy I am really excited about telling the story of Don and working closely with Joel and Dave to develop new products in the spirit of Don... and even revisiting/reimagining some of his designs that never actually made it out into the wild!" said Buchla U.S.A. CEO Eric Fox, about this historic purchase. “I hope to involve as many of the artists and people that inspired Don as possible, moving forward. We owe it to him and the generations of new users to give them a sense of what he was all about." 

Buchla U.S.A. is committed to the continued production of high-quality historic synthesis/performance technology, a focus on and celebration of Don Buchla's legacy, and meeting the needs of Buchla customers. 

By listening to the needs of composers at the San Francisco Tape Music Center, Don Buchla created one of the first modular voltage-controlled synthesizers in the mid-1960s as only a gifted designer and engineer could. His innovative and seminal musical instruments have inspired composers and listeners alike for over 50 years.