Property of Steve Parish

Jerry Garcia

Garcia’s ARP Odyssey Mark I Synthesizer

Synthesizer (23 x 6 x 16’’).

First introduced in 1972, the ARP Odyssey Model 2800 is a 2-oscillator analog synth and was intended to compete with the Moog Minimoog for compact studio use. It developed it🍃s own following, particularly among funk players. 

"Big Steve" Parish: “I drove Jerry and Ram Rod over to Leo’s Music in Oakland, CA in 1971 to look for new strings and picks one day, and Jerry bought this ARP. The ARP Odyssey was brand new, first ever synth. Jerry lit up when he saw it and purchased it immediately. We took it to our studio and plugged the guitar he used on Eep Hour into it. It was very rudimentary, with simple effects. It was last used in an all electric show that I did with Jerry--all pedals and gadgets, Mickey with all weird electric effects, and Phil mixing the sound at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. I performed what we called Pressure Drop, surprising Jerry, Mickey, and Phil by pulling the main electric panel on and off (they told me to do it randomly). We had so much fun. A few years later Jerry gave it to me to mess with and I’ve had it ever since.”