Tom Oberheim is working on a new synthesiser project he refuses to discuss. The 90-year-old namesake of the legendary gear used on Van Halen’s Jump, Rush’s Tom Sawyer and Prince’s Let’s Go Crazy confirmed the development in a recent interview with MusicTech, stating only that it is keeping him busy.
Oberheim maintains his silence on the specific details for the duration of the conversation, yet he treats the situation as a significant development in his career. He makes it clear he has no intention of retiring, noting that his focus has not been solely on building synths for the last 47 years.
A long history of instruments
The OB-X, responsible for the synth hooks in the three aforementioned songs, launched at the NAMM show in Atlanta in 1979. That release occurred during a difficult period for the company, which also saw the arrival of the DMX drum machine, the OB-Xa and the OB-8 within a seven-year span.
Following that success, the company went bankrupt. Oberheim subsequently lost the naming rights to his lawyer, whom he later sued for malpractice. Gibson purchased the brand, sending Oberheim to work in Silicon Valley, completely away from synthesiser design.
“I decided in the mid-90s that it was time for me to go to work and pay the mortgage on the house,” Oberheim says.
Return to the studio
Decades later, Oberheim regained the rights to his name. Focusrite later purchased the rights alongside a distribution deal with Sequential. Under this arrangement, the TEO-5, OB-X8 and OB-6 have all been released to the public.
It sounds cliché, but it is the simple joy of the work that keeps him going.
“Do the work you love, and combine that with what you like to do that isn’t work.”
What it means
For musicians relying on Oberheim hardware, the news suggests a potential new addition to their studio setup without a confirmed name or feature set. The project represents a return to the core business of synthesiser design for a man who has spent nearly half a century away from it. Until more details emerge, the community can only speculate on what form the new instrument will take.
