The new ARP Odyssey FS Kit from Korg offers enthusiasts a unique opportunity to build their very own ARP Odyssey FS duophonic synthesizer. Featuring the same analogue circuitry as the original, Korg say this DIY kit can be assembled without any soldering or technical knowledge.

Originally produced by ARP in 1972, the ARP Odyssey has become a synth icon as used on tracks by artists such as Abba, Herbie Hancock, Devo, Jean-Michele Jarre and many more. Korg revived the ARP name with the Korg ARP Odyssey reissue in 2015, which was soon followed by the launch of the ARP Odyssey FS, ARP 2600 FS and ARP 2600 M. This release features the same analogue circuitry as the original ARP Odyssey FS and gives the option to switch between filters from all three historical revisions.

The Korg Odyssey ARP FS Kit follows the original specs of the Rev. 3 model, with a full-size keyboard and iconic black panel design with orange lettering. The recognisable character of the Odyssey’s sound comes from its switchable sawtooth and square waveforms, pulse width modulation, oscillator sync, ring modulation and pink or white noise generator, all of which are reproduced in the Arp Odyssey FS Kit. The original PPC (Proportional Pitch Control) rubber pad has been reproduced, allowing for pressure-sensitive pitch bends, as has a portamento slider and transpose switch. The kit also comes supplied with a pictorial guide to help simplify assembly.

The synthesizer’s back panel hosts a range of connectivity options. It has both quarter-inch jack and XLR outputs, an audio input jack for external processing, and a headphone jack for monitoring. The instrument also features CV, gate and trigger jacks for sending and receiving analogue signals, and includes both quarter-inch and mini-size patch cables. Additionally, it has a MIDI IN connector and USB MIDI port for connection to a computer or other MIDI device. The GATE OUT and TRIG IN jacks can be connected to play legato without triggering the EG.