This Pedal is discontinued.
Programmable monophonic analog bass synthesizer from the early 1980s
The Roland TB-303 Bass Line is a monophonic analog bass synthesizer built by the Roland Corporation from 1981 to 1984. It was originally designed as a practical accompaniment tool for guitarists, intended to simulate a bass guitar when no bassist was available. Paired with the TR-606 Drumatix drum machine, it offered solo musicians a compact way to practice with programmable rhythm and bass lines.
The TB-303 and TR-606 were launched together in 1981 as a matched set, but their reception was lukewarm. The TB-303’s step-based programming was unintuitive, and its synthetic, squelching tone failed to convincingly replicate a real bass guitar. As mainstream music shifted toward more realistic bass performances and emerging digital sampling technologies in the mid-1980s, the TB-303 was widely regarded as a commercial failure. By the late 1980s, units could often be found in pawn shops for well under US$100.
Despite its initial rejection, the TB-303 went on to become one of the most influential electronic instruments of all time. Producers in Chicago and later in the UK discovered that pushing its filter resonance, accent, and slide functions produced a distinctive, liquid sound that defined the emerging acid house genre. Today, the TB-303 is iconic; its sound synonymous with acid, techno, and electronic dance music. Original units command prices in the thousands of dollars, cementing its legacy as a misunderstood classic turned cultural cornerstone.
