Roland TB-303

Roland designed the TB-303 as a bass guitar substitute for solo performers, but it was a commercial failure discontinued after just 18 months. Then Chicago DJs cranked the resonance and filter cutoff, and acid house was born—a genre entirely defined by this machine. Phuture's "Acid Tracks" (1987) unleashed the 303 squelch on the world, and it remains the most influential bass synth in dance music, cheaper than the average vintage synth at launch ($395 in 1982) yet now commanding $5,000+ used. Its 25% resonance range produces a squelch that no other instrument—even the #1 Minimoog—can replicate, making it the ultimate example of a failed product creating an entire genre.