the OM-27

The OM27 was released in 1981 and became an international overnight success as a truly portable electronic musical instrument. Released in three colours, brown, ivory and Red (ultra rare)*, the Omnichord has 27 chords grouped into three rows: major, minor and seventh. The ergonomics were much improved over the Portachord/Tronichord with the 27 chord buttons located centrally and the Sonic Strings located just to the right and turned by 90 degrees. This made for a far more comfortable playing experience. An "Instant Off" touch pad was located at the top of the strumplate which silenced the Omnichord. The built in speaker was located on the right of the Strumplate whilst the new control panel was located on the left of the chord buttons. Although only one sound was provided for the Stumplate (Harp) the new adjustable sustain meant the instrument could be played percussively or like a stringed instrument. The 5 new styles (rhythms) with automatic bass and chords completely opened up the Omnichord and gave Suzuki the much required extra features the Tronichord lacked and a complete marketing program was put into place.

Design change
Although the metal touch sensitive plate could be played by hand, the OM27 was also supplied with a special conductive Rubber Plectrum. It became apparent those with dry hands struggled to create a sound and a new touch responsive membrane strumplate design was adopted which could be played more easily. As a result the Plectrum was dropped completely. One could retro fit the OM27 with the newly designed plate and these models can easily be recognized by the lack of the 1" plastic moulding directly under the 'instant off' touch plate. This new design has been retained through every model since, including the QC1.

Accessories included:
OCA Mains Adapter.
OCC1 Silver Padded vinyl gig bag with strap and Omnichord Logo. A zipped compartment on the outside for storage of small items (such as the Plectrum)
OCC2 A very fine locking hard carry case finished in brown leatherette and gold Omnichord Logo with a plush lined interior and a storage compartment for accessories such as plectrum, adapter and batteries.
OCS-7 Amplified Speaker
OCM-3 Microphone

Information taken from  www.omnichord-heaven.com 

* note: 
not really sure about this, I never came across a red one. The only one I ever saw was on this picture. If anybody owns or seen one, please contact me, send a photo or...sell it to me:-)

new Manual arrived....

Thanks to Max Sentry we now have a PDF version of the original OM-300 manual.
You can download it for free here or from the Manuals/Schematics/Links section on the right.
Thanks Max for contacting me and taking the time to do this!

The only one missing now is the OM-36! I hope to have one in soon.