The Box That Taught the World to Swing: A History of the Ace Tone Rhythm Ace
Before the Roland TR-808 became the heartbeat of hip-hop and the 909 defined the rave, there was a polite, wood-paneled box that just wanted to help you play your organ.
The Ace Tone Rhythm Ace wasn't just a gadget; it was the "Big Bang" of the modern drum machine. It transformed the percussionist from a person behind a kit into a set of transistors inside a chassis, forever changing how music was composed and performed.
The Visionary from Osaka
The story begins with Ikutaro Kakehashi, an engineer and entrepreneur who founded Ace Electronic Industries (Ace Tone) in 1960. Kakehashi wasn't interested in just copying Western instruments; he wanted to solve a specific problem for solo musicians: the lack of a reliable, portable drummer.
Early rhythm machines, like the Wurlitzer Sideman (1959), were massive, mechanical beasts that relied on rotating discs and vacuum tubes. They were heavy, prone to breaking, and sounded more like a steam engine than a jazz club. Kakehashi envisioned something better—something solid-state.
1967: The FR-1 Revolution
In 1967, Ace Tone released the Rhythm Ace FR-1. It was a landmark moment for three reasons:
Fully Transistorized: It had no moving parts, making it reliable enough for touring.
Preset Rhythms: It offered buttons for "Waltz," "Bossa Nova," "Rock," and "Slow Rock."
The "Multiselect" Hack: While you couldn't program your own beats, you could press multiple rhythm buttons simultaneously to create weird, polyrhythmic hybrids—the first real "glitch" in electronic music history.
The sounds were purely analog—generated by oscillating circuits that produced soft "thumps" for kicks and metallic "pings" for hi-hats. To modern ears, it sounds charmingly "lo-fi," but in 1967, it was the sound of the future.
The Hammond Connection
The Rhythm Ace might have remained a niche Japanese product if not for a massive deal with the Hammond Organ Company. Recognizing that their home organ customers needed a backing track, Hammond began incorporating Ace Tone’s technology directly into their consoles and selling standalone units as the Hammond Auto-Rhythm.
This partnership did two things:
It put Ace Tone technology in thousands of living rooms and churches worldwide.
It gave Kakehashi the capital and confidence to eventually leave Ace Tone and found a little company you might have heard of: Roland.
From Ace Tone to Roland
By the early 1970s, Kakehashi realized that musicians wanted more control. They didn't just want to "push a button for Samba"; they wanted to build their own beats.
When he founded Roland in 1972, he took the DNA of the Rhythm Ace with him. The early Roland machines, like the TR-33, 55, and 77, were essentially evolved versions of the Ace Tone designs. Eventually, this lineage led directly to the CR-78 (the first programmable drum machine) and the legendary TR-808.
Why It Still Matters
The Rhythm Ace wasn't trying to replace a real drummer; it was an instrument in its own right. You can hear its distinctive, warm analog pulse on classic tracks by Sly & The Family Stone (specifically on the album There's a Riot Goin' On) and later in the indie-pop minimalism of Yo La Tengo.
It represents a moment when technology transitioned from mechanical to electronic, proving that a "fake" drum sound could have just as much soul as a real one.
Link to free Download:
https://sites.google.com/view/samplebank/drum-machines/acetone-rhythm-ace?authuser=0