Ikutaro Kakehashi began learning practical mechanical engineering as a teenager, and found there was a demand for electronics repair in Japan following the end of World War II. After recovering from tuberculosis in 1954, he opened a goods store in Osaka and began assembling and repairing radios.Template:Sfn He attempted to build an electric organ in the late 1950s from spares, including parts of an old reed organ, telephones and electronic components, and started a business in 1960, initially making amplifiers. He subsequently designed an organ that was sold by Matsushita.Template:Sfn
In 1964, Kakehashi designed his first hand playing electronic drum, the R1 Rhythm Ace, constructed from transistor circuitry. It was designed to be attached below the manuals on a home organ, and had six buttons that created a variety of percussion sounds. It was presented at that year's NAMM Show. However, it lacked automatic accompaniment and so was unsuccessful.Template:Sfn
In 1965, Ace Tone established a US distribution agreement with Sorkin. In 1967, the company introduced the Rhythm Ace FR-1, which allowed a variety of automatically played popular rhythms with a variable tempo. It was commercially successful and led to partnership with the Hammond Organ Company, who added Ace Tone's rhythm units to its range of instruments.Template:Sfn At the end of the 1960s, Ace Tone began manufacturing guitar effects boxes, such as fuzz which was modelled on an earlier Gibson model.[2]
Products
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Electronic Keyboards
Clavioline
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Hammond VS-300 Cadette (1973–?) — although early Cadettes was built in Japan by Yamaha/Nippon Gakki, later models in the United Kingdom was built by Ace Tone/Nihon Hammond.[Note 1][Note 2]
Hammond F 1000 / 2000 / 3000 (1970s) — these models built in England in the 1970s, were variations of Ace 1000 / 2000 / 3000 designed & built in Japan, based on Hammond Cadette series.[12]
[S][H] Hammond models manufactured by Nihon Hammond.
In the 1970s, possibly several models were also distributed under Multivox brand by Sorkin Music, an early general agent of Ace Tone in the United States.[Media 17] On the other hand, late-1970s models such as Multivox FR-3 seem to share several similarities with Korg Minipops.[Note 3]
[M] Multivox models
[A][M] Also shipped from Multivox
In the mid-1970s, "ACE TONE" brand was taken over by Sakata/Nihon Hammond.[Note 2]
↑ abcdeNihon Hammond: In the mid-1970s, Ace Electronic Industries Inc. was restructured and "ACE TONE" brand was taken over by Nihon Hammond established circa 1970, a joint enterprise of Hammond Organ Company in Chicago and Sakata Shokai in Osaka, Japan.
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Sources
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Ace Tone & Nihon Hammond Catalogs:
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Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". — a visit report on Roland Corporation Hamamatsu Laboratory where early Ace Tone products are also exhibited. Note: the production years seen on their private museum are not reliable. For example, production years of early product/prototype (Canary S-2 (1962), R-1 Rhythm Ace (1964)), and the later mass-production models (Canary S-3 (c. 1965), Rhythm Ace FR-1 (c. 1967)) are mysteriously confused.
Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". — List of products and some corporate history.
Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". — Profiles of organs and corporate history.
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