ARP 2600

The ARP 2600 was a semi-modular monophonic synthesizer from the early 1970s, succeeding the ARP 2500. Compared to most modular systems at the time, the 2600 had a basic selection of synth modules all pre-wired internally, most of which can be manually rewired afterwards with patch cords, making it easier to work with. The synth itself has 3 oscillators and one LFO, with a large control panel to tweak the sound to the user's liking.

Tony Banks was known for using the ARP 2600 frequently for Genesis studio work from the mid to late 1970s for synth lead work. Producer David Hentschel had access to an ARP 2500, followed by the 2600 which Tony used a couple of times before getting his own. According to him, "[he] found the way of synthesising from basics quite easy to do, and learnt about synthesisers using that machine." His earliest known use of the 2600 as a studio instrument was on the A Trick Of The Tail album, but chose not to use it on tour as he felt its subtleties would be lost and the tones would be more compromised. Eventually, on the ...And Then There Were Three tour the 2600 replaced the ARP Pro Soloist, as he couldn't go further with its limited range of sounds.

By the time of the Duke tour, the ARP 2600 was replaced with the ARP Quadra.