90-year-old synth pioneer Tom Oberheim reclaims brand name
Synthesizer pioneer Tom Oberheim has reclaimed his namesake brand after decades of corporate ownership, returning to hardware development at age 90.
Synthesizer pioneer Tom Oberheim turned 90 last week, but instead of retiring, he is back at the helm of his namesake company. He recently reclaimed the Oberheim trademark from Uli Behringer, who had acquired it from Gibson. Oberheim and Sequential now jointly ship modern instruments including the OB-X8, TEO-5 and OB-6.
The revival highlights the enduring commercial value of legacy music technology brands. Original Oberheim hardware, such as the OB-Xa used on Prince’s "1999" and Van Halen’s "Jump", now commands around $10,000 on the secondhand market. Reclaiming a brand with this level of cultural cachet represents a significant asset recovery in the specialist music economy.
Oberheim originally lost the rights to his own name when Oberheim Electronics went bankrupt in 1985. The collapse was triggered by production delays on the Matrix 12 instrument. During the bankruptcy proceedings, Tom’s lawyer acquired the Oberheim trademark, prompting Tom to later sue the lawyer for malpractice. The intellectual property eventually passed to Gibson before Behringer took control, with Marcus Ryle ultimately helping Oberheim secure the rights back.
Stripped of his brand, Oberheim spent nearly two decades working outside the music industry. He described the era as a "high tech rat race," taking a job he found online to write traffic light software. He also did technical writing and worked at a think tank owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. "We thought, well, if we’re careful, we’ll probably be able to pay for the nursing home," he told MusicTech.
The return to hardware began in 2009 when designer Roger Linn convinced Oberheim to reissue the SEM module. Oberheim’s historical relationship with industry standards was complex. He initially refused to engage with MIDI when Dave Smith proposed it, only agreeing to serve as the neutral first president of the MIDI Manufacturers Association after Roland and Sequential built the interface without him. "The history books say I was involved in MIDI," Oberheim said. "That’s such a joke."
Today, Oberheim continues to shape the hardware market he helped create. He admits work takes longer now, but he remains focused on engineering. "I do also have a little project, which I can’t talk about but it’s keeping me busy," he said. For a founder who once generated half a million dollars in orders by noon at a 1979 trade show, the laboratory remains his primary focus.
