Boston fans: What member invented what?

Cafe Society
1

I always heard one of the guys from Boston invented some amplifier, or guitar? Can anyone tell me who in the band, Boston, invented what?

2

Tom Scholz invented the Rockman. It’s kind of a portable effects processor with a distinctive (Boston-like) distortion sound.

3

I have one, from back in the day, even though I haven’t picked up a guitar in forever. It’s true that you could get a very Boston-like distortion, but you could turn that off, and it had a few other effects as well. The main reason I used it was as a headphone amp, so I could play without annoying the hell out of my family.

Every once in a while, I’ll notice it in my closet, and wonder if it’s worth any money, but eBay tells me, “not really”. So I keep it for the sentimental value.

4

He also invented the technology behind the original Polaroid camera.

5

He worked as a design engineer for Polaroid, but since the original camera hit the market in 1947, the year Scholz was born, I doubt that he had anything to do with inventing the technology.

I thought, but can’t seem to confirm, that he invented a power sink device for guitar amps.

6

I believe Scholz was in on the development of the Polaroid SX-70, the modern kind that uses self-developing prints with the developing chemicals sealed into the print. He was a senior design engineer at Polaroid after graduating from M.I.T. in 1970, and the SX-70 came out in 1972, so this would be the right time frame. He was also recording demos in his home studio while working for Polaroid.

7

Yeah, that’s the one I meant. 'n stuff.

8

The Power Soak, a power attenuator to step down the power of an amp so that you could crank the tubes up nice and hot without the volume killing your ears. He also invented the combo harmonizer/delay that gave his leads that thick sound. It was more an innovation on existing technology, and I don’t believe he ever developed it commercially. His old company, Scholz Research & Development, made lots of guitar gear. The Rockman is now sold via Dunlop, which seems to have bought lots of musical instrument/musical accessory companies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholz_Research_&_Development,_Inc.