Ace Tone listed the FR-6 at ¥44,800 in its 1978 Japanese catalogue, beside the FR-15, AV-64, FR-60 and FR-8L. The catalogue does not establish when the model first went on sale.
A small box in a broad range
The FR-6 occupies the upper-left corner of Ace Tone’s 1978 rhythm-machine spread. Four other models surround it: compact accompaniment units, a longer console and the amplifier-sized FR-60. This little freestanding box was one way into a range built around different playing setups.
At ¥44,800
Ace Tone printed ¥44,800 beside the FR-6. It gives the machine a specific place in the Japanese 1978 catalogue: an individually priced instrument alongside its larger and differently equipped companions.
Controls for the player
A later Ishibashi surviving-unit listing describes ten preset rhythms, a two-/four-beat variation control and high- and low-impedance outputs. It also identifies latching-footswitch start/stop provision. Those are details of the listed survivor: a box whose rhythm and connections could be chosen to suit the player’s setup.
Sources
The visual archive