Vintage Synth Repair

So are they basically acting like maybe what you would use a
transistor switch for now? Like you press the key down, it turns the
neon bulb on, that then acts like a switch and lets signal through?

Sorry if I am being obtuse. I probably need to see it in the circuit
drawing to really get what is going on.

> 
> They used those because designing keyers with early tech could be a
real bear,  
> in terms of bleedthrough.  A neon bulb that's off is a *really* high 
> impedance,  by comparison with a lot of other circuits that they
could do 
> cheaply and make a lot of.
> 
> Old tube Lowrey organs also used a lot of those.