Welcome to ORGAN*PRON!

 

NOTE:  This post is a ‘Sticky’, a post that starts the top of each page.  New content continues below!

Hello everybody and welcome to Organ*Pron, a blog dedicated to that most enigmatic of instruments, the electric organ! My name’s Mars and while I’m certainly no keyboard wizard, I do love the artistry and innovation that has gone into the myriad of electronic organs. What I’m attempting to do with this blog is to make a sort of photographic database of the many organs out there. My main inspiration is undoubtedly the unparalleled juggernaut that is Matrixsynth the last word in synthesizer pron on web.

I’ve been cruising both ebay and craigslist looking at the various organs and noticed that, beyond the fact that they’re either blood curdlingly expensive or dirt cheap, there is very little in the way of a comprehensive database to reference these things. I’d like to try and change that. Unfortunately, I know VERY LITTLE in this regard, so I’m hoping that you organ enthusiasts can help both identify the pics of any unknown organs I post and add pictures and reviews of your own!

I do want to make clear that I want to keep the blog fun and loose for now, so don’t expect academia when visiting. The name of the blog is ORGAN*PRON, after all.

Okay, while I want to keep a main focus on organs here, I’m not opposed to string machines, Mellotrons and their family (Birotrons, Nanotrons, Optigans, etc.), artistically interesting Harmoniums, mystery stuff, videos, add ons, VSTi’s, home modifications (can you even do this?), etc.. No straight up synthesizers though, as Matrixsynth has that well covered!

Okay, so a few rules. First, I don’t own the vast majority of what’s going up and what I do have ain’t for sale so don’t ask. If I do decide to sell, I’ll notify you all by posting my EBAY or CRAIGSLIST link. Secondly, please don’t try and sell your stuff in the comments unless you have an active ebay or craigslist post for the item. NO DIRECT SELLING OF STUFF IN THE COMMENTS SECTION – IF YOU TRY I’LL DELETE THE COMMENT AND BAN YOU.

Forget it.  Comments closed unless otherwise noted.

Update October 2010:  I plan on doing more updates now that I don’t have to worry about thieves, jerks and fraud victims clogging up the comments section.  Stay tuned!

Moog Cordovox CDX Organ 1975

“The Moog Satellite was designed to be an organ player’s synth. It was manufactured by the Thomas Organ Company, who paid a large royalty to be allowed to manufacture the Satellite for Moog. In return they were allowed to incorporate the Satellite into their organs. Thomas Organ Company also, along with Cordovox, designed the Moog CDX.

The Moog CDX is basically a Cordovox organ with a built in Satellite monosynth. It is the only organ product that bears the Moog name prominently across the front. Somewhat rare in the US, they seem to be in plentiful supply in parts of Europe.
CDX-0652

A dual-manual combo organ with a Moog Satellite grafted onto it. I understand that the Satellite had a very thin sound, nothing like the MiniMoog. It had only a single oscillator and several preset sounds, similar to other semi-preset synths like the Arp Pro Soloist and the Roland SH-2000.

Thomas bought the rights to the Satellite from Moog. The CDX-0652 was designed by Thomas in cooperation with Cordovox. A Thomas version of the Satellite (the “Synthi 1055) and the CDX-0652 were both manufactured by EME, the same outfit that made most Italian Vox organs. Thomas also marketed the Satellite under the “Orbit” name on some of their home organs.

The synthesizer voices play only on the upper manual, organ voices play on both. Organ and synth voices may be played simultaneously on the upper manual. It includes a batch of 9 preset synthesizer voices that don’t appear on a Satellite. Unlike the 0642, this one seems to have all of the organ features (many of which seem identical to the 0642) available on both keyboards.

Controls:

Top Panel:

* Tab: Moog On/Off
* Buttons: Piano, Sax, Guitar, Flute, Banjo, Clarinet, String, Trumpet, Horn, Preset
* *Tabs 1: Octaves: 1 & 2 Modulation: Rep, Sine/Square, Vib, Trem
* *Tabs 2: Glide, Sust
* *Tabs 3: Brass: Mute, Open Reed: Thin, Hollow, Full, Bright
* *Tabs 4: String: Bow, Pluck Strike, Pick Bell, Lunar

Left of Upper Keyboard:

* Knob: Tuning
* Black Sliders: Flute Voices: 16′, 8′, 5-1’3, 4′, 2-2’3, 2′ Mixture, Volume Lower, Volume Upper
* *White Sliders: Filter: Contour, Color, Emphasis Modulation: Rate, Depth Glide, Volume

Left of Lower Keyboard:

* Buttons: Coupler, Sustain, Bass
* Sliders: Bass Min/Max, Guitar Bass, Vibrato Depth

Right of Lower Keyboard:

* Buttons: Percuss, Repeat, Mono
* Sliders: 8′, 4′, 2-2/3′, 2′, Decay Short/Long, Repeat Rate Slow/Fast”"

Via THIS AUCTION

89 Keyless Gavioli Replica Band Organ

Built by Master Craftsman Ken Smith.

“This 89 Keyless Gavioli replica band organ, built by Ken Smith, is based on those organs built in the Black Forest of Germany by the Gavioli company. The keyscale is the 89 key G4 scale and playes folding cardboard music.  The quality of construction and materials, is of the highest level. Research was done by careful examination of antique instruments and making drawings from these. Ken was a highly skilled machinist, and the organ reflects his abilities.

In addition to all of the hand made organ pipes, valve chests, and other components, the organ has an elaborate hand carved facade with two figures and a conductor. The organ, as shown in the first photo, is 13 feet wide, 7-1/2 feet tall, and has a depth of 4 feet. There are 402 pipes and over 2,500 meters of music including many classical and popular tunes. Organ is in top playing condition.

This organ has appeared at many MBSI, AMICA, COAA and ABOA organ rallies for more than 20 years.

Organ is located in the Columbus, Ohio area. Buyer must provide all shipping arangements.”

Via THIS AUCTION

For A Piddling $80,000.00!

Step Into Concrète: Organ Sample Sets (and VSTi)

Hello everyone (that I didn’t scare away with my last post).

Today I thought I’d do something a little different and turn you on to some organ sample sets, free as well as commercial.  For the few of you that have no clue what I’m speaking of -A history lesson:

‘Samples’ are snippets of recorded sound used in musical composition.  It technically started in the 1940′s with Pierre Schaeffer and ‘Musique Concrète’.

1948!

In the 1960′s Musique Concrète went pop with the birth of the Mellotron, a keyboard that played 8 second lengths of audio tape playing a signle note of an instrument (like a cello, or violin) per key.  Certainly, you’ve heard it.

The strings?  Mellotron.

Then came the 80′s and with it came digital sampling.  The biggest name in the form was the Fairlight CMI.

Peter Gabriel explains the Fairlight!  Yes, in English

Art of Noise with their ground breaking Fairlight track (and amusing vid) for “Close To The Edit”

As the decade wore on, the technology became MUCH cheaper and the data storage much smaller resulting in many different choices in the sampling realm.  From the heavy duty:

The EMU Emulator II

To the down and dirty:

The Ensoniq Mirage (RACK VERSION)

Pete Rock wailing on the now legendary EMU SP1200 (among other things)

To the thing you wish you never bought your grandkid for Christmas:

What they sold you…

What you bought!

Replace “Hello My Name Is Herbert” with a fart, or “Billy Is Gay” and the tears, they did flow huh, Gramma?  Yep.

Well, with the 90′s came the advent of computer recording and now, in the late Aughties, anyone with a half decent computer or smart phone (iPhone / iPad) has the ability to also run a top of the line sampler / sequencer through any number of DAW programs like Cubase, Nuendo, Reaper, Fruity Loops, Ableton, Pro-Tool, Garageband, the list is LONG.

DAW VIDEOS ARE TOO BORING TO SHOW!

go ahead, hit the link, see if I care!

So, why oh, why did I drag through this?

Because some of you love organs, but don’t have the space necessary or means to have one in your home.  Well, if you have a computer, enough space on your hard drive, and money to afford a USB MIDI keyboard controller, I think sampling is the solution for you!  Once you understand the basics of sampling (terms like MIDI and WAV) and spend a little time with a simple program like Garageband (which comes loaded in most iMacs as far as I know) or Cubase lite, the internet will provide you with more sampled organ sounds than you could believe, often cheap, sometimes free!

Here’s a few places to get some organ samples!:

http://sonimusicae.free.fr/orguedesalon-en.html awesome pipe organ

http://www.forgottenkeys.co.uk/3_fe70.php A Yamaha FE-70 – exactly the kind of organ we love @ Organ *Pron!  I’ve bought from Forgotten Keys numerous times, great stuff and SUPER CHEAP!  I didn’t know about this until TODAY!!  Plenty of classic Drumbox sample sets there, too!

http://www.sampletekk.com/proddetail.php?prod=PMIDELIVER-007-FORMAT A nice Kontakt style baroque organ

http://www.vintagekeyboardsounds.com/ A bunch of hot combo organs here!

http://audiogeneticslab.com/instruments/free/magnus-chord-organ A free Magnus chord organ set.  Actually really cool!

http://www.hollowsun.com/shop/Freepacks Hollow Sun, the masters of the weird sample set, offer up a free Novachord, one of the coolest organ type instruments EVER!

http://www.freesound.org/ Speaking of weird and Musique Concrète…

Here are some VSTi (Virtual Studio Technology instrument), basically simulated digital versions of real instruments – no samples.  Some are servicable, some are amazing, as far as organs go, there are TONS and the majority of them are FREE.  So, please, mosey on over to KVR Audio check ‘em out!

http://www.kvraudio.com/get.php?mode=results&st=f&q=organ

No More Comments.

If you’ve noticed, I rarely update this page.  Part of the reason is the non-stop deluge of comments from people making demands, trying to buy things that I’ve made pretty clear aren’t mine, and people trying to sell organs – which I can safely say are 99% scams.  Well, congratulations dumbasses – no more comments.  I am DONE with your laziness in finding out about things like:

A) Where you are.

B) What the purpose of the place you are is.

C) What a blog is.

Half of you people seem to think I’m running a store, even though it says RIGHT UNDER THE TITLE

“No. I don’t own them. Stop asking!”

And you run your mouth at me making demands like “I need this manual.  I will pay five dollars.  I need you to get it here by Friday.” without even checking to see if I have the manual in question or if you’re actually in a store!

And then there are you sad, sad old folks who are all to willing to give up your personal info, credit card numbers and all to a total stranger you’ve never even seen in hopes of getting the organ pictured.

Enough.  I warned you months ago, but nothing has changed.  You’ve just about killed what joy I had in doing this blog.  When I get an email saying that a new comment awaits my moderation, I literally GROAN.  I really wanted to just have a blog where people came and drooled over crazy organs, maybe talked about their experiences and shared videos etc.  There have been a few of you that did just that.  To you I say thank you and also I’m sorry.  You were who I had in mind when I started this, unfortunately there are many more Archie Bunkers out there, ruining it for the rest of us.

Calling All Manuals!

Next to goofballs trying to sell their organs – which I expressly forbid without craigslist / ebay representation – the next question I’m asked is for manuals.  This is tough as there aren’t many available online as most of these instruments predate the internet as we know it by 20 years or so.

So this is my request: send me your manuals in PDF form and I will store them here!  If this amount gets big enough (unlikely) I will move them to their own dedicated site!

The organ community NEEDS this service more and more each day, so if you can – Please Do!  I will make sure to credit you, unless you don’t want me to.

If this sounds good to you, send me your manuals – user or service – to:

mars hottentot (at) hotmail dot com (remove the spaces and turn ‘at’ into ‘@’ and ‘dot’ into ‘.’)

Thank you in advance and hopefully we see a few manuals in the near future!

Yamaha MR1 PLAYER ORGAN!!

From Craigslist in Katy, near Houston, Texas

Yamaha MR1 PLAYER ORGAN!!

“[V]ery nice Yamaha MR1 player organ. Everything works. missing one small knob. and we no longer have any of the player cards. But, you can play it yourself…..doesnt need the player cards for that! This is a great instrument that I dont want to store any longer! Comes with bench. Has smoke colored plexi glass hinged top.”

Asking price is $125.00 US.  I bet you could haggle it down!

Here’s the manual (right click the image choose ‘Save Link As’) to help you decide.

KUSTOM KOMBO J-1295 TUCK AND ROLL ORGAN

Easily one of the coolest organs ever.  Auction HERE.  Ends on 2/25/10.

“Here’s a rare piece: a 1968 Kustom J-1295 Kombo organ. This piece is a real monster, “tuck-and-fold” silver ( white ) Naugahyde from the “Zodiac” series, four C12N Jensen special design speakers, K200A amp , K200 preamp for other instruments , and a lot more.This organ will need some work primarily on the preamp which I can’t seem to get a signal through,some humming, Naugahyde ripped on the bottom, and the volume pedal pot will need some cleaning. All of the tabs and controls function well and the amp is loud. Organ comes with its original cover. I believe this is a first year Kustom Kombo organ and a pretty funky unit at that. This baby weights about 200 lbs so it’ll have to be picked up or freighted, so please read my item description.”

PINK HAMMOND C3? Yup.

Holy Crap.  It’s takes either a wacky old lady of the Boldest Dandy on Earth to make this work – with a matching Leslie!  Find The auction HERE. Ends on 2/26/10!

“Now here is a color you don’t find a Hammond C3 in everyday.  Pretty in pink- perfect for Mother’s day or for your daughter or for anyone who likes PINK.  The organ works really well, the finish is a bit wore but looks good if you like PINK.  The price is so good on this one that you can afford to have it refinished if pink isn’t your thing ….Maybe a nice black semi gloss or something.  Also matches in a church with purple carpet.

Pink haired boy not included.

The organ has had a bussbar lube job, new felts in the keyboards and pedal switch assembly and is ready to go.  Because of the special pricing this organ is sold AS-IS.

Delivery to a church, school or business address, 48 states is $350.  Residential delivery is more complicated and more expensive.   It is always best to find a local company (music store, 2 men and a truck, etc)  to accept delivery of the organ and bring it out to your house than what we can arrange.  Organ ships on a space-available basis with Keyboard Carriage, blanket wrapped.  Shipping may take place between one to two weeks from receipt of payment, depending on the shipping company schedule.

Within 100miles we’ll deliver free, within 500 miles we can deliver the organ for $350 within a few days and residential delivery is ok by us when we are doing the delivery ourselves within 500 miles.  Overseas shipping door to door around $1000-1300, crating $300, Conversion to 50Hz power is also $300.”

Thomas Floridian Classic

Whatta Beaut!  Pretty cheap for what it is and, get this, they’ll actually SHIP IT IN THE CONTINENTAL US.  Can you even believe that?  Here’s the description.

“Here with a Thomas Floridian home organ for your pleasure…unit is used and has all discs and software and will sell with all that you see…this instrument resembles the Wersi Floridian and if it didn’t have the Thomas name on it I would have thought it to be one…the features are identical…in both sound and appearance…the keys are yellowed a comment to the series but in perfect working condition…due in no small part to the logistics of this sale the winner may live outside of Florida and we have a great many ways to ship it to you…”LOWER 48 STATES ONLY PLEASE”…I can only list it with a local pick up as I cannot calculate the charges until the winner is determined…this unit will be priced to see to the needs of my many old and new music enthusiasts.”

The auction is here and ends on 2/22/10 (though I have a feeling it will get relisted.

Mmmmaybe.

Alright, Youse Mugs – Lissen Up!

For the last year I have done nothing on this blog but erase comment after comment after comment by elderly people trying to buy organs, sell organs, threaten me into giving them whatever it is they demand not to mention the tons of stupid internet no-no’s like email addresses and phone numbers – I’m surprised I haven’t received any credit card numbers (DON’T send me a credit card number!).  I haven’t put up any new stuff since 2008 yet every couple of days or so I get someone trying to get me to sell them something that

A. I never owned to begin with

B. Was listed during a two week auction on either eBay or a short lived post on Craigslist.

C. Has not been available for well over a year.

Look, I understand that many of you barely understand how the internet works, trust me, I’m not looking forward to the techno shock awaiting me in 30 years, but you NEED to READ the articles!  The articles (with one lone exception where I screwed up) have all of the relevant information, including links to the auctions / listings where they are (or were) actually for sale!

You folks attempting to sell your… organs (this blog just gets weirder everyday), click the Phantom up in the right hand corner there and we’ll deal with that.

BTW,  the above pic was blatantly swiped by myself from the British progressive indie rock group ‘Peace Burial At Sea’.  They’re kinda like mid period Pink Floyd (Dark Side era) jamming with Brian Eno, but brought up on a steady diet of King Crimson and Radiohead.  Pretty good stuff, and I just wanted to steal a pic.

Lowery Spinet Festival Organ Model # NL-20.

HOLY CRAP! This is a GREAT deal!! 350.00 opening bid with a 550.00 Buy It Now via THIS auction!

“Offered for sale is a Lowery Spinet Festival Organ Model # NL-20. This piece was recently included with an Estate Purchase and looks to be in great condition. This is the Electronic Spinet and retailed for over $10,000.00 New. We are offering this item at well below retail and it still has many years of enjoyment left. This Organ was purchased NEW and used very little if at all. We have the Owners Manual and song book included as shown.

Some of the details are as follows: 4 preset registration buttons, LCD display. 2-44 note keyboards, 13-Bass Pedals, 2-Channel (Stereo) Sound System (2x40W), 2-6″x9″ Full Range Speakers, Rhythm Preset buttons, Music Chord System, Automatic Organ Computer, Upper & lower symphonic voices, bass voices, digital voices/upper voices, orchestral voices (upper & lower), solo voices (upper only). Effects: Vibra Trem, Dynamic Keying (On/Off), Celeste, Solo Portamento, Reverb Effect, Transpose, Chorus, Sustain. Dimensions: 42″ Wide, 25.25″ Deep, 39.75″ Tall, 146 pounds. Serial Number: NL20-109J3-75240 WALNUT 1993 Year Of Production. Bench is included in great condition as well.”

And check out this sad sign of the times – great incentive, though (if you live up the street).

“Choose the BUY IT NOW option and receive $50.00 Credit towards gasoline expense for pick-up at our location in Greencastle, PA. 17225. Shipping can be arranged for a fee by our truck. Pick-up at our location is preferred.”

Technics PCM Sound EX5L Organ

Well, I’ve escaped the Computer Organ Terror War with nothing but mental scars.  Sorry for the absence, but I mean, you all had to deal with it, too.  I was truly sure that the Computer Organ High Command were going assimilate the last B-3 on Earth with a VSTi compatible USB port for online editing.  Who could have seen that playing Liberace would destroy the Computer Organ Uprising?  I would have guessed “Switched On Bach” or something else synthesizery that would have made the Computer Organs feel inadequate.  Instead, it was their lack of purity.  Hmmmm… I’m not sure I like that moral.

OUR SAVIOUR FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE!

Anyway, I’m back, for now.  Due to the unspeakable horror of the past few months – people are dumping their organs like never before!

Today we have this Gothic beauty:

The Technics PCM Sound EX5L

via this AUCTION

Dirt cheap opening with a 95.00 bid out of Colorado Springs.

Wurlitzer Omni 5000

Ahhhh… back to good ol’ non-killer, blood thirsty, slave crazy robot organs!

Here we have a Wurlitzer Omni 5000 up for AUCTION from wholesome Witchita, Kansas yet another P.U.O. with a starting bid of 65 bux.

How about a few pix?

WAIT!  WHAT’S THIS?!?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Kimball EP1 w/ Elka ‘Computer’!

Holey Moley!

Have you ever dreamed of having a ‘H.A.L. 9000′ style computer in your organ helping you play your best?

“I’m sorry, Mars, but you played an incorrect note.”

“I’m sorry, Mars, but playing the Banjo setting with the  Dyna Mute setting is in poor taste.”

“I’m sorry, Mars, but your blood alcohol level is too high to play me with any kind of accuracy at this time.”

Yeah, me neither.  But as I said in the last post, marketing departments of the 1970′s seemed to think we did.

So here we have another blast from the past courtesy of this Newhall, California, Pick Up Only AUCTION.

The Kmball EP-1 w/ Elka ‘Computer’

beep boop!

“Ready to assist you, PeeWee!”

Baldwin Microcomputer Orchestra

It’s the 1970′s.  Just the word ‘computer’ sends society into a fantasia of Kubrik-ian proportions.  So it comes as no surprise that everything that could be even remotely identified as being a computer would have the term tacked on the product.  Enter this mystery:

The pictures are nice, but the enigma remains…

It has a preset called … wait for it… Fantomfingers!

Via this AUCTION P.U.O. in Scottsdale, AZ (whaaa?  Another Arizona Organ!?!?)

Hammond Aurora Classic 200

Another FANTASTIC Classic 200 up for sale on Ebay for 400 bux (OR you can make a ‘Best Offer’).

“Classic Hammond Aurora  Multiplex Synthesis , Two 44 note Keyboards, 13 Pedals, Harmonic Tonebars Upper Keybord one set of 9 Tonebars, Lower Keyboard set of 7 Tonebars, Piston Presets: Vibraharp, Theatre, Jazz, Hammond Sound, Full Organ, Polysnethesis Precussion Variable Repeat, 2nd, 3rd,& 5ht Harmonics, Vibraharp, Twin Mallet Marimba,Chimes,Pluck Pizzicato, Banjo,Harpsichord,Piano, Piano Solo,Second Voices, Violin,English Horn,Kinura,Diapason,Pedals 16′&8′Bass Guitar, Easy Play Group,Brite Foot, Bass Walk, Memory Chords, One Fnger Chords, Auto Chord, Leslie Lower, Leslie Upper, Leslie Reverb, Leslie Chorale, Vibrato, Melody Maker, Philharmonic Strings, Sustain, Fascinating Fingers, Headphone Jack, Speakers ONe 12″, tow 8″ One 6″, Power Amplifiers  2-35 Watt, 1-12 Watt

Dimensions 48 1/4″L, 44″ H, 25 1/2 ” D  Weight  272 Lbs (Including Bench)

Showroom condition, Local Pickup only”

Someone in Tucson, AZ will be rockin’ that any day.

Hammond Piper on eBay

It seems that the Hammond Piper Autochord is the most popular item here on Organ*Pron.  Whether that’s because you all have one and want to see how much you can get for it (probable), or because everyone suddenly thinks they’re super cool (unlikely) I DON’T KNOW.

SO.  Here’s an AUCTION (auction finished) out of Scottsdale, Arizona.  The seller is  asking 49.99 US.  This one has a bench!  PICKUP  ONLY, although they will deliver anywhere in The Valley for 50.00 plus sales tax.  Really nice clean model.  Click for larger image.

see the original post HERE

ARP String Machine MELTDOWN!

This week is a good one on the ‘bay if you’re an ARP string machine fanatic – also somewhat frustrating.  Click titles to go to the matching auction.

ARP Quartet

ARP Omni

And then these two poor bastards who no doubt had their filters removed for some synth DIY bologna!

ARP Omni sans VCF & ASDR filters

ARP Omni II sans MANUAL

oh man, that’s gotta smart.  On the bright side – if you bought both of these, you could probably cannibalize one to feed the other – it’s totally feasable at 49.99 each!

Buy them for me.

ARP Omni String Synthesizer

Via this AUCTION

“UP FOR GRABS IS OUR NEAR MINT FULLY RESTORED ARP OMNI VINTAGE STRING SYNTHESIZER. WE ARE BROKEN HEARTED TO HAVE TO PART WITH HER BUT I JUST GOT MARRIED AND SOME THINGS JUST HAVE TO GO. THIS WAS RESTORED BY ONE OF THE BEST TECHS IN THE COUNTRY, JEFF BLANKENSOP FROM E.A.R.S (EXPERT AUDIO REPAIRS) N.Y.C. HE TOURED WITH PINK FLOYD FROM DARK SIDE OF THE MOON TO THE WALL AMONG OTHERS. HE WAS THEIR PERSONAL TECH AND HAS BEEN REPAIRING THIS STUFF SINCE IT WAS NEW. HOW CAN YOU BEAT THAT. THE COSMETICS ON THIS BABY ARE UNREAL. IT HAS BEEN IN OUR SMOKE FREE STUDIO SINCE NEW. WE ACTUALLY HAD 2 RESTORED AT THE SAME TIME ONLY NEEDED ONE SINCE A STUDIO DOWNSIZE BUT KEPT THE NICER ONE FOR OURSELVES . THIS PACKAGE INCLUDES THE OWNERS MANUAL,SERVICE MANUAL AND THE ULTRA RARE ARP OMNI PROMO DEMO . THE PHOTOS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. ITS NOT CHEAP. BUT THE BEST NEVER COMES CHEAP.  BUT A CRUMMY ONE FOR $300 AND RESTORE IT IF YOU CAN FIND A EXPERIENCED TECH. HER YOU HAVE A NM ONE FULLY RESTORED. ( see bill of sale photo)  IN PLUG AND PLAY CONDITION.  THIS IS THE ONE THE ONLY ORIGINAL STRING SOUND YOU HEARD ON MANY RECORDINGS OF THE 70s/80s ROCK GROUPS.”

Beautiful.  Buy it for me.

Lowrey Organ GX-2 for 200 bucks!!!

HEADS UP FLORIDA ORGAN FREAKS!!

This is why I love organs!  Unlike synthesizers, people just want to get rid of them!  Here’s a perfect example:  A Lowrey GX-2 in Lake Wales, Florida for 200 dollars.  That is UNBELIEVABLY cheap!!!  Hey, I know!!  Buy it and send it to me!

DAMMIT, WHY COULDN’T THIS BE IN ATLANTA!!!

Eminent Grand Organ

Here’s a beaut:

This seller is selling this for 500 dollars US via this AUCTION OR you can get it from them via this listing on CRAIGSLIST for 450 dollars US!!  Here’s another pic from the Craigslist post

Nice dolly.

WURLITZER FUNMAKER SPECIAL MODEL 435 ORGAN

FUNMAKER!!!!

Man, the photo’s look like their from the 70′s

via this AUCTION

God, I love this stuff!!

Yamaha Electone FS-500

THIS IS SOME ORGAN*PRON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

click the pic for the extreme close up, you perv!

Hey Michigan Organ Addicts – Check it out!

From this Auction:

“This is a excellent condition Yamaha Electone FS-5000 It is one of the best organs Yamaha ever made, this is from 1984. It has Combination Section , Orchestra Section strings, brass, reeds, Special Presets, custom voices, Solo keyboard ….plays GREAT wood cabinet… combination lever memory 1, 2, 3, orchestra stirrup, brass, reed, & vocal Piano Harpsichord, celestra, vibraphone, mandolin, banjo, jazz, guitar, flute, oboe, clarinet, saxaphone, trumpet, trombone, violin, electric bass, solo…piccolo, flute, oboe, clarinet, saxaphone, trumpet, horn, violin, harmonica, guitar, auto rhythm, unit march, waltz, ballad, slow rock, tango, latin, samba, … Also comes with bench, .. Again, excellent condition… Buy with confidence, check my feedback… Item is for local pick up only, unless you make arrangments for a shipping company to pick up. Organ is located in Homer Michigan,”

they call it it the FS-5000, but it is definitely the FS-500 as can be seen in the third photo below.

What I love about this auction, beyond the very affordable start price of 799 US, are the almost VIOLENT close ups, like you’re being shoved face first into the amazing features!!!

Thomas Monticello 371 Organ W/ Moog

from this auction

“Thomas Monticello 371 Organ.. With MOOG Preset SYNTHESIZER.. A Sound For Everyone.. Owners Manual.. Two 44 Note Keyboards.. Power And Color Glo Switches.. Organ Control Panel.. Lower Keyboard Control Panel.. Synthesizer Control Panel.. Upper Keyboard Control Panel.. Radial Arc Pedal Keyboard.. Expression Pedal.. LESLIE And Variable Controls.. Pedal Voices.. Tremulant.. Solo Voices.. Percussions.. Headphone Jack.. Pedal Keyboard.. Lots Of Music Books And Bench Included……………………….

Church Registrations With MOOG Synthesizer:
Full Organ: Clear, Tone Good Choral Accompaniment.. Baroque Ensemble With Reeds.. Brilliant Ensemble With Reeds.. Sforzando: Bold, Brilliant With Reeds And Strings..

Special Registrations Moog Synthesizer And Organ: Barrel Organ.. Concert Grand Played In Octaves.. Harp.. Hawaiian Guitar Chorus.. Highland Pipers Chorus.. Honky Tank Piano.. Musette.. Marimba With Flute.. Novelty Reed With Organ.. Sitar.. Theatre Organ Tibia Vox Chorus.. Vision Ensemble With Organ………………….

Solo Moog Synthesizer Registrations: Smooth Trumpet.. Fat Trombone.. French Horn.. Tuba.. English Horn.. Bassoon.. Sub-Tone Clarinet.. Baritone Sax.. Alto Sax.. Violin.. Electric Bass Guitar.. Plucked Bass.. Flute.. Slide Flute.. Recorder.. Alley Cat.. Warbler.. Singing Voice.. Moon People.. Jaw Harp.. Happy Voice.. Tweedle.. Fire Siren.. Wart Hog……
PLUS: You Can CREATE Your Own Sounds.. Even The PHASER Sound From Star Trek…………….

Owners manual and music books included.. Even the Day Glo Self learning books…

NOTE:

It Would Take Pages To Describe Everything This Organ Can Do…………..”

I am FALLING ALL OVER MYSELF to recreate that Phaser sound from Star Trek on an organ! Finally, a dream fulfilled!

Seriously, though, this sounds great.

Kawai E600A part 1

I’m about to embark on a project…

Okay, so I got this off of craigslist for 85 bucks total (50 for the organ, 35 to ship). It’s HUGE and weighs about 400lbs. I live on the second floor of an apartment building with rickety little homecrafted wooden stairs. Needless to say, the poor thing had to spend two days under a tarp in the alley. And wouldn’t ya know it, there was a massive storm that first night!

Luckily, MIRACULOUSLY, it survived getting wet and my pal Carlyle Haire and I hauled the thing off to his beautiful one story house in Lithonia, Ga. Everything works great (although I didn’t hook up the massive twenty-five pedal array, I’m certain that’s in order as well).

As you know, this is one of those ‘Fun Time’ band-in-a-box type consoles and not an organ in the classical sense of the word. In fact, with all of the levers down, it’s damn close to a synthesizer in it’s character. It still has a full set of drawbars, but a B3 it ain’t!

Being that I’m an experimentalist at heart, I’m ga-ga about this machine. It’s organ enough that you’ll know what you’re hearing when it’s played, but synthy enough that I can alter it’s sounds around to make it my main console.

The onboard drumbox is fantastic, super-fakey to the point of being textural at times. The auto chord function is really cool with deep basses and interesting progressions.

The sounds are as follows:

UPPER PERCUSSION

Piano, Harpsichord, Mandolin, Banjo, Marimba, Upper Percussive 4 & 2 2/3, Wow Repeat.

INDEPENDENT SPEAKING VOICES

Tibia 16, String 16, Major Flute 8, Bourdon 16, String Bass, Diapason 8, Tibia 8, Oboe 8, Horn 8, String 8, Clarinet 8, Bassoon 8, String 4, Tibia 4, Tibia 2-2/3, Tibia 2.

Kawai Voice Drawbar

16, 8, 4, 2-2/3, 2.

Kawai Synthesizer

VOICES: Player Sound 16, Player Sound 8, Tenor Sax, Trumpet, Wow Mute.

DRAWBAR: Attack, Decay, Level, Cut, Peak.

okay, so there’s a mini analog synth in there. The ‘Player Sound’ levers allow the user to modulate on the fly.

Kawai Autorhythm

The on board drumbox is turned on when you flick the ‘Rhythmer’ tab (yes, ‘Rhythmer’)

The black and white pushbuttons are in two rows of 8.

TOP ROW: Waltz, Ballad, March, Tango, Rock I, Rock II, Rock III, Bossonova

BOTTOM ROW: Swing I, Swing II, Swing III, Samba, Mambo, Beguine, Cha-Cha, Rhumba.

Kawai Electro Chord

Break, Electro Chord, Rhythmer

Yeah, this thing is pretty awesome for what it is.

But this weight issue is an….issue.

So Carlyle and I have been thinking about this: Shedding the heavy, HEAVY wood, separating the amplifier and placing both into their own dedicated plexiglass consoles!! The other idea is have absurdly big handles, casters and built in dolly. I want to use this live, dammit!!

Call Me Quixote…

So here I am trying to convince the youth of today that organs can be awesome, cool and totally modern and this is who Lowrey has settled on marketing to:

I can’t help you if you don’t help me, Lowrey!!!!!

Lowrey GX-325 Genius Organ

Relatively speaking, dirt cheap at a starting bid of 750 US in Chicago, Ill., it’s a Pee U Oh (pick up only, dummy) in this here auction.

And Party Pianist Mr. Robert Benson was kind enough to put up a lengthy mp3 demo of his Lowrey GX-325 Organ.

NO! NO! NO!

Not ROBBY Benson, star of one the films that freaked me out about drugs as a kid, 1977′s ‘Richie’.

NO! NO! NO!

Not Robert GUILLAUME, star of the late 70′s early 80′s sitcom ‘Benson’ and one Phantom of the Opera (an organ playing psychopath with a heart of gold).

I mean ROBERT BENSON – this guy:

Of course, the track makes me think of all the insane stuff I’d do with the GX-325. It would be terrifying.

Kimball Temptation Entertainer

Oh boy, Bells & Whistles!

via this AUCTION

Post-Modern Organ Musics For Non-Geriatrics 2

QUINTRON & MISS PUSSYCAT

Starting off as a vaudevillian experimentalist with the band MATH and his first two records, { ‘The Amazing Spellcaster (Live from the Pussycat Caverns)‘ (BULB 1996) being the one where the Organ became the dominant instrument-still highly noisy / experimental stuff – I love it!}, Mr. Quintron and his puppeteer woman-at-arms Miss Pussycat mined soul, funk and gospel with his groundbreaking ‘Satan Is Dead’ (BULB 1997 oop). As of late, Quintron has adapted to hip hop rhythms as well as creating the insane analog drum machine light sensor thing known as the DRUM BUDDY. As I’m going for organ here, I didn’t add the Drum Buddy infomercial, but you should check it out because it’s golden.

Quintron and Miss P are interesting characters. My friends and I used to hang with him a lil’ bit back in the day whenever he’d come through Atlanta.  The last time I saw him he had just finished reading the Led Zeppelin biography ‘Hammer of The Gods’. He gave it to me said it was great except for the end when Bonzo dies, then took it back, ripped the last chapter out and handed it over, sparing me from the heartbreak of vicariously living through one of rock’s greatest drummers final days. He then proceeded to play a three hour set. We practically had to drag him away from that organ, man.

Post-Modern Organ Musics For Non-Geriatrics

When most people think of organs they either think of their Grandpa/ma and their Fun Maker at Christmas pumping out a stiff rendition of ‘Jingle Bells’ and a moribund ‘Silent Night’, or they think of The Doors. Maybe if you’re lucky they’ll say ’96 Tears’ the 1966 hit by ? & The Mysterians.

Of course, the 1970′s were so filled with dull, by the book organ playing they pretty much killed the instrument as a viable tool. Nowadays the organ is used to invoke the 60′s in a thousand ‘garage rock’ bands, or 70′s soft rock AOR singer/songwriter fluff.

But did you know that there are modern acts taking the organ into the next century by using it in ways the creators never intended? We’re talking real, modern, cutting edge stuff, here. Artists that forgo the orthodoxy of guitar domination and lead with a manual! This takes balls, but that’s okay as these people have an extra pair hanging off their sheet music stands.

I speak of groups like Get Hustle, Quintron & Miss Pussycat, Slaves/Pleasure Forever, and Skullening.

Over the course of the following weeks and months, I hope to get a hold on some of these artists and grill them about their gear for you Organ*Pron addicts. For now, I leave you with some Youtube material:

GET HUSTLE