Electric Organs

[LogicalFrank]

I was messing w/ some old electric organs a few months ago in the studio and they're a lot of fun. The problem is they are all basically giant pieces of furniture w/ built in amps and speakers, none of which I really need or want. Does anyone know of any makes/models of smaller electric organs, preferably ones you can just plug into any old amp that are perhaps small enough that they could be moved easily by one or two people.

Or is such a thing just called a keyboard at that point? Basically, I'm looking for something like this w/o the massive wooden structure and built in amp:

[justinhedrick]

i think baldwin made one for a while. i've only seen one. and it was stupidly expensive for what it was.

you could contact my buddies at analog outfitters, they are more into hammond stuff, but they know their stuff:

http://analogoutfitters.com/

[LogicalFrank]

Actually, something like this seems like exactly what I'm looking for...



Is there a generic name for such a thing? What I want is something w/ a more hands-on feel not something w/ digital menus and shit like that. I don't want anything stupid expensive though I do figure they'd cost more than a random furniture-style organ as you can get those for peanuts just because people want them out of the house.

[justinhedrick]

like a suitcase organ? that's what i've heard them referred to as.

farfisa, vox jaguars, i want to say there was another couple of companies that made them in the 60s and 70s.

[Chovie D]

the coolest to me are the wurlitzer electric piano and the rhodes. but they are expensive and kinda heavy and they are pianos not organs.
People also "chop" organs. just remove all the bottom of the wooden structure, and give it a line level out instead of the amp and speaker it came with. Those old organ amps are valuable by the way. take em out and sell em. The Hammond M series gets alot of chop action i think.

then of course there are keyboards, but they often dont have the vibe or sound.
I LOVE the sound of the wurlitzer piano

[Chovie D]

even a chopped hammond is heavy tho. jesus, looks complicated...forget that. thrift store casio and a rotary simulator pedal instead?

[LogicalFrank]

like a suitcase organ?

I think this might be what I'm looking for, thanks. "Portable Organ" seems to get some good results too.

Though I'm thinking I might be better off now getting a natural feeling piano keybaord type deal and actually relearning to play piano rather than dicking around w/ a goofy old organ. But goofy old organs are so much fun!

[Hemisaurus]

Be careful chopping your organ, some of them have the tone generation in the bottom part alongside the amp, chop that off, you're left with a keyboard

There's always free organs popping up on craigslist, one of these days gonna drag one down here.

[LogicalFrank]

If I get an organ that needs chopping, I am just gonna go at it w/ a chainsaw until it fits in my car and then sort it out later.

[johnny problem]

Lowrey has a beginner one that weighs 73 lbs. 

[tomz.]

If I get an organ that needs chopping, I am just gonna go at it w/ a chainsaw until it fits in my car and then sort it out later.

yes!
In a ska band I played in years ago (I know, I know...) we got our hands on a farfisa, it was funky, pretty cool actually.

[Hemisaurus]

http://www.combo-organ.com/

[LogicalFrank]

Nice link, Hemi. That is actual a big help since it gets me some model names....

You know what I hate? When you look up old electronic instruments on eBay and half the listings are for manuals and the other half are for samples.

[Hemisaurus]

Nothing in Chicago, but I did come across this interesting link down the road.

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/msg/2311810819.html




Pics pulled from http://combo-organ.com

[tossom]

Ever played a Lorenzo?  Great toys!