The Organ Forum

For Christmas I was blessed with an organ.  It is a Thomas Celebrity 871 and a beautiful piece of furniture.  I have had organ lessons and trying to set certian stops I am unable to get the sound I am looking for.  Is there a chance that someone out there has an owner's manual that they could copy and share with me.  I know it will need to be looked at also from a tuner, but there is a man who comes through for the church organ and hopefully he can look at mine, but it would be helpful if there were instructions for him also.  Thank you in advance.    gemlady

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gemlady

I have an 855 Symphony (somewhat fewer voices and features) but it has a registration table I can use to help you with some suggestions.   What is the sound you are setting and what is it you are trying to achieve?    As a theater organ, the Celebrity has a little raspier (bolder) voicing available, especially regarding the strings and reeds.   As far a service literature, I bought the service folder and was very disappointed.   It is just a few pages of schematics and sells on Ebay for over $20.    If you want to make that investment for your repairman just check the sellers listings on Ebay under Thomas organ.

We do have a member who has an 871. I'm sure he will be along in due course, and may be able to help with the owner's manual. The owner's manual will no doubt tell you how all the features of the organ work, but you'll probably find that it doesn't give much guidance to registrations. What type of sound are you trying to create? The Celebrity is basically a theatre organ but that won't stop it from making some good straight organ sounds too. Again, I'm sure some help will be forthcoming.

When you say a 'tuner', is there something that isn't working? If so, you'll need an organ technician. If the man who looks after the church organ is a pipe organ guy, he might not be much help, but if your church organ is electronic, he should be OK if you can get the proper schematics.

Andy G

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It's not what you play, it's not how you play. It's the fact that you're playing that counts.

Hi gemlady,

I own a Celebrity 871. If you send me a PM with your email address I can provide you with scans of my owner’s manual and/or service manual. The owners manual has a good selection of registration examples. As Andy said, there is no pitch tuning possible on the organ voicing with the exception of the Moog Synthesizer. The Synth has a slider that allows you to tune it to the pitch of the organ. However, sometimes because of component ageing or other reasons the pitch may be perfect at a certain note but drift out of tune going further up or down the keys. This can be corrected by playing with three trim pots located on the Moog circuit board mounted on the underside of the organ lid.

I would recommend that you first get the owners manual and learn what all the controls and stops are supposed to do. Once you understand their functions you will be able to assess if the organ needs repair. Controls and Stops of organs that have been idle for long periods may not function properly until they have been used repeatedly.

Good luck,

Skippy

 

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THE BEST ORGAN??? “It is a matter of taste” said the monkey when he ate the soap!
Lowrey H25R-2,Thomas Celebrity,Conn 643,Hammond Elegante,Yamaha FS30, Yamaha D85,Elka EP12,Farfisa ProDuo, Oberheim OB3,Roland D70,Yamaha SK20,YamahaGX76,Leslie705,Leslie720

Skippy,

I am new to this whole thing, so not sure about PM, but will share e-mail address with you.  I agree about learning what all of the stops do and am eager to do so.  As I play some of the sounds change a little, I am not sure if t is because it has not been played in years. As I play it some of the sounds have quit.  Where do I go to give you my e-mail address? 

having fun learning this organ ckgemlady

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gemlady

Hi gemlady,

I have just sent you a PM (Private Message) with my email address. You can retrieve the message by clicking on the INBOX link on the top right of this page. The forum admin will also send a notification to your email address that you have received a PM (if your preferences are set up this way). You can send a PM to any member of the forum by clicking on the nick above the avatar and then on the link PRIVATE MESSAGE. Some members may not have provided access to PM's.

Cheers,

Skippy

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THE BEST ORGAN??? “It is a matter of taste” said the monkey when he ate the soap!
Lowrey H25R-2,Thomas Celebrity,Conn 643,Hammond Elegante,Yamaha FS30, Yamaha D85,Elka EP12,Farfisa ProDuo, Oberheim OB3,Roland D70,Yamaha SK20,YamahaGX76,Leslie705,Leslie720