The Organ Forum

Evening all

 I have seen this beauty on Ebay and am wondering if someone could help identify the model. I know it is not worth much and the fact that it has problems wouldl put most people off but its a Wurlitzer and I have some plans

Any help appriciated and also if any one knows the dimensions of it that would be great too.

 Thank you
 

Looks like a 650TA from the very early 1980's.

What are your plans? It is being sold for spares. The top keyboard doesn't work, and it probably never will if there's a fault on its digital board. If the power supply to that board is faulty there may be some hope.

As far as the rest of the organ is concerned, some spares are available but not easy to get. A service manual will set you back a few £ as well.

The value of the organ as is - not working - is zero. I'd take a chance on the £11 if I were that way inclined, but factor in any transport and repair costs if you intend to play it!

Its Tibia sound is rather brittle for a Wurlitzer, none of the warmth of the previous models. Strings are a bit mushy, brass is so-so and the rhythms are atrocious. The solo keyboard would have made some nice sounds.

Andy

Andy thanks for the reply, I thought it was a 630TA from looking at pictures of others with better discriptions on ebay.

 I have a few plans for the next organ I but, I currently have a little Electone ME-50 which I am learning on but am looking for a project. The basic Idea is to create a mini theatre organ hence the appeal of the white console. I am a IT & Telecoms Engineer by day so I have ideas of intergrating a PC in to the console. There are a few options of how depending on the state of the Organ I buy.

 The options with this one are:-

1) If the top synth manual if fixable and I am able to get all of the others to work then take the analogue input into the pc at the pre amp stage, I then plan to use some software to clean\alter the sound to taste and output to a modern amp and speaker setup fitted into the console.

2) If the top synth is not savable then as above but miditize the manual and input to the PC in addition to the pre amp of the other manuals. I would either use Miditizer for the top board and create some custom stops to control the voices or possible use some of the Synth simulators availible. or possibly both.

Hopefully using one of these options I would have a nice working Wulitzer which I could doll the case up in the classic style and have my own Theatre Organ. I know some of this may sound crazy but I prefer anologue sounds than completly computer generated samples and I think that by playing with the output I should be able to alter the sound to make it just what I want.

If this will fit in my large car and I get it for the starting price I can have it home for less than £20 so I feel it would be worth a punt.

 

It looks exactly like the 625T I just gave away a few months ago.  And it was fully working.  Sounded pretty good, and the synth is fun to fiddle around with and it can add some very nice sounds to the upper manual as a solo voice also.

Good man I have just looked at some pics on the web of a 625T and it looks exactly like that so I think that could be confirmed. Do you know the dimensions?

Thanks 

edit; i have just checked the pics again and I think they are your pictures ;-) 

My guess is it's a 630T. During the 80s I had one in cherry wood, and it was a handsome piece of furniture. I still have the factory brochure, which shows photos just like the one you posted.

Looking at some archives of Wurlitzer home organs I can find a 580T, a 625T, 630T, and 950TA, but no 650TA. However, the photo of the 950TA shows a music rack and other features which are different.

I vote for 630T.  

Sorry, I forgot the dimensions for the 630T. They are:

Height          41"  (101cm)

Width           47"   (121cm)

Depth           26"   (65cm)

Weight          255lbs  (120kg)

This is a pic of a 625T.

 And this is another pic of the mystry organ

As far as I can see they are identical. 

Although this is a pic of a 630T and again they look identical

Oops. I had a digit wrong there. I meant 630, not 650. Its full console brother is the 950.

Best of luck with the repair. That top keyboard is a synth and it's all basically on one chip. If that's gone, it's gone. You won't get another now.

Andy

The top one is a picture of the 625T that I just gave away.  I can tell by the yellowing of the finish and keys.  Previous owner said it was used in a smoky club, but that yellow wouldn't scrub away so I don't think that was the problem.

Andy is right on the 3rd keyboard, and frankly if the synth isn't working the organ isn't really worth getting imo.  There are no stops longer than 8' except on the synth and those rhythms really are bad.  But it is a beautiful piece of furniture.

dime bar:

Although this is a pic of a 630T and again they look identical

I think there was little difference between the 575, 625 and 630.  Mostly a time of mfg thing I think.

It has been confirmed as a 630T.

However on recieving the dimensions it is clear it will not fit through my door as the depth is 32"

Oh well back to the drawing board.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the Kawai E520? I have downloaded the manual of the web and it looks pretty amaizing going to try and find some recordings now and see how it sounds.

OK. You won't find any commercial recordings of the E520. There are none, as far as I know.

Although I wasn't that involved with this model, the E520 is basically a smaller brother of the E550, the first Kawai that I helped design and voice. It dates from 1980, when the organ was unveiled at the Frankfurt Music Fair in March, played by me. Photo of it on www.andrew-gilbert.com

For a Japanese organ of that era, it has a good tone. Nice clean drawbar organ sounds and a real leslie. Strings are good, and I'd shown the factory guys how to set up the ensemble effect by then. Brass is OK, but the piano is a bit thin. Rhythms are very typical of drum boxes of that era, and there's a nice 'wha wha' guitar on the two patterns at the right hand end. 3 channels of amplification give 90 watts, plenty for home use.

Usual high Japanese build quality and reliability, though do bear in mind that it's 28 years old now and spares are not available for most organs that old.

What are they asking for it?

Andy G

Thanks Andy, sounds like it could be perfect.

 As for price it is on Ebay and starting at £10 so we will see how it ends.