my "ahlborn-galanti" organ

[don60]

We had very little to say about AG support, so the thread was repurposed. Do check with the dealer in California--I would say he is your only hope.

[Kansas]

Don,
Thanks for your recommendation. Checked out your thread and like every other thread on this forum it seems no one that is posting can stay on task or sticks with the subject. It went from Ahlborn Galanti "support" to Allen. Sorry for ranting about this but I just needed to vent.
Thanks!

[don60]

Lots of us would like to talk to somebody at Ahlborn Galanti. Ain't gonna happen. You will have more luck trying to communicate with the dead. Actually, the two experiences are very similar, come to think of it.

I started a thread a couple of months ago called Ahlborn Galanti "Support"--you could search those posts for some suggestions by other members for trying to obtain help from this "company."

[Kansas]

Tim,
Do you have a good phone number and email address for the Ahlborn Galanti organ support for parts, service & manuals? I have a SL250 in the area needing some service and would like to talk to a tech.
Thank you!
Rod

[swell-to-great]

Hi – regarding your AG 3000, it sounds as though some of the factory presets have been adjusted by previous user. On initial setup, all five instruments (the inbuilt voices plus the four Tab–stop alternatives) will sound the same.

To change a voice, Press and hold the relevant stop tab and click again to scroll down the options list, you can "audition" the voice while you are doing this. When you have found a sound you like, hold set and simultaneously click one of the interactive stoplist tabs, and that will retain your preference. For each voice you can change a whole host of parameters such as relative volume and tone quality. You can also change the reverberation for each interactive stoplist. Using all these variables you can effectively create five different organs.

However, I think it would've been better if the organs had been set up at factory level – it has taken me ages to create German baroque, French romantic et cetera, which I guess is what most owners are doing.

If you want to adjust several voices at once it's easier to do it through the voicing control button using the interactive programmer.

It takes about three seconds to load one of the stop lists, although I have noticed that it takes longer if you leave the instrument for a week or so (e.g. on holiday). Generally, it takes about 15 seconds to boot up the instrument: but even pipe organs and Hauptwerk take some time.

The blinking cursor usually means that you have changed the stoplist or the memory number (there are 25 levels of memories - selected via the M+ and M- buttons) and it's reminding you that you haven't specifically selected the General registration preset button for that stop-list or M button; simply press the General registration button again to stop the cursor flashing.

While you can specify these parameters through codes, you really don't need to do it like that.

I have been told (But, as they say, don't try this at home) that holding down the exit button while switching on the instrument takes the instrument back to its factory settings.

You will notice that the interactive stop lists are numbered 2 to 5 because number 1 is built into the instrument. Apparently, typing in the code 00656439 and pressing enter enter overrides this factory preset, but I would suggest saving by the built-in save routine, under finishing memory.

Hope this helps – it's quite straightforward once you get used to it.

[beel m]

I just saw this... what a scream!! Kudos

Not to worry!

According to the Ahlborn-Galanti website, although they don't mention a service team, Ahlborn-Galanti customers can assured that they will always be taken care of by their legal team, which they describe on their website as "Our Continued Commitment":

"Because of our long standing commitment to our customers and prospective clients, the legal team of Ahlborn-Galanti has been working hard to remove the many defamatory posts on the internet and in conjunction with Wikipedia to stop the vandalism of our entry there."

You really don't run across many manufacturers that provide their customers with such comforting and reassuring committment!! :-)

[michaelhoddy]

I very much want information about Galanti organ 3000 --or 3100--Since as everyone including Galanti agrees, the MANUAL is NOT helpful, I dont' know any of the following --1. how to access the four alternate suites of stops (if that's realy what they are--they appear to me to be mostly just duplicates of that which is visible in front of you as you sit a t the organ) 2. what to do when a matrizx appears with a blikng curser 3. what brings about the message (again over to the right) " we are occupied with oicing" and how to avoid that showing up--it takes time sometimes at crucial places in the service 4. where CODES --e.g. 586854 --come into play and whether they are necessary to achieve a registration that you can rely on --a set of stops that you can REALLY Capture--freeze--retain. 5. why the CHIMES are annoyingly always foisting themselves on me as a default stop. If as some say the Galanti company is NOT going out of business why does it seems as though no one byu t "ARTIE". Why do they offer to take voice mail messages and then never give you a n opportunity (e.g. with a dial tone_ to leave such a message? Can you commuitcate with them through email? This and MANY MORE wuestions I would like to have answered.

Respectfully, in response to your questions about Galanti support here and elsewhere in the forum, I believe you're stuck with whatever their website gives you as options. Since Generalmusic in Italy ceased operations, it's my impression that "Galanti" is a some of the former GeneralMusic/Ahlborn-Galanti team in Chicago in an industrial park in Bensenville who are trying to keep the thing going, sourcing their product from one of the Italian OEM manufacturers that picked up the pieces after Generalmusic closed, and networked with a few distributors and dealers around the country. If you can't raise them by phone, I don't know who else you could deal with.

In terms of the quality of product support, I believe you have answered your own question. Having worked with the Galanti product in the 1990's before the AG series, I would love to be proven wrong if there is a better level of support out there. But in the meantime, yes, Arie would be a wonderful person to message through this forum.

[jbird604]

You are SO wicked, Clarion!

Sounds like the above-mentioned organ does need some explaining to this user. Perhaps there is someone here who has experience with that model.

[Clarion]

If as some say the Galanti company is NOT going out of business why does it seems as though no one byu t "ARTIE". Why do they offer to take voice mail messages and then never give you a n opportunity (e.g. with a dial tone_ to leave such a message? Can you commuitcate with them through email? This and MANY MORE wuestions I would like to have answered.

Not to worry!

According to the Ahlborn-Galanti website, although they don't mention a service team, Ahlborn-Galanti customers can assured that they will always be taken care of by their legal team, which they describe on their website as "Our Continued Commitment":

"Because of our long standing commitment to our customers and prospective clients, the legal team of Ahlborn-Galanti has been working hard to remove the many defamatory posts on the internet and in conjunction with Wikipedia to stop the vandalism of our entry there."

You really don't run across many manufacturers that provide their customers with such comforting and reassuring committment!! :-)

[arie v]

Hi,

I don't mind helping people out, but need more info. I "think" I have a reasonable understanding of the Ahlborn-Galanti organs. If you wish to communicate with me, PM through the organ forum.

AV

I very much want information about Galanti organ 3000 --or 3100--Since as everyone including Galanti agrees, the MANUAL is NOT helpful, I dont' know any of the following --1. how to access the four alternate suites of stops (if that's realy what they are--they appear to me to be mostly just duplicates of that which is visible in front of you as you sit a t the organ) 2. what to do when a matrizx appears with a blikng curser 3. what brings about the message (again over to the right) " we are occupied with oicing" and how to avoid that showing up--it takes time sometimes at crucial places in the service 4. where CODES --e.g. 586854 --come into play and whether they are necessary to achieve a registration that you can rely on --a set of stops that you can REALLY Capture--freeze--retain. 5. why the CHIMES are annoyingly always foisting themselves on me as a default stop. If as some say the Galanti company is NOT going out of business why does it seems as though no one byu t "ARTIE". Why do they offer to take voice mail messages and then never give you a n opportunity (e.g. with a dial tone_ to leave such a message? Can you commuitcate with them through email? This and MANY MORE wuestions I would like to have answered.

[tkosiorek]

I service A-G organs and Johannus and Viscount.I have no problems getting parts and technical help from any of them,But Allen and Rodgers want you to go through their dealers for manuals and parts and the dealer can charge you whatever they want,if they will even deal with you without their service tech making a service call.I have worked for the Allen and Rodgers dealers in the past and have a collection of service manuals from them.

[cnr1949]

Thanks for monitoring these questions about the A-G, Arie.

No, the pistons don't feel sticky, and I pulled them off and the switches appear to be high, so they're not lining up properly. Should I try to do anything about this or leave them alone in case I make the situation worse?

The Sub and Super couplers on my A-G affect all the Swell stops, which is fine with me.

Swell Off Swell shuts off all pitches of all stops, except the Additional Stop as you mentioned. I think my understanding of how it should work is the same as your's, say I've got the 8 string selected, then add Super coupler 4', then select Swell Off Swell, the 8 should be cancelled but the stop should still sound at the 4' level - but it doesn't. Everything is off.

Robert

[arie v]

Hi cnr1949,

Regarding your pistons, do they feel like they are physically somewhat sticky, or is it an activation problem? I have not come across problems with newer A-Gs having piston problems, but had one organ of the previous generation where some piston switches were not lined up to the pistons, and this caused misfire sometimes. You can check this out by pulling out the piston and shining a light into the piston barrel to see if the switch is centered properly.
On earlier Galanti organs some organs had pistons that would feel sticky as they got older. To fix one pulled the piston out and cleaned the piston itself and the inside of the barrel with a damp cloth.

The Swell Off tab - basically silences all Swell stops that are turned on at their pitches. This is the way pipe organs work also. The exception to this would be the the Swell Additional Stop, which can be setup as a stop independent of the Swell division. This would allow one to play the Festival Trumpet for instance, against the rest of the organ, including having the Swell coupled to the Great, and Gt to Ped and Sw. to Ped on, and of course the Swell OFF Swell turned on. One other note, the Sw to Sw 16 and 4 couplers work only on the String and it's Celeste stops, so one could get quite a string ensemble. Another oddity is that the 16' and 4' Swell couplers couple thru onto the Great with only the Swell to Great coupler on. Similar effect with Swell to Pedal coupling. Not conventional, but can have it's purpose.

AV

[cnr1949]

If I can piggyback on this thread - I've got an A-G 2000. I really like it, except for the pistons that seem reluctant - they sometimes require a double punch to activate my registration change. Someone told me to just pull them out and see if there's dust or something in them. Does this sound like the thing to do? Anyone else had this problem?

Secondly, what is the Swell Off Swell tab for? The instruction booklet is useless. It shuts all swell stops OFF. Why? What utility is this? On pipe organs I've played seems to me the Swell Off Swell cancelled the 8 foot stops but retained the Swell to Swell 16 or 4. Am I totally out to lunch?