Rodgers 750-A

[Neumie]

I bought a Rodgers 750-A this week. My first real electronic classical organ after owning a Technics and a Hammond.

I know nothing about this instrument whatsoever. I bought it because a church just a few minutes away was basically giving it away for $100. That also included five large 6x speaker cabinets and a subwoofer. But I'm inclined to think I might have gotten a good organ.

I googled and organforum'd this thing but don't come up with much. Apparently it came out "in the 70's" and there were several goes at this model ... the 750, the 750A, and the 750B. But I don't know the differences ... heck, again, I don't know *anything* about it. Again being a beginner organist, I don't even know anything about features. I'm still learning scales and chords.

Does anyone know anything about the 750-A, the history, timeline, and what these letters (750, 750A and 750B) represent? Did I buy a good organ? Good sound quality? Durable and sturdy above all else?

I'm too new to electronic classical organs to know any of these things even when I'm standing right in front of the thing hearing it played.

-Neumie

[arie v]

Neumie,

Re: the Rodgers 750. The original 750 came out around 1977. Was decent but not spectacular. Tended to be durable. I have looked after a bunch of them over the years. Sound was typical Rodgers of the 1970s, in other words, not really what people want to hear today.

I'm not sure what the 750A is. Never heard of one.

The 750B came out in the early 80s, maybe 81. Basically a slightly updated 750. The 750 was sort of the middle model of the Rodgers 2 manuals.

The story about the 750B, is kind of unusual.

What happened, was Rodgers came out in 1980 with a new line of organ called the Mikasco series. These organs were the first where Rodgers used microprocessor control of console functions. However, these organs were seriously problematic, and service issues were such that Rodgers had to can that series, and in a hurry re-release earlier models.

If I am not mistaken, Rodgers came out with a Mikasco II series around 1983 or 4., and these were more reliable.

AV

[Neumie]

Thanks, Arie. Someone on another organ told me that since this organ has not been turned on in over ten years, the capacitors will likely short out when I turn it on. That's kind of a shame. I imagine everything is, as you say, pretty durable. I've heard that said more than once about Rodgers.

Regardless, it's a beautiful instrument and I've also been told it's easy to add MIDI, which I plan to do.

-Neumie

ps. If anyone else has any more information or history on the 750, I would love to hear it.

[Neumie]

By the way, Arie ... (or anyone else reading) ... can you tell me anything about the keyboard action on the 750?

I just found out I won't have the organ until Jan 2 ... and I bought it without playing it, so I have no idea what it feels like.

I've played some pretty thin keyboards over the years ... and I've played on some spectacularly well-made key actions too.

Does the 750 cut the mustard? A joy to play on? Or will I be spending the money to replace them with ready-made CMK MIDI keyboards?

[toodles]

Rodgers used 3 different keyboards in that era:

Herberger Brooks, wood-core keyboards, from England: these are nice keyboards and worth keeping.

Pratt-Read metal & plastic keyboards that were originally OK, but a rubber bumper in them dries out over time and they become noisy; sometimes the bumper swells & the key action gets spongy. I hope you don't have this type.

LoDocua brothers Italian metal & plastic keyboards, which are very well made and as long as they are in good working condition are well worth keeping.

Toodles.

[Jan Girardot]

Just FYI;

I have a brand-new (old stock) 61-note Herrburger-Brooks keyboard from my time at Rodgers in Hillsboro. It has the original Rodgers contact system and is in wonderful shape. The price is just $65 + shipping and a JPG is available for the asking: [email protected]

. . . Jan
the OrganGrinder