advice please

[Guest]

Need some advice please.

The two organs on display in our local shop are:

Johannus Opus 27SE http://www.johannus.co.uk/Product.aspx?productID=14

and

Makin Westmorland Jubilee II http://www.makinorgans.co.uk/Product.aspx?productID=10


The organ my son is inclined towards is the Johannus, but as a three manual, the Opus 37SE:

http://www.johannus.co.uk/Product.aspx?productID=15


So, a few questions please

1. The Westmorland is normally twice the price of the Opus 27 - but he has an ex-demo version of the Westmorland on sale which makes it ?4,000 more expensive than the Opus 27. It is clear that the Westmorland has a higher standard of finish than the Opus, e.g. the toe pistons are solid brass instead of plastic, the stops are made of a nicer material etc - but is there a sufficient difference in specification to partly justify this difference in price? It would appear to us that some of the price difference is also due to the additional amps and speakers which will not be necessary for a house - although it does make the sound richer as less is going through each amp. The organ is going to sit in a normal-sized room, maybe even slightly on the small side, not a big one! My son will use headphones quite a lot I would think, but by no means all the time.

2. The three manual obviously sits between the two in terms of price - but only ?1,500 less than the Westmorland. Is a three manual better to buy? It then ends up with more stops than the Westmorland.

3. Standing back from it all, are any of these organs worth buying for home practice? Our budget would not stretch to anything more - but still no point in buying something useless. They certainly sounded excellent and to our untrained ears we could not tell the difference between them and a real pipe organ. There was also a Viscount organ there to try and the difference between these organs and it was immense.

We are probably coming to the same conclusion as our son - go for the three manual, but would really welcome advice - we know little about organs, electronic or otherwise.

[seamaster]

Wrong forum — try the church boys:
http://www.organforum.com/forums/for...ctronic-Organs

[myorgan]

85mel,

A few immediate questions come to mind:

• Is your son a beginner or an accomplished organist?
• What are his future plans for organ?
• What literature will he play?
• etc.

Most people purchasing an organ for the first time don't go directly for the 3-manual instrument unless they are serious about their musical future, and have the musical ability to accomplish something in the future. On the other hand, if he is serious about classical and liturgical study, some classical music does require 3-manuals.

Having viewed the specifications of all 3 organs, just be aware that just because there are more manuals, there may not be enough stops on each manual to play the literature he needs. Sometimes a large 2-manual instrument with a good specification will serve your needs better.

I know I've muddied the waters, but perhaps we could help you better if you provided a little bit more information about your son's abilities and intentions. Hope this helps.

Michael

[Guest]

Thanks

Future plans - just playing at home and on any organ he can get his hands on, but not as a church organist. Purely for the pleasure of baroque music
grade 8/Distinction piano, 2 flute diplomas, not much organ experience but highly gifted at piano and sees it as piano but harder! loves a challenge. His piano teacher is a very good organist and has given him maybe 10 organ lessons. He has tackled several of the well known hard pieces with a lot of success. Not trying to boast, but if he sets his mind to it he can play almost anything fairly quickly. He is 16!
Literature - baroque mostly, any famous piece, especially if difficult!

He just loves music as a hobby and wants a new challenge

[myorgan]

Organ for Beginning Organist-Accomplished Pianist

Unfortunately, I'm not from England, so I cannot advise you concerning the build quality of either instrument, but from the registration I saw online, the 2-manual looks like it would fit the bill for your son.

Anyone else have ideas about these organs? Arie V? Others?

Michael

[nullogik]

Makin organs are made by Johannus but the samples are exclusive to them and they are generally better equipped (more audio channels, nicer features etc). I've not played a Makin so I can't give you an opinion on sound quality.

I do note that Makin's website is stating that the Jubilee is about to be replaced so it might be worth holding off for the new model or negotiating aggressively on what is soon to be an obsolete model.

Have you tried some other manufacturers. They are plenty of about who have agents in the UK. Allen, Rodgers, Phoenix and Wyvern are perhaps worth checking out too.

Finally, have you considered Hauptwerk? A nice Hauptwerk setup is going to cost somewhat less than that £15.5k that Makin is quoting for the Jubilee and is going to sound several times better. The only inconvenience is that you will have to cobble together various components but there are some online shops out there that do "kits". This option is well worth you having a look into. Check out Haupwerk's website and listen to some of the samples.