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I'm not sure about the brand, but how do you pay $16,000 for an organ and not know the bench is backwards?
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I'm not sure about the brand, but how do you pay $16,000 for an organ and not know the bench is backwards?
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Re: What is this? (PRINCIPAL ORGAN)
I'm looking for an organ to use for playing Hauptwerk, so actually the organ will be acting as a MIDI controller. If the organ happens to have useful sounds, then that would be, well, useful, but mostly the sound source would be from Hauptwerk.
So, either a used organ with MIDI, or perhaps retrofitting, but I don't know how difficult or adviseable that would be.
I agree that the picture with the bench placed backwards gives pause!
Lawrence -
Re: What is this? (PRINCIPAL ORGAN)
>>I'm possibly looking for an organ to use for controlling Hauptwerk.
You might try checking this out on Ebay. It might be a much better console for your purposes:
tinyurl.com/qqng9
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Re: What is this? (PRINCIPAL ORGAN)
I can't see any pedals either. It could be the bench obscures them but I don't see a hint of them.Comment
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Re: What is this? (PRINCIPAL ORGAN)
Lawrence,
This "PRINCIPAL" organ is a re-badged Princeton 990 by Viscount. They were produced in the mid 80s. Old fashioned analog, square-wave divider generators, just like Johannus, Eminent, etc. of that era. Pretty dismal sounding actually. This organ has NO MIDI.
This organ is almost incomprehensible to figure out. The importer didn't care that these organs were European in origin. The Swell and Great divisions on the stop rail are reversed. The couplers are on pistons beside the SETTER, there are divisional cancels at the right hand of the divisons on the stop rail. The capture action works in such a manner that I couldn't figure out how it all worked.
I just finished doing a service call on one of these, and my conclusion is that it is one of those "golden oldies" that is best avoided.
The seller is dreaming in techno-colour if they think this organ was ever worth $16,000. Ceretainly in today's market it is not even worth $500. Or at least I can think of better ways to part with $500 than one of these.
AVComment
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Re: What is this? (PRINCIPAL ORGAN)
radagast:
There seem to be many bargains on Ebay, for example, in the US. However, such organs rarely become available in Canada. My understanding is that getting someone willing to ship an organ from the US to Canada is also problematic.
I've also found a Baldwin 635, for half the price, but they have sent the dimensions, and I don't think it will squeeze into my basement music room. You can view the Balwin at:
http://kitchener.kijiji.ca/c-ViewAd-W0QQAdIdZ2982189
That's part of the problem I face. The old analogs are cheaper, but physically larger.
Of course, the ideal would be to find an instrument with MIDI. I'm not sure how much work, expense and expertise would be required to MIDI retrofit a non-MIDI organ.
LawrenceComment
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Re: What is this? (PRINCIPAL ORGAN)
Arie:
Thanks for the response.
I'll add this one to my "to be avoided list"! (Insert BIG SIGH here!) The list seems to grow and grow!
The lack of standard (AGO) features is indeed important, and not to be underestimated.
My son played for two years at an Anglican church in Brantford and the Swell and Great stop tabs were reversed. It didn't bother him since it was his first organ, but it drove me nuts, on the few occasions I played there. (Think brain fart!)
I also recently played a three manual top-of-the-line instrument, and found the pedalboard to be awkward. The sharps did not extend equal length, but got longer towards the ends of the pedalboard. My toes kept hitting notes that it shouldn't have, but at least in this case I had an excuse!
LawrenceComment
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Re: What is this? (PRINCIPAL ORGAN)
How is that bench backwards? you can clearly see that the rail is on the side towards the console.Comment
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Re: What is this? (PRINCIPAL ORGAN)
You can also clearly see the storage shelf which traditionally faces towards the organ console!</P>
Lawrence</P>
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