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Looking for advice about this Conn Rhapsody 628-4

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  • Looking for advice about this Conn Rhapsody 628-4

    Hi all,

    I am a completely new to the world of organs and this is my first time posting.

    Someone is offering to donate their Conn Rhapsody Organ 628-4 to my studio (pictures below). I am going to check it out tonight to see if everything works, but I'm reluctant to take it because I can't find anyone nearby that moves electric organs so I would have to end up doing it myself. I also haven't read many positive reviews here on the organforum. I'd love to hear your thoughts whether you think it is worth moving or how I can politely say no to their donation without offending them :) I've posted pictures online on photobuck with the link here. http://s1299.photobucket.com/user/melonbar88/library/

  • #2
    That model was introduced in 1972 and tone generation was by individual transistor oscillators. They had the usual problems found in Conns of that era and may have had the much-maligned vinyl buss bars used in keying the string and reed voices.

    . . . Jan
    the OrganGrinder

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    • #3
      Hi, MB. Welcome! If it all works, grab it. (Preferably by renting a U-haul trailer with two axles. They have a LOW load height and are cheap, $30/day, if you return them to same place you got them.) I read somewhere that it takes about 10,000 hours to wear these keying rods out. I got lucky on my Conn - the puppies had at it and things in the garage fell on it, and it looks terrible, but it plays GREAT and I've had no problems with any of the keys. Except, that is, one was broken before I got it. Don't let anybody lift UP on the keys! The bench was full of Bach that I don't know that I'll ever be able to play, and the wood below the music rack is scuffed bare from books sitting there, but it apparently doesn't have its 10,000 hours of use yet.

      So if all the keys and switches and Leslie work, you may be lucky like I've been.

      "Studio" sounds intense. I don't even have a playing room. :)
      -- I'm Lamar -- Allen TC-4 Classic -- 1899 Kimball, Rodgers W5000C, Conn 643, Hammond M3, L-102 - "Let no man belong to another who can belong to himself." (Alterius non sit qui suus esse potest​ -) ​Paracelsus

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      • #4
        Thank you for your replies Jan and SP! I got to check it out the other day and all the notes were sounding however when I switched the Reed/horn stops there was an awful lot of crackling and sounds going in and out. Would you consider these to be BIG problems/fixes?

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        • #5
          Probably not. The switches are all purely mechanical and they are not dainty. I didn't even wait. As soon as I got it, I tilted the cover up (mine is a theater model) and sprayed ALL the tabs with CRC "QD" spray that I got from the NAPA auto parts store. It's famous for being safe for plastics, too. I don't know how the access works on the non-theater models, but just put a towel under it to catch the overspray and give those switches a GOOD spray. There are also various connectors that you'll find inside the organ. Addressing them was the next thing I did. It's a good idea to "exercise" these by plugging and unplugging, and QD is good for these contacts as well.

          On edit: I mean I put the towel under the switches to protect any electronics or keyboards below from the overspray.
          Last edited by Silken Path; 07-09-2015, 02:41 PM.
          -- I'm Lamar -- Allen TC-4 Classic -- 1899 Kimball, Rodgers W5000C, Conn 643, Hammond M3, L-102 - "Let no man belong to another who can belong to himself." (Alterius non sit qui suus esse potest​ -) ​Paracelsus

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          • #6
            As SP said it doesn't sound like a major issue.
            I would use Caig Deoxit D-100 on all slide switches, tab switches and wipe the buss bars with it. The contacts are gold and the buss bars are silver for the flutes and gold for the pulse voices (reeds, strings, etc). There are also several pre-amp volume controls that could use a squirt of Deoxit.

            td
            Servicing electronic organs since 1969.

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            • #7
              Tucsondave is one of our residential experts that we're lucky to have around. So is Jan! Listen to them. :)

              I should have added please don't use CRC QD on any slide switches, as it may remove the lubricant and make any scratchiness worse. I've used it mostly on mechanical devices like switches, connectors, and vacuum pins and sockets.

              WD-40 is good for a month or three on the expression pedal hinge points to kill off squeakiness.
              -- I'm Lamar -- Allen TC-4 Classic -- 1899 Kimball, Rodgers W5000C, Conn 643, Hammond M3, L-102 - "Let no man belong to another who can belong to himself." (Alterius non sit qui suus esse potest​ -) ​Paracelsus

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