Adding digital reverb to Allen MOS-1 organ

[IndianaBill]

Greetings!</P>


I have an Allen 301c-3 that was fabricated in 1977. I would like to add a digital reverb to it, but I have no idea where to even begin.</P>


I know I've found this topic somewhere on the board before, but I can't seem to locate it.</P>


What's out there that I can add, and can it be installed by myself? About what do these things cost?</P>


The pedal division sounds very - well, electronic. I might as well be playing an electric bass guitar. Do you think an digital reverb would help this?</P>


Thanks!</P>


Bill</P>

[buzzyreed]

Re: Adding digital reverb to Allen MOS-1 organ

Been, there, done that, got the t-shirt, receive the yearly newsletter. Adding reverb to an older Allen is so simple, two monkeys could do it. Two monkies, did indeed do it on both of mine (me and an 8th grade student). The only problem is that you may have to 'hack' into the silly small coaxial cables that are used to connect the organ to the speaker. Now, here are the simple steps. Are you writing this down?


1. Go to ebay, bid about $25 or so on a newer Alesis Nano Verb, or some such other reverb unit. Do not pay more than $30. There will always be more out there. You will want probably one reverb unit for each tone generator 'thingy' on the organ, e.g. one for the Principals, one for the Reeds, and Maybe one for the flute channel.

2. "Hack" into the small coaxial cables that connect the organ to the amps. WARNING! Do NOT try to do anything to the amps themselves (such as installing 1/4 inch jacks into them, this was a big mistake I'm still paying for. It has made my Allen 600 'big boy' almost unplayable). Just cut into the cable that connects the organ to the amp at about four feet. Place one male 1/4 inch jack on the end coming out of the organ, place one male jack on the end of the rest of the cable that leads to the amps (right where you spliced into the cable-- LEAVE THE COAXIAL END ALONE AS IT IS, HITCHED UP TO THE AMP. When you are finished you should have: About four feet of cable coming out of the organ (one of these cables for EACH channel-principal, flute, reed) with a male 1/4 inch jack on the end. Plug this end into your newly purchased from ebay digital reverb unit where it says, "IN." Plug the other 1/4 inch jack into the jack marked "OUT." You now have a digital reverb unit in between the organ and the amp. That's all there is to do.

WARNING. WHEN TESTING THIS OUT, BE VERY CAREFUL TO HAVE ALL VOLUMES AND LEVELS TURNED DOWN ALL THE WAY. SLOWLY BRING THEM UP TO TEST YOUR REBVERB UNIT.

3. Repeat the above steps for each channel (principal, flute, reeds). I think the Pedal division comes half from the flutes half from the reeds, but I don't know.

4. Adjust the reberb unit to your desired levels of reverb.

This will probably not take out all of the 'Atari' effect out of the early Allen digial prinicpals, nor will it make the reeds sound as metalic as you'd probably like, but it WILL make it sound like a completely differnt organ, depending on the quality of the reverb unit you get. The one with the most 'processing features and dials, generally the better.

I hope this helps. I did this in the space of about an hour. You probably won't have much trouble either. The trick is hacking into the coaxial cables and putting the outer net like lead and the inner lead in the right place on the 1/4 inch jack. I stongly suggest that you do not try to add 1/4 inch jacks to your amps if you don't have them already. This is messy, time consuming, and just a bad idea.

Write back if you need a better explanation. I am sure many on here have done this and can perhaps help you by describing the process more clearly.

[IndianaBill]

Re: Adding digital reverb to Allen MOS-1 organ

Thank you Buzzyreed! I will try it!

[Guest]

Re: Adding digital reverb to Allen MOS-1 organ



I am using Alesis Midiverb for both pipe and electronic. Big improvement.</P>


You might consider adding MIDI.</P>


Welcome backBuzzy.</P>