How important do you think memory pistons are when practicing the organ at home? I saw a good deal on a really good digital organ, but I could not set my own memory pistons..they just came preset. </p>
Is it still worth it? I am an organ student...so I am not playing anything "big."
</p>
A digital organs with preset pistons? Hmmm... That's strange. Most of the digital organs have a capture system. Perhaps you have to press and hold the piston to set the stops?</p>
Honestly, it depends on what you're planning on doing with the organ. No, it's not absolutely necessary on a practice organ for your living room, but they really do come in handy. My Allen at home has 3 preset pistons (it's an analog organ), and I find that I often do use them. They are really nice when I'm practicing hymns.</p>
In my opinion, you should be just fine. If you can find an organ with settable pistons, it's worth spending a little extra dough for, but you'll be just fine with out them.</p>
I would tend to think that even a smaller digital organ with just a few general pistons would have some way to set the memory, even if the stops do not move (which is usually the case in these instances). I seem to recall some of the bottom-of-the-line analog (but still AGO) consoles from the 1970's had three or four non-moving general pistons that were factory set and unchangeable (at least not conveniently).</P>
What make and age is this organ?</P>
By the way, I find a traditional moving combination action helpful when I am at home practicing what I will be doing at church. But this is an expensive luxury for a small practice organ.</P>
The Allen TC-1 Series Service Manual tells on page 24 how to subtract or add stops to a pre-set combination. It says:</P>
"The Pre-Set system used on TC-1 series organs is called a blind piston system since the stops are not physically moved up and down by the system. The pistons are pre-set at the factory. The combinations may, however, be changed by a technician. By comparing the contact numbers on the pre-set drawing [on the facing page 25] with the tone strip numbers on the stop board drawings for the various models, a determination can be made as to which stops are included on each piston."</P>
The instructions then follow for bending contacts away or adding jumper wires to accomplish the desired changes. Purchasing the TC-1 Service Manual package ($50 plus $5 shipping) is a worthwhile investment.</P>
Looks like you’re enjoying the discussion, but you haven’t signed up for an account yet.
Tired of scrolling through the same posts? When you create an account you’ll always come back to where you left off. With an account you can also post messages, be notified of new replies, join groups, send private messages to other members, and use likes to thank others. We can all work together to make this community great. ♥️
We process personal data about users of our site, through the use of cookies and other technologies, to deliver our services, personalize advertising, and to analyze site activity. We may share certain information about our users with our advertising and analytics partners. For additional details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
By clicking "I AGREE" below, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our personal data processing and cookie practices as described therein. You also acknowledge that this forum may be hosted outside your country and you consent to the collection, storage, and processing of your data in the country where this forum is hosted.
Tweet
Comment