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Organ search is OVERI Yes,...OVER! Just about a month ago,I joined with,...and became,...United Methodist. The little Methodist church I now belong to is giving me their older model Rodgers analog organ. That's right,...Rodgers. Here's the story of how this came about this morning. First off,...it actually started last night when a friend of mine I have not seen since high school back in the 1980's told me he had an older Allen organ he was going to give me. This morning he sent photos of an older Allen T-12. Not long after that,I received a text message from my pastor about an organ they had in storage that was SUPPOSED to be sent to a church in Haiti since my church had no use for it any longer since they had no one to play it. They were doing some calling around and found out the organ is still sitting here in Bluffton,IN. As I understand it,the organ is in a shipping container all shrink wrapped to protect it. Well,...I guess God has other plans,and my pastor truly believes in her heart that God wants me to have that organ instead. Never in a million years did I ever think a blessing like this was going to come along,....and as they say,....good things come to those who wait. I still like Allen,...always will,...but I have also always thought to myself that if for any reason I would not find the model Allen I would want,I'd take a Rodgers as a second choice. Well,...glory be to God,...I'm going to have a Rodgers in my home in about a week or so as soon as I round up some helpers to move it from the warehouse here in Bluffton.
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Late 1980's Rodgers Essex 640 -
Congrats, Dewey! I know you, like me and some others here, prefer Allen but the Rodgers is a good 'second choice'. It's analog so won't sound as good as the digis, but you'll be spared the problem of factory support//trying to find parts for a digi they don't (at whatever point in time) support any longer. Build quality on their analogs is good, too. Let me know what model and I prolly have schematics in PDF form I can email to you...
R, Bill -
Congratulations! Be sure to let us know the model number.Comment
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Congratulations Dewey, I'm glad you scored yourself an organ. Enjoy! Maybe in return for your good fortune you could somehow find out if that church in Haiti might like to have the Allen TC12 you were originally offered?Comment
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Welcome to the wonderful world of Rodgers! I must have a different ear than most I have played old Rodgers, and Allens, as well as the latest from both camps. I just always lean toward the Rodgers no matter its age. I hope you find yours equally pleasing. We need to see pictures as soon as you have it set in its new home.Until The Next Dimension,
Admiral Coluch.
-1929 Wangerin Pipe Organ Historian
-Owner 1982 Rogers Specification 990 -Owner 1988 Rodgers 760Comment
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And I'll do my best to provide those pictures! I heard both,and like both somewhat equally well,...but as far as a digital organ is concerned,...Rodgers has a slightly warmer sound to them! I'm anxious to hear how this analog Rodgers is going to sound,though! I have a VERY strong feeling that this Rodgers is going to win me over to the Rodgers camp!
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Dewey:
When I read your post, my first thought was "When it rains, it pours!" I own a Johannus, but I am a long-time Rodgers fan, too. A deluxe practice instrument!
TonyHome: Johannus Opus 370Comment
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I'm certainly delighted for you, even if it's a Rodgers! We service a lot of Rodgers analogs of that era. (From the pics you sent me, I'm calling it either a 650 or a 705 -- both from the 80's era of "serial keyed" Rodgers analogs.) If you're lucky, it will be in great condition. The only routine maintenance needed is tuning of the oscillators, about 97 in the "main" rank and another 37 in the celeste rank. You can tune them with a simple free phone app.
If it has problems, these are usually quite repairable. Certain things can happen to one of these, such as a failure of one of the keyer 4094 IC's, that can make the organ seem nearly dead, when in fact the digital control data stream is merely interrupted by a faulty chip. But these parts are all available and super cheap. It's just that you'll probably have to pay for a tech, since most of these chips are soldered directly to the boards and not user changeable. Let's just keep fingers crossed and assume that it will be in perfect working order!
You will like the sound. As someone said, these old analogs are warmer and more ear-friendly, especially up close and in a home setting, than the earliest digitals. As much as I like Allen MOS organs, I know that they aren't all that pleasant to listen to when the speakers are close to your ears. These old analogs are far less inclined to grate on your nerves when the speakers are right in your lap, as they will be with this self-contained model.
Keep us all posted. Very happy for you!
Oh, and happy that you found a church home where you are comfortable and appreciated. Best wishes for spiritual growth in this new environment.John
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*** Please post your questions about technical service or repair matters ON THE FORUM. Do not send your questions to me or another member by private message. Information shared is for the benefit of the entire organ community, but other folks will not be helped by information we exchange in private messages!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Birds...97551893588434Comment
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It looks to be in great condition from the photos! Well,...if this is the organ God has/had planned for me to have,...I'm confident he protected it,and will be in perfect working order! I'll find out for sure what model it is when I get it home! I contacted Rodgers,and they told me that all I need to give them is model and serial number,and they will send me an owner manual/guide!
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