Which organ next?

[Guest]

Ok, I have a dilemma and would like peoples opinions. My Technic sx-ex 50 has given up the ghost. I bought this at least second hand, and to be honest have never really liked it. I have also owned a Yamaha, Lowery and another Technic organ, all very basic models.
So the time has come to purchase another one......, but which one? I can play well and would like something that gives a good rounded organ sound but also something I can experiment with to create my own sound (something I haven't been able to do with my previous ones). I know price is a factor, so up to £500.00 for a good second hand one, but I'm willing to pay more for the right one. There are just so many organs out there and I really don't know where to start.
Thanks Karen

[seamaster]

Best Roland Atelier you can afford.

Welcome to the forum.

[andyg]

I'll second that. If you want to go a bit more vintage, then Kawai SR6, Yamaha FS70 perhaps.

[seamaster]

EL-90, an an alternative. They’re changing hands on the ‘Bay well south of a monkey these days.

[Herbert]

For different organ sounds. It imitates other organs, good drums and decent other sounds it has to be Technics GA3. They are very cheap on ebay now.

For up to date sounds you cant grumble at the price being asked for Orla GT8000. There is one on ebay for £199. Bargain.

Not sure how good a Roland would be for less than £500

[andyg]

80Rs have been selling for sub £500 at times.

Looks like a good line up here, then. In no particular order, as they say....

Low cost Roland, AT80R, AT45, etc
Yamaha EL90 - but budget for changing all the caps in the power supply as this is becoming a regular issue now. One of my students picked up a mint EL90T, loads of disks and a ton of music books for £400.
Technics GA1, GA3 and EA5, with the GA3 the best of the bunch
Orla GT series, the bigger the better.
Older models from Kawai, Yamaha and Technics

[seamaster]

Good shout on late Orlas, they are for nowt now.

[tobeycat2007]

Also the yamaha AR80 and AR100 seen these cheap now as well, though some still overpriced.

The later hammond XE200 also worth considering, good organ sound and orchestral sounds and very easy to just just down and play.

[ToH]

Interesting thread.

I'm also looking for something to replace my HS-8 with. I'm now finishing book 3 of Complete Organ and the later books of Palmer Hughes spinet organ that I had as a kid. The latest that may show up in Sweden is Technis GX series and have seen a GN or two and also Electone El-70 I have seen a couple. But now I learned that it's possible to buy from used store in Britain so I have started to look there.
I would highly prefer a console but currently only AT-90SL exists. My problem though with Atelier is that they don't send midi aftertouch. Maybe there could sometime show up a Technics FA-1 or a Kawai SR7? Electone ELX seems very rare.
I'm of course considering non console to as AR100 or EL900. I think AR100 would be a huge uppgrade in organ compared to HS-8 that only have a few presets even though I have CVS-10.
New, only options ar OAX1 with a pedalboard or import Electone ELC-02 but it's beyond the upper end of what I would like to pay.

I'm also looking for something to my mother. Criteria there is Organ sounds and very easy to operate, nothing else. She only plays hymns. Though maybe a D-85 or a Technics G7 would show up cheap in my area but not really. Now start to think of finding an Orla GT-8000 in Britain, they seems quite cheap in comparision to others. Don't know much about Orla but on youtube they seems pretty easy to operate with 16 presets for a few different organ setup, flute, theather pipe presets, or the option to use the drawbars.
Some have any idea if there will be easy to set organ sounds for hymn playing on Orla? Or any other suggestion, then I guess pre-digital? (I guess these older not really showing up in used store but collect private and then back to finding something in Sweden allthough difficult it may happen something show up).

[Herbert]

Orlas are very cheap in UK. Thats because a lot of them were sold here. So plenty of them around. If money is your issue its a no brainer, Orla is the one. GT8000 currently on ebayy £199. Thats just amazing.

[andyg]

There was a Grande Theatre on a few days ago, started at 99p. Went up a bit from that, of course.

You can make a very decent church organ on the Orla. The drawbars can make some straight sounds and there will be some pipe samples as well. The big Orlas let you mix sounds easily, so no problem.

Find an organ at a good price in the UK (it will be much less than in Scandinavia and there will be more choice), then hire a van or camper van and catch the ferry across for a UK holiday. Pick up the organ on they way home! Don't laugh - it's been done more than a few times.

[ToH]

That was an interesting thought that I would never have come up with myself.
Of course it would be much more expensive than to get something oneself than to have it transported. But it would however give the possiblility to buy private and then obviously cheaper than from a used store.
A GT8000 is about 1000 Euro in store up to well above 2000 Euro for newer Orla models.
A AR100 is 1000-1500 Euro and EL900 above 2000.
I don't really know private prices but if some things can be had for 200-300 that sounds exremely cheap.
Consoles I haven't seen any except for one AT-90SL.

[Hammond-Organist]

Been a good few Yamaha AR100 up of el Bay, had lots of fun playing that back in the day at my pals God bless him now gone. Always loved the EL90 at you know but a few seem to have packed up of late I hear.
My Hammond XE200SE has been a goody and I do keep finding things on it to play with.

[RogerM]

I have an EL90 which I still rate as a superb instrument in spite of its age. Do you still love it? Why or why not? I’m wondering if I really want to change it - Atelier AT-800/900 in the frame.

[RogerM]

... Anyone?