(Sorry if I'm in the wrong section) Just found a Yamaha E 45

[bramnaus]

Dear organ fans,

First of all I want to apologize if this post is in the wrong section...

So I just found a Yamaha E 45 which I can get for a very very good prize... I'm fairly new to organs, leslie speakers and hammonds. Does anybody have a good resource to check out more info for the Yamaha E 45 Electone organ?

The guy told me I could connect a leslie if I wanted to, but does it have an internal speaker? Also, does this one work well in a church/concert setting? I already downloaded the manual, which I will read!

If you have any experiences with this model, feel free to comment below!

Thanks in advance for all your help and sorry for my ignorance!

[jbird604]

You're in the right section, as Yamaha Electones are considered home organs for the most part. We have some Yamaha fans here, so perhaps someone will chime in and give you more info. Since you've already downloaded the manual, I assume you've done some googling around and found some general reviews of the organ.

While most Yamaha Electones were built with home use in mind, many of them have certainly been pressed into service in churches and other performance venues. The E-45 is a pretty large organ, as home organs go, so it has a lot to offer in sound. And yes, it has internal speakers, a rather hefty built-in system with a large full-range stationary speaker plus a rotating tremolo speaker. An external tone cabinet can be attached for more dispersion of the sound in a large space.

We service these now and then, and generally find them in good working order except that the amplifiers seem prone to early failure. Not sure what causes this, but it is possible to replace the amp with a generic unit with some re-wiring. But maybe you'll be lucky and not have any problems.

[bramnaus]

Thanks for your comment John! Really appreciate your help!

So how do the speakers work? Can I choose between the stationary and tremolo speakers? And does the tremolo speaker mimic the sound of a leslie speaker?

I am told that the organ is in really good shape and that these types of organs made by Yamaha don't have many problems. Do you experience the same?

[andyg]

Yes, you can move some of the sounds to the rotary speaker, but not all of them. A tremolo'd piano would never sound quite right, so it stays in the main channel, along with the preset orchestral and solo sounds and the drums. It's the flutes and non-flute tab voices that can run through the rotary if required. The non-flutes are best left straight, and you can add Symphonic to, say, strings for an ensemble effect. You can add an external Leslie - it's an 11 pin socket and it's plug and play. You need something like a 720 or a 720/540 combo.

By the time of the E45, Yamaha's in built tremolo rotor was a clone of the OEM Leslie unit, so it sounds the same.

Reliability? All the Japanese makers produced very reliable organs. But remember the age of the instrument, it's getting to the point where you should not be surprised of you have some issues. We're seeing regular reports of power supply issues in later series of Yamahas, requiring a recap of the board and, as John said, some have had amp problems. I've not yet come across that myself in the UK.

[bramnaus]

Thank you Andy for your reply!!

Do you recommend this Yamaha E 45 for church/concert settings? I did not find many clips or videos on the internet with the original the 'organ' sound on the E 45. What I found was that most people use this organ for different sounds and the rhythm sounds.

Can someone give me advice what to do? Is this a good organ to get if I am looking to play this organ in church services with other instruments? (Drums, electric guitar, bass, vocals, etc)
By the way, I can get this organ for free... So that's a thing to keep in mind...

[andyg]

It's a home organ and so the organ flute sounds are just part of the whole package, with many home players using the instrumental, solo and orchestral sounds, plus the drums and rhythms. That's how it was designed to be played.

But if you just use the organ flutes and the rotary speaker, then it will deliver the kind of 'Hammond-ish' sounds that you probably have in mind. And if you wanted it to sound like a proper church organ, it would get some of the way there. Not enough to satisfy and organist who prefers pipes, but probably more than good enough for the congregation.

Free is always a good price!

[afuller5]

bramnaus,

I play the spinet cousin of the E-45 called the 415 in the US and the D-85 everywhere else. I used to own one. I also play one for my church. It does a fine job at church but will not satisfy a classically trained organist. However, it is more than adequate to lead a congregation as long as it is not a "high church" service. As Andy said, the flutes with the fast attack will simulate a Hammond. Alternately, by combining the flutes (with normal attack) and orchestra tabs (not the custom voices or special presets), it can mimic a traditional church organ. The 3-click tabs are very useful for the traditional church organ since there is more control over the volume of each sound. When I play as a traditional church organ, I use the Symphonic Chorus on Celeste for the flutes and the Leslie on Choral for the orchestra tabs. Putting the orchestra tabs through the Leslie takes some of the edge off the strings and reeds. I think it helps them blend a little better.

I hope this helps.

Allen

[bramnaus]

Thanks Allen & Andy!

I do have a 'hammond-ish' sound in mind for our church services, since we are a fairly 'modern' church and we have a more modern song service. Free is a good price indeed.

What would you recommend me doing if I wanted to get my sound close to a hammond organ? Using the fast attack flutes might help, I also heard that the leslie button gives it a hammondish sound...

Regarding amplification and sound engineering, would you recommend me setting up a mic in front of the built-in speaker?

[afuller5]

bramnaus,

To get a Hammondish sound you would use the flutes with fast attack. You can vary the volume of each of the nine flute pitches with the 3-click stop tabs. This is similar to adjusting the drawbars on a Hammond. You can route the flutes through the Leslie. There is tremolo (fast) and chorale (slow). If both the tremolo and chorale are on, the tremolo takes precedence. So, by engaging both of those rocker tabs, you only have to turn off the tremolo to go to slow speed. Also, there are three percussive attacks (4', 2 2/3' and 2') that will help get you close to the Hammond sound.

There are actually four-speakers in organ. On the left end, is the Leslie speaker. The other three are at the left and right under the keyboards and on the right end. The bass and lower-pitched sound will not go through the Leslie. I'm not sure the bass pedals are routed to all three of the other speakers. You may need more than one mic on the organ.

You can download an owner's manual from https://uk.yamaha.com/en/support/man...?l=en&c=&k=e45.

I hope this helps.

Later,
Allen

[bramnaus]

Hey Allen,

Thanks for your reply. So I'm a little confused right now. Is there a leslie inside the Yamaha? Like a 'real' leslie? Or is it just a tube-amp that mimics the sound of a leslie? Again, sorry for my ignorance.

I'll try to read through the manual!

I saw a Hammond h100 somewhere else. If you guys could choose between the Yamaha E45 or the Hammond h100, which one would you choose/recommend? (again, having a church service in mind where we play 'modernish' gospel music)

Thanks all for your help!! Really great forum thus far...

[andyg]

I said earlier in the thread. By the time of the E45, Yamaha had dropped their previous proprietary rotary system in favour of a clone version of the OEM leslie found in just about every make of organ back then. (It may well have been licensed from Leslie) It sounds just the same. Amps don't mimic the leslie sound, it's the rotation of the drum in front of the speaker that does it. The E45 is 100% solid state, no tubes.

A fully working Hammond H is a great organ - I really like them - but it would really need an external leslie to get 'that' sound, as well as a few minor mods. Alas, the H wasn't the most reliable of Hammonds, especially the early examples. Given the choice, I'd go with the Yamaha.

Of course, if you're only ever going to want a few Hammond sounds to go with a gospel/praise band, and don't need it to to produce real organ sounds, or to be played by an organist (ie with pedals!), then a 'clonewheel' keyboard would be another option. There are loads of them, and they'll all do a perfectly adequate Hammond impersonation in the situation you describe. But... it might cost more than the Yamaha, which should be low cost!

[afuller5]

Andy,

My 415 (D-85) had a tag on it proudly proclaiming that a "genuine Leslie" was inside. My guess is the E-45 had the "genuine Leslie" inside as well. The one in mine consisted of a speaker (can't remember what size) and a Styrofoam rotating drum.

I hope this information helps.

Allen

[tobeycat2007]

The D85 and E45 both had the yamaha leslie, though similar not quite genuine article but would give same effect.

[bramnaus]

Alright, thanks for your help!!

Anybody got some tips on how to set up the microphones for such a home organ?

[andyg]

Really ought to ask that in a separate thread, but let's leave it here anyway! :)

You'll get as many answers to this as there are days in a month - or more! Depends on so many things.

1) How many mikes do you have, and what type (condenser, dynamic, ribbon etc)
2) what sound are you after? Close in, or more ambient.
3) Where are you going to record - home, church?
4) Solo organ, or playing with a band?