Is the Kimball L200 a good organ to start with, or should I invest in something else?

[GrayF]

So I've recently gotten in to the world of organs. I am fascinated by these wonderful instruments. For quite some time I've considered buying a digital organ off of either eBay or Craigslist (depending on price/location), and I recently came across on Craigslist and ad for a Kimball L200 "The Entertainer" (or Camelot) organ for $65. The seller says it's in good condition, however I know that these older organs will require servicing, which I am fine with. I'm curious to know if this organ has a good sound that could possibly be used to play some silent film music, or if I should look around for something else, like an Allen or viscount.

Thanks for taking time to read this!
-G

[andyg]

The L200 Camelot is a high end model, with a decent spec. Yes, you may have some issues, but if you're happy with that, then fine. It will be able to make some good theatre organ style sounds, perfectly adequate for playing the music that would have accompanied the silents. Not as accurate a theatre sound as an Allen. Viscount only made one theatre organ, the 'Empire'. The jury is out as to how good it sounded, but the couple I played were OK for me! Not many of them around, though. And of course $65 won't buy you much of an Allen theatre model.

I'd give it a go. If you're happy with it, you'll stick with it. If you love it, you'll want to move up and then we can give you plenty of advice depending on what music and sound you're after.

But be cheeky, it's a buyers' market and you might get a bit off that $65 if you haggle gently.

[GrayF]

The L200 Camelot is a high end model, with a decent spec. Yes, you may have some issues, but if you're happy with that, then fine. It will be able to make some good theatre organ style sounds, perfectly adequate for playing the music that would have accompanied the silents. Not as accurate a theatre sound as an Allen. Viscount only made one theatre organ, the 'Empire'. The jury is out as to how good it sounded, but the couple I played were OK for me! Not many of them around, though. And of course $65 won't buy you much of an Allen theatre model.

I'd give it a go. If you're happy with it, you'll stick with it. If you love it, you'll want to move up and then we can give you plenty of advice depending on what music and sound you're after.

But be cheeky, it's a buyers' market and you might get a bit off that $65 if you haggle gently.

Thanks for the info! Also, where could I find the physical dimensions/weight of it? I looked on the Organ Service Corp. website because they have manuals for Kimball organs, but they didn't have any info on the L200.