I feel like I've lost a friend

[jcardana]

I know there's another thread about Lowrey closing but I want to discuss the loss behind Lowrey closing.

I grew up on Lowreys. Yes, I'm frustrated about their business practices, but that's not the point. The home organ market has been dying for many years and these days, having Youtube, allows us to transport our beasts in to the homes of others. And now, knowing there's only one model left I can upgrade to, it's very saddening.

I'd like to talk to people who feel the same way. Is it just me or is our Lowrey Organist community so small that I feel isolated here.

My dealer, who just started selling Lowreys last year, has no where to go except to keep selling her Kawai pianos. And even the "home piano" market is shrinking.

The Lowrey organ allows me to play a broader style and sound, and at my level of playing.

This is the end of an era. But i'm going to do my best to keep the music of Lowrey alive. Who's with me?

[andyg]

Numerically, the number of Lowrey owners with post 2000 models isn't that great, compared to the glory days. And there appear to be very few of them on here, so I can understand that isolated feeling. At least you have the Lowrey Forum as well. Us poor oild Atelier owners don't even have that. But we make up for it here, I think!

Interesting comment about the piano market shrinking on your side of the pond. Over here, both acoustic and digital sales seem to be holding up well, certainly judging by the number that Bonners are shifting in their two shops - I see one of them ever week and there are always boxes with instruments being delivered or collected. And they do a good trade in fully refurbished pianos - ones that are maybe 30 years old but rebuilt to as new spec and finish. The piano will never die out.

Alas the dealers won't be making the Lowrey-esque margins on piano sales, nor is there a 'fake it' button that they can push to make a non-player sound good! It will be back to the way it's always been with pianos. 1) tone, 2) feel 3) looks 4) skill of the salesperson.

So do please keep that Lowrey music going here and on the Lowrey Forum. For vintage Lowreys (pre 1993) there's also the Vintage Organs Facebook Group. I'll give them a plug as I always plug Organ Forum over there! :D

[Hammond-Organist]

I'm also a little traumatised by the news having spent a weekend in Lowrey Land with a hundred owners of them...I do feel for those old folk (respectfully) who ordered a 50K organ last weekend as the £'s will be falling rapidly.

My first real organ was a Lowrey DSO Heritage way back which had such a sweet sound and easy to get around. Once I self taught learned to play...cough cough a bit... Dad used to transport me around with it, him on drums me on the Lowrey. Fondest memory was playing it in a field for a wedding anniversary and watching people dance in it really great fun for a few hours. I so miss my Dad :-( we chatted endlessly about the olden days and band work.

[jcardana]

I so miss my Dad :-(

Yeah, my mother would be upset. She died before I got the Marquee.

[Darth-Car]

I may be a Rodgers guy today when not playing the big pipe units, but all of my formal learning was on a second hand Lowery sporting vacuum tubes. It finally passed to the organ shop in the beyond when it died 10 years ago. It survived a major move with my folks, and moved in with my beautiful bride, and myself into our first home. I had that organ for the best part of 40 years, and it was probably 20 years old when I got it.

Keep the dream of the home organ alive Joe!

[grbac]

Lowrey closing

Yes, I agree with you about feeling sort of abandoned.

My first organ was a Lowrey when I was a kid (Lincolnwood) about 100 years ago. Since then, I've had different makes including an Allen 3 manual TO. A couple of years ago, I stumbled onto entries on Youtube for the Lowrey dealership in the UK, and Anthony Cozzolino's posts when Maestro Music in NY was in business. I got a new impression of Lowreys, their sound engine, and their ability to match your skill level. I was also lucky to cross paths with Jim Vogelman and gain lots of insight into their design philosophy. I ended up with a Marquee, then an Aria Pro.

Is Lowrey perfect? No. But their instruments had some practical thought put into them. I'm enjoying my Aria Pro, and hoping somehow another entity might continue with building instruments for the "hobby" musician.

BTW, did anyone on this list go to the UK Allen "Organ Extravaganza" this last weekend? I would have loved to be "a fly on that wall" and hear what was being discussed!

Take care,
Nick Grbac
Aria Pro

[seamaster]

Is Lowrey perfect? No. But their instruments had some practical thought put into them. I'm enjoying my Aria Pro, and hoping somehow another entity might continue with building instruments for the "hobby" musician.

All that's left are "hobby" manufacturers: Wersi, Böhm and Bemore.

[andyg]

BTW, did anyone on this list go to the UK Allen "Organ Extravaganza" this last weekend? I would have loved to be "a fly on that wall" and hear what was being discussed!

Our member 'hammond-organist' went, he's posted about it, but yes I'd love to have heard the discussions.

@seamaster. What about Ringway? They would appear to be the only 'major' player left.

[Hammond-Organist]

Yes I went to Allens Music Extravaganza which was another good musical event although probably more overshadowed by the bad news than I picked up on at the time. Sales were good for the organ at the event as well but it was sad to see a top Lowrey pro shaking my hand close to tears on the final day as I thanked said person for a wonderful concert.

Sitting round our breakfast table on the final day one chum edged a bet we would see a Wersi centre stage next year and another event by the organisers elsewhere in the UK but we will see. Although I love the event I don't think I would be going to see a Wersi centre stage and what about all those old folk with Lowreys now secured? I did find it hard going with pensioners splashing out many thousands on up to 50K organs wondering how family's are going to dispose of them when the grey day comes for them, it must be a very daunting prospect.

Upside. I still find the big Lowrey organs fun to play once I found out how to turn off the automatics and lights and they seem to make me smile non stop when playing them. Perhaps its because I see them as being way over the top and massive along with endless backings oh and those cascading lights, far more than Blackpool tower! The stage demo of the new Ario Pro peaked when a USB stick was shoved into it and the demo man stated " you can play your MP3 music files and it will play itself"...Oh dear.

[seamaster]

What about Ringway? They would appear to be the only 'major' player left.

I think if they had serious aspirations to be a "major player" they'd have cheerfully relieved Kawai of the Lowrey brand.

[Harpo]

I love my AT900, but I do miss my LX300!

[dressur4]

Do you all think someone will buy Lowrey and start making them again or resume production? I hope that happens. My question is,, if the stop production, what are the dealers going to do? I hope someone buys them and keeps making them. Hopefully an American or English company buys them

[chelsea4023]

Hi Guys,

Although I have never owned a Lowrey, I wanted to own one in my younger years. The Berkshire or the Holiday (with the green wah wah button).
Although I was mesmerized with Harry Stoneham's U.K. launch of the MX1, I started to lose a little interest in the later models (due to the high costs
involved).
Organs are indeed alive and kicking in different formats, I have a Viscount Legend Live which is a drawbar organ (hammond style) with a Korg PA4X
sitting on top of it. I have Roland bass pedals to complete the organ transformation. Setting up is more complicated as it's a mix and match system.

I have only just read about the closing of Lowrey organs, but would be surprised if another Company does not pick up the baton and move forward
with the brand name.

Chris

[dressur4]

I hope someone does there is a whole network here in the USA with Lowrey and some nice videos from our friends over in the UK a side note I never seen a white Lowrey like I seen on a UK video. but someone has got to buy that name. unless Kawaii want's a ridiculous price. but I hope it keeps going I am sure that when the guy who owned it sold it to kawaii I am sure the same worries and doom was around as well. or when Norlin sold it but who knows I am worried about replacement parts too. you get a nice Imperial or something then lightning strikes or a motherboard goes. you have a beautiful paperweight but who knows if I had the ability I would start making turn key kits. but we'll have to see for sure

[andyg]

As I've said before, Kawai tried to sell off Lowrey for years, so the chances of anyone taking on the line now are very small. The resources needed for production and R&D, and the set-up costs would be huge. Kawai are massive and they couldn't make it work. You'd need a very big company to step in if they were to do things properly.

Norlin sold out at a time when almost every US manufacturer was either pulling out or closing down - or getting Italian companies to rebadge their products with American names. IIRC the line was taken over by MIDI Music Center and then in 1988 by Kawai. Without that buyout, the Lowrey organ line would have disappeared then.

I'd love to see the organs continue, but I just don't see how. It's possible the name alone could be sold, of course, but then who knows what kind of instruments it would end up on.