<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 15px; ">I posted this in a Lowrey group and thought it might be informative here as well.<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">Appearance & control grouping<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">GX1 - The GX1 looks more like an organ. Lots of wood, lighted front <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">panel and buttons. Just a grand look about it. But setting things up <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">makes your hands run all over the front panel. Voices to the left and <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">right, volumes all on the right, and of course the keypad that is <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">quite important.<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">EX35 - Functional in design. Very plain looking and somewhat <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">austere. Voicing controls are all on the left, most have individual <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">volumes for the group (Poly, orchestral, solo), as well as an overall <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">volume setting.<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">Winners : GX1 for looks, EX35 for control groupings<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">Voicing :<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">GX1 - many more voices, including a pretty complete set of flutes. <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">Tab voicings quite easy to change around, while orchestral and solo <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">voicings can be a bit of a PITA as the numeric keypad comes into <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">play. The flutes of the GX1 are superb, but the other instruments are <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">a bit 'not real'. Nice sounding, but you would never mistake the <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">GX1's trumpet for the real thing.<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">EX35 - Fewer voices, but more control of the voices. Flutes a bit <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">lacking (16, 8, 4, 2 on upper w a percussion), (16, 8, 4 on lower). <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">No fractional flutes at all. Orchestral (called special) and Solo <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">voices are mostly dead on. Selecting that same trumpet on the EX35 <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">really does sound like a trumpet, and the Clarinet is just fantastic. <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">Each section (Poly, Special and Solo) has a volume control, so you can <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">control the voicing 'color' better and quite easily. Special and Solo <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">can be used on either the upper or lower keyboard, but not both.<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">Overall sound :<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">I have to give the edge here to the EX35. The EX35 has excellent bass <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">and plenty of bass voicings while the GX1's bass is weak with fewer <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">selections, imo. Also the EX35 has a small speaker on each side of <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">the upper keyboard that really makes the sound to the player much <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">better while the GX1 plays to your knees. At higher volumes, the EX35 <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">has a smoother sound, while the GX1 can get a little harsh (not bad, <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">just a little bit).<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">Automatics :<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">GX1 - tons of automatics, and cartridges for when you need more. <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">Great rhythms and accompaniment with good voicings. Some variation <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">allowed that is very nice and some melody in the accompaniment. For <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">upper keyboard, harmony is very nice, offering an easy way to change <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">it a bit from open to closed and such.<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">EX35 - Again tons of automatics, lots of rhythms and good <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">accompaniment with good voicings. Each rhythmic accompaniment has 2 <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">variations, each variation being either somewhat plain, or more <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">melodic with a seperate control. Upper keyboard harmony is about the <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">same as the GX1, with a few different selections available. One thing <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">that the EX35 has that the GX1 doesn't is one-button setup. Pick a <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">rhythm, push a button and everything is set up, upper, lower, pedals, <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">all of it. Makes just sitting down and starting to play a bit quicker <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">and is very convenient at times.<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">Programmability -<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">Here the EX35 is just easier, or maybe it is because the book is much <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">better. Setting presets is very simple on the EX35. One method is <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">the VSC (voice setting computer). Make your voice settings, hit the <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">record button, hit a VSC number (1 thru 7) and you're done. The other <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">method is a bit more confusing from the book, but turned out to be <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">just as easy. FSC (Full Setting Computer). Again make voice <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">settings, but add rhythm, accompaniment and most any other setting and <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">hit the record button and FSC (1 thru 5) and it sets the whole thing <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">up. Just like the one-button setup, only controlled by you.<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">Also recording a chord sequence to that you can just play the melody <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">when you are learning a song is very easy and the book is quite good <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">in the how-to on this function.<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">The EX35 also has 10 presets built-in that offers voicings not <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">available any other way. While quite good, it doesn't really explain <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">what each setting is, you have to try each to see which you like (or <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">don't).<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">Chording -<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">GX1 - Here the GX1 really shines in that you can mix fingered and one- <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">finger chords quite easily. Also the GX1 offers more chord variants <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">with fewer fingers. Excellent.<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">EX35 - Technics chose to only allow major chords with one finger, <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">minor, 7th and minor 7th are done by pressing a foot pedal or in the <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">case of minor 7th, two foot pedals. For all other chord variants, you <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">must finger them yourself. And while you can go from fingered to one- <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">finger chording, there is a very distinct delay before the organ picks <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">up that you have done it. From one-finger to fingered doesn't have <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">that delay.<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">Overall I like both the organs just fine. Each has sound and <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">characteristics that make them attractive and very nice. For the <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">rhythms and auto-accompaniments<wbr style="line-height: 1.22em; ">, I like the styling of the SX35 more <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">than the GX1. For broad selection of voicing I like the GX1. For <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">looks, it is a tie. I like both for what they are and how they look.<br style="line-height: 1.22em; "><br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">All of that said, a major downside of any Technics organ is parts <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">availability. They are no longer produced for the US market and <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">reports of parts scarcity are all over the internet. The Lowrey line <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">is much better in this respect. If I were buying a used organ today, <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">I would find myself more willing to pay more for a Lowrey of a given <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">year of production than I would a Technics. In other words, the <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">Technics would have to be a real bargain to even consider it, a few <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">hundred at most for the newest and fanciest of the Technics line would <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">be the most I would pay. That is sad as Technics made some superb <br style="line-height: 1.22em; ">organs.</span></p>
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