Gulbransen rare original Model D Theater Organ

[jimmywilliams]

This organ was never produced and seems to be the precursor to the Model K. It is a completely different organ than the "real" Gulbransen Model D. George Reynertson sent me these scans a few months back.

[andyg]

Re: Gulbransen rare original Model D Theater Organ



Now that IS interesting! Not only a previously 'unknown' model, but two 'unknown' 5-channel leslies, the 100 and 100B.

Richard Peterson, Donald Leslie? My word, they are being formal!

Thanks for posting this one!

Andy

[OrgansR4Me]

Re: Gulbransen rare original Model D Theater Organ

I owned a D a few years back. Gave it up for a Technics GA3 because of serious potentiometer problems in the swell pedal and some cabinet issues. (often regret that now) The model I had was slightly different from this brochure. Had full 32 pedal arc set-up, dog leg bench, and internal speakers. I posted to the Theater Organ website at the time and received a reply from one of the members of the R&D team. He told me the D was first created as 4 organs for the annual industry convention and a special preview concert by George Wright. He mentioned that Mr. Wright had alot of input into the prototype building. It had tone that wouldn't quit, but unfortunately mine would grow unbearably louder in the middle of a hymn which didn't work in the church setting for which I had acquired the instrument. I'm wondering if this brochure was given out at that convention? For those who are wondering about the fate of the instrument, it went to Goodwill along with a Conn 720. At the time, for health reasons I wasn't going to push around the big consoles anymore. Several months later in a visit to the Goodwill I saw both on sale and as the price was dipping below $100 was alarmed at the possibility that someone would buy the organs to part out so I bought back the Conn. Didn't have the funds or space at the time to save the Gulbransen and often wonder where it ended up?

[OrgansR4Me]

Re: Gulbransen rare original Model D Theater Organ

One additional note regarding the comment that the D shown was never produced. Technically it wasn't produced as a "D" but I have seen similar organs on Ebay listed as model E. And of course it is very easy to see the natural progression of this idea into the Rialto.

[andyg]

Re: Gulbransen rare original Model D Theater Organ



I think that the 1959 Model E you've seen on eBay is a very different organ to this model D. Internal speakers, pistons for starters. If the D is the precursor of the Rialto then the E is more like the precursor to the "Concert" model or its theatre equivalent, the N1, both from 1963. Was the E and its successors an all-flute organ, as it looks that way from the pix in the Blue Book.

And, as has been said on other Model D threads, this prototype D is nothing like the other model D's - the 32 pedal concert organs like the one you had - that did go into production.

Interesting to hear GW's name linked with the model D. Do you mean this one or the production one? I have a recording of a demo record made by GW on the early Rialto K. Shame it's only mono, given the stereo Isomonic system in the K, but some great playing and sounds nonetheless.

Andy

[jimmywilliams]

Re: Gulbransen rare original Model D Theater Organ



Yes, as Andy said, this non-production Model D has absolutely nothing to do with the production Model D. As Andy said the production model D had an internal sound system (2 channel - main and tibia).It usesTIOs for tibia, and dividers for the main/pedal.

The Model E was the first console organ made by Gulbransen (25 pedals, 61-note keyboards) and is flute-only, single channel internal audio (I know more about the Model E than I ever thought I would - I used to have one and I don't think there was a single part of it that I had not been involved with restoring). It uses TIOs but did not have the giant oscillator coils necessary to produce a 16' tone (Octave 0), so the pedal tones are resultant (as they were with the flute-only early spinet models as well). If the Model E was a precursor to anything, it would be the President (I guess??). It had stoptabs arrainged in the "straight" configuration; there was a "theater" and "classical" variation in the cabinet - only difference was colored stoptabs and console lights. In fact, there were two designs for the production D as well - same difference.

TheN and J were 4-channel isomonic internal sound organs with the horseshoe console design, kind of like a poor-man's compact Rialto K (as discussed/debated in other threads). Since it hadso manyinternal speakers there was no room for the large set of TIO tibia gens, so every voice was produced by divider generators, with the tibias being "filtered" into sine waves by a separate circuit. Due to the obvious limitations the sound was inferior to the K.

Andy, you mention a model called "Concert" with no associated model letter. This is not the first time I have hear this (I think it also popped up on Jan Giardot's "mother of all organ lists"). Do you know anything else about this model? Also, the Isomonic system was not stereo in the true sense. The Rialto K 1107 (without the piano/multi-rank celeste) could be used with either one or two cabinets. The main C / C# channels would still come out of both cabinets (separate stationary speakers in each cab for each channel); I think the only "stereo" effect was some sort of phase shifting between the 2 sides if the main vibrato was used and you had 2 cabinets attached.

-jim

[andyg]

Re: Gulbransen rare original Model D Theater Organ



The Concert and N-1 (not just N, apparently) show up as being 1963 prodution. Does indeed look like the same differences between straight and theatre versions, ie. lights and coloured tabs. Specification isn't detailed in the Blue Book, but the lack of Vibrato suggests an all-flute, leslie only organ. Console design of the Concert is pretty similar to the laterPresident, with the'fake horseshoe'wood inserts at the end of the stop rail. Imagine a President without drawbars and you'd be about there. In fact there was a 1969Paragon 2112 without drawbars so maybe there was a drawbar-less President of the same era?

I think the N you mean is different to the N-1. Confusing, the way they use the letter names again, as well as the names!

I know what you mean about the Isomonic system. I wondered why they just didn't hook up each of the C/C# channels to left and right on the mixing console. I was also sent some Rialto K recordings by John Duffy, that did just this and the sound is impressive. Unfortunately the playing isn't!

Andy

[OrgansR4Me]

Re: Gulbransen rare original Model D Theater Organ

Thank you, guys, for this informative discussion on Gulbransen. I've not seen the threads on Model D before. Glad to be updated. Mine had to be a production model! (As mentioned my old posting at the other sitehad brought a reply indicating that the D was only a prototype. However, I realize my source was aging and ill so I do pardon that lapse. Very possibly he referred to the D in the first posting.) Mine definitely had the false theater cover and not a true fallboard. I also have a Colonnade with the same arrangement. Just a little taste of theatre styling I suppose.