CRUMAR HAVEN Model 103

[Guest]

hello ,
i am looking for as much information for this "i think" rare beauty and ofc how much is it worth

It is an CRUMAR HAVEN MODEL 103
and on the back is the maker's plate with serialnr : n.404

The organ is in okay condition but it has his faults because of the age of the instrument.
Like a crackling sound if you move the drawbars
there is also a little sigaret burn mark on the upper keyboard first C key

i guess because i am new on the forum i cant put attachment picture's atm
but
thx in advance :)

Akira Sann

[Guest]

http://imgur.com/a/tUgZH
Here's a link with picture's of the crumar haven model 103

[Guest]

CRUMAR HAVEN Model 103 imgur link pictures

http://imgur.com/a/tUgZH
Here is a link with picture's of the organ
crumar haven model 103 serialnr: 404

[searchinferu]

I must confess Akira. I don't believe I've ever saw one of those.

[andyg]

I remember Alan Haven coming into the store where I was the organ department manager. He'd been working with Crumar on a new range of organs to bear his name. This was 1973 and I don't think anyone in the UK had heard of Crumar back then. He did a really good sales pitch, pointing out the professional features on the 103, like the extended pedalboard, the offset expression pedal and the 49 note manuals. What he couldn't do is show us what it sounded like, as there weren't any organs to show us - never a good idea if you're trying to sell organs!

I'd guess that some of the electronics in here may have been courtesy of Farfisa, I'm thinking of the rhythm unit in particular. Identical push buttons and the way that it worked was almost exactly the same. There was some interplay between the manufacturers in the Ancona region of Italy back then, and I'd wager that there was probably more than a little 'industrial espionage' as people changed companies! As for its sound, it was the typical rather nasal Italian flute sound all the way. Great for what Alan wanted to play but maybe not for our customers, who generally preferred the smoother 'American' sounds (but hey, we were also selling lots of Yamahas and their sound at the time was pretty thin too!) And Alan always used a great big Leslie cabinet on the end to make it scream a bit more! We didn't take the range into stock, we just didn't need them as we had Hammond, Wurlitzer, Lowrey, Yamaha and Philicorda as our main lines, and could get things like Baldwin and Farfisa if we needed. When I did get to play one a few months later, I found it quite an interesting instrument. As I said, very typically Italian in its sound, but nevertheless fun to drive. The Haven range didn't last that long, for whatever reason and the organs were soon coming into the UK with the Crumar name instead.

Reliabilty? Well, most Italian organs were pretty poor quality at that time, they were just waking up to the fact that the Japanese could produce a better quality product at the same kind of price as they traditionally had. They improved pretty fast but never quite made it to the standard of the likes of Yamaha and Kawai on that score. But in those days there was probably nothing custom in them, other than perhaps the drum unit, so parts might be OK.

Value? Depends on condition and your location to some extent. Once you cross from the UK over to Continental Europe prices for organs go a bit crazy. It seems that on your side of the Channel, you like these oldies more than we do. In the UK, if it were badged as a Crumar, its value would be negative, meaning that you'd probably have to pay someone to take it away. But with the Haven name on it, and bearing in mind that Alan Haven passed away just last month, there may be a bit of nostalgic value to it. In Belgium, I really don't know!

[Guest]

Is that a good or a bad thing :)
I forgot to mention there's also a Leslie speaker
link of picture here :
http://imgur.com/lndh0pN

[Guest]

It just add another zero to the other zeros, I'm afraid.

[Guest]

Thank you very much for your (very good) explanation of the organ .
I really enjoy , knowing a little bit more of the background of the organ,
thx to you

ty and greetz Akira Sann

[andyg]

NOTE: I've merged your two similar threads, so replies may be out of sequence. One thread is always enough! :)
Andy G - Moderator

The reasons that most people have never seen one are 1) that there were relatively few made and 2) most have long since met their maker, like many similar organs

[Guest]

Thank you very much AndyG for all the info .
i was thinking to look for someone for repairs ... if it was worth something .
But i guess time will tell
greetz Akira Sann