Allen TC-3S organ worth.

[pipeorganfool]

New member here, first post. First, let me say that I am simply bowled over with the vast amount of collective knowledge you gentlemen possess. I have spent several days reading posts and replies and I am amazed at just how much inform you have, and that you kindly share it with us.

I am sure this question as been asked and answered a dozen times before, but being new I will ask it once again: Can someone tell me the current value of an Allen TC-3S organ? This one is coming from a First Baptist Church that the congregation purchased new and has used over the years. Also, can you tell me the pros and cons of this particular organ? Thank you.

[myorgan]

Pipeorganfool,

Welcome to the Forum! I wish I had thought of a moniker like that.;-) I know I'm a fool, and sometimes open my mouth and remove all doubt!

A TC-3S in perfect working condition could go up to $500 at the absolute highest. With issues that need to be corrected, closer to $0-$100. There's one on *Bay right now, and you can see there are no takers, and only a few watchers. I wish I could give you better news.

They are highly repairable with most parts readily available, and I'm sure Allen would even support the organ with parts, but at a price. Their sound is highly dependent on their location/installation. I played 3 separate TC-3S organs in 3 separate installations. One was great (hard surfaces and the room added reverberation) and had a realistic organ sound; one was a bad location with carpeted windows, floors, and pews; while the other was installed in a balcony and was half-way between the other two.

Hope that helps.

Michael

[Organkeys Jones]

Are you wanting to buy it, or sell it? Those are two different values!:-)

The TC-3S was one of the later analog Allen Organs and has lots of features. If it still has gyros, the organ could be equipped with Allen Trem Generators and then you could use different full-range speakers. There are no mixtures nor couplers, but was a fine and popular model.

[Hiawatha]

About 20 years ago I paid $500 for mine. That was at a time basically without any internet resources and a time when no one would have dreamt to give up their church's organ. I was searching for YEARS and suddenly saw an ad by our nearest Allen dealer 130 miles away. I was glad to get a private practice organ at any price. There were some really nice things about that organ, but these days I'd not pay more than $50 for one. Three weeks ago I got a MOS-120 for free and two years ago I got my Classic 20 for free.

To my ears (at the time) the principals were really nice sounding. The pedal department was really lacking. The closed flutes sounded a bit strange, but passable. I actually liked the reed stop. I used this organ for many years with my choir (this was the early 2000's and I only met one of the major developers of Hauptwerk just the year previously in grad school.and really didn't comprehend what that meant yet). I had already been playing on a lower end Rodgers digital and a Ahlborn/Gahlanti/Viscount "thing" for 15 years at that time so when the dealer led me through the test drive I was very underwhelmed. I also purchased my System 600 double computer MOS-1 at that time too, but was also very underwhelmed by it.

The strengths of it are the cabinet, keys, and action, all of which would stand up through a nuclear war. Although it was a unit organ and there was little diversity of ranks, those that were there were as good as you could possibly imagine from technology of the 60's. I felt that a few couplers could have been handy to balance the pedal (I didn't have any 4' as far as I remember on it) with the correct magical registration the pedal was quite beautiful and convincing but without any pedal reed it was difficult to realistically play much literature.

My TC-3 (though just last night it dawned on me that maybe all these years later there was a misunderstanding and the dealer actually sold me a TC-12) three or five presets which were of no use whatsoever. They seemed to follow the tonal philosophy of Allen and were tacky and unusable sounding like something only an old church lady who never really studied registration but who played the melody of the hymn on the swell and the "accompaniment" on the great incessantly. *shudder*

The organ (if it was, indeed, a TC-3-- I disposed of it when I moved in the Allen 120) was easily portable. I just had two ninth graders load it on two furniture dollies and we wheeled it from the choir room down to the auditorium. Mine also had a "princess pedal" that plugged in easily. I didn't mind the princess pedal at all because it made it a lot easier to house in my choir room and to move around.

If you can't get a very affordable or free Allen MOS-1 digital (they are ubiquitious even in my part of the country) I'd take a serious look at the TC-3.

[myorgan]

Just one correction: The TC-3S had Pedal Reeds at 16', 8', and I believe 4', as well as a 32' Resultant. The TC-3 had presets, whereas the TC-3S had setterboards under each side of the organ (like on the TC-4).

Michael

[Organkeys Jones]

TC-3 and TC-3S had AGO pedals, so you probably had a TC-12 or TC-15. I did see a TC-12 built in the "B" AGO console in Minnesota.

[Silken Path]

Hi. I paid $200 for a similar TC-4 with one gyro, one fixed reeds unit, two 16-speaker units, and two bass units. Mine had been in basement storage for several years and there were NO installation or assembly instructions. I'd give bonus points for an organ that comes already working in a church. A TC-3S is desirable. :)

[samibe]

If anything needs to be fixed, you would likely have to do that yourself. Allen does sell technical packets for the older analog organs for $95. It likely contains all of the schematics and technical drawings you would need to troubleshoot and fix the organ, if you're reasonably handy.

[Hiawatha]

Ok. So I take back what I said about the TC-3, although I assume most of it would apply. I had assumed I had a TC-3 so much that I never really thought it through. I even checked back on my notes and I swear I was sold a TC-3, but it almost certainly was a TC-12b. I really liked the console design much better than the TC-3. I mean it was beautiful, elegant, and lightweight. The Allen Dealer was beyond reproach-- one of those people who made you improve your posture whenever he was in your presence and my memory is darn near perfect so I don't know what happened. He had three analogs in his showroom and he advised me against purchasing the cheaper and self-contained organ that looked a lot like the TC-12 but had only flute stops. I wonder what that one was now-- was it a tube organ? After all of these years I finally understand when my dad and his friends would discuss the various tractors they had owned. I suppose Allen would be analogous to John Deere and Rodgers to International Harvester. I've owned five Allens (two of which I had to part with due to space) The mysterious TC-3 (TC-12b?), a System 600, two MOS 120s which are only slightly different, and an MDC Classic 20. One portative Roland/ Rodgers thing too. If I hadn't scraped them all of them would still be nearly as good as the day they were built.

[myorgan]

Hiawatha,

You could be correct about the TC-3. In the brochure I have, I noticed it doesn't have the 32' stop or Pedal reeds. However, the TC-3S changed the registration as well as capabilities. You could be correct about the TC-3.

Michael

[Piperdane]

The TC-12 had a princess pedalboard if I recall correctly. The TC-3 was built to AGO specs.