What was your first Organ?

Post by **Hanon_CTS** » 23 Dec 2011, 22:26

Hello All,
Do you remember your first organ?
I remember mine.

It was sometime in the early seventies.
My parents had just about enough of my piano playing and decided the organ (with headphones) would be the proper direction to go next

At the time, the Lowrey Venus seemed like the coolest thing I'd ever played.
Although it was no tonewheel Hammond, or Vox continental, it still played an important role in my musical development.

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I eventually replaced it with a Korg CX-3 (1979) and promptly traded that for my first Hammond A-100 which I kept for the better part of 20 years (it is seen on the left in the avatar pic).
I traded the Lowrey organ straight up for a Leslie 760 and combo preamp pedal (a whole other story)

Enough of my grandpa ramblings...

Care to share your experiences?
Cheers, Hanon

iaorana · Post by **iaorana** » 24 Dec 2011, 09:42

A Hammond E-111 console (bought in 1968, still alive and well

):

Ritchie333 · Post by **Ritchie333** » 24 Dec 2011, 12:02

Had various keyboards before an actual organ, but the first Hammond I got was an L122 in 1994, then an M102 in 1997, and an A100 in 2000. All now sold.

iaorana · Post by **iaorana** » 24 Dec 2011, 19:03

Ritchie333 wrote:(..) and an A100 in 2000. All now sold.

You sold the A100 (my dream

) ?!

Ritchie333 · Post by **Ritchie333** » 26 Dec 2011, 21:03

Well I never really played the A100 much. It was far too heavy to gig with and I never used the extra controls. I just preferred the M102, it felt easier to play and sounded better. So I sold it on eBay for a profit in around 2002.

Post by **Hanon_CTS** » 28 Dec 2011, 22:50

Ritchie333 wrote:Well I never really played the A100 much. It was far too heavy to gig with..

They are very heavy.
I stripped the speakers and associated amplifier out of mine.
I also cut the wood cabinet down a bit, but it still weighed over 300 pounds.
My band mates called it the Frankenhammond...

: Frankenhammond; scan0001.jpg (271.16 KiB) Viewed 5062 times

Post by **DJKeys** » 28 Dec 2011, 22:56

After a chord button organ I got from my step mom and a reed organ that we called the "coffin" I got my first real one, a Farfisa combo compact. Also had a 147.

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Post by **Hanon_CTS** » 28 Dec 2011, 23:04

DJKeys wrote:I got my first real one, a Farfisa combo compact. Also had a 147.

Nice!
thanks for sharing.
I had one of those for a brief period, it had the knee activated swell bar.

Post by **DJKeys** » 28 Dec 2011, 23:12

I remember that! Wow.

Post by **Hanon_CTS** » 28 Dec 2011, 23:21

Hello DJKeys,
I can only imagine how good the Farfisa sounded through the 147.
I never got the chance to run mine through anything other than a Roland Jazz Chorus.
Great pic too, you guys looked like a fun group.
What was the year?
Cheers, Hanon

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