does anyone know about old organs?

[delah]

is there anyone out there who knows a thing or too about old electronic organs? i got one for free out of the want ads and i love playing it and i want to record with it but it's not in tune with my guitar when i tune my guitar to standard tuning. i use a tuner and everything but the organ plays a little flat...or maybe a little sharp, i havent quite pinpointed it. mostly because i was so shocked that an organ which is completely electronic, even though it is very old, could be out of tune. its completely in tune with it's self, but it's just like the whole thing is knocked down a half step or something. anyone know anything?

[bigwillz24]

Originally Posted by delah

is there anyone out there who knows a thing or too about old electronic organs? i got one for free out of the want ads and i love playing it and i want to record with it but it's not in tune with my guitar when i tune my guitar to standard tuning. i use a tuner and everything but the organ plays a little flat...or maybe a little sharp, i havent quite pinpointed it. mostly because i was so shocked that an organ which is completely electronic, even though it is very old, could be out of tune. its completely in tune with it's self, but it's just like the whole thing is knocked down a half step or something. anyone know anything?

Not without knowing what type of organ it is.

I'm thinking theres a button somewhere that needs to be pushed.

[DonF]

Unplug the power cord. Take the back off the organ. Look for twelve "things" (sorry, can't think of what they're called at the moment) all in a row, that look like they might have adjustment screws. These are most likely what you need to adjust. Get a chromatic tuner and connect it to the organ (or put it where its microphone will pick up the organ's sound). Choose a simple sound (flute, diapason, etc.) with no vibrato or tremolo. Tweak until the thing's in tune.

That's the basic procedure that worked for me when I was a teenager and I tuned up my Dad's '68 Lowrey. YMMV (especially if it's really a "tone wheel" organ rather than all electronic).

Don

[Atterion]

Yeah you can do that with old Lowreys (IC Divider synthesis, with individual pitch reference cards). But it really all depends on your specific make and model delah. Give us more specifics. It could be so many things (Insufficient voltage, most likely from a voltage leak, which is usually tweaked and compensated for via adjustable voltage regulators like on the Lowerys).

[whyseye]

.......ohhh........this ISN'T a Viagra thread...........................

[arcaxis]

Originally Posted by DonF

Unplug the power cord. Take the back off the organ. Look for twelve "things" (sorry, can't think of what they're called at the moment) all in a row, that look like they might have adjustment screws. These are most likely what you need to adjust. Get a chromatic tuner and connect it to the organ (or put it where its microphone will pick up the organ's sound). Choose a simple sound (flute, diapason, etc.) with no vibrato or tremolo. Tweak until the thing's in tune.

That's the basic procedure that worked for me when I was a teenager and I tuned up my Dad's '68 Lowrey. YMMV (especially if it's really a "tone wheel" organ rather than all electronic).

Don

I just recently salvaged parts out of an old organ, don't know the manufacturer. Here's a pic of the tuning coils (aluminum cans with the brass adjustment screw) Don mentions.

I pulled about 24 12AX7's and about 6 12AU7's out of this chassis which I got for $0. To be used for guitar and preamp projects.

Mark......

[Supercreep]

Or, you can tune your guitar to the organ.

[fraserhutch]

Originally Posted by Supercreep

Or, you can tune your guitar to the organ.

You're supposed to tune your guitar?

[Atterion]

Originally Posted by fraserhutch

You're supposed to tune your guitar?

I think you turn those shiny things on the top

[delah]

the organ i have is a wurlitzer theatre spinet organ model 4080. i opened up the back and found the tuning screws that your picture showed me arcaxis. but all the notes are flat by the same amount so it seems more like the voltage leak the Atterion mentioned. i could still tune each note though and i guess that would hopefully fix the problem. what do you guys think?

[arcaxis]

Are the tuning cans marked in any way so you can tell which notes they affect? If so, give one a tweak and see if it brings it into tune. If it is easy to bring into tune maybe that's the easiest way to go rather than troubleshoot a voltage problem.

Mark........

[Atterion]

Originally Posted by arcaxis

Are the tuning cans marked in any way so you can tell which notes they affect? If so, give one a tweak and see if it brings it into tune. If it is easy to bring into tune maybe that's the easiest way to go rather than troubleshoot a voltage problem.

Mark........

I agree with arcaxis. Why hunt down a problem for hours on end, when a solution is right in front of you.

[delah]

...not to mention the fact that i wouldnt have the slightest idea how to fix a voltage problem. the cans are marked so i guess the best thing to do is to mess with them one at a time and tune the organ that way. thanks for all your help everyone and ill tell how it turns out.

Originally Posted by Supercreep

Or, you can tune your guitar to the organ.

Don't forget you can't tuna-fish but you can tune that old baby, or play 1/2 tone off to follow that guitar (like my bass player likes to play) he tunes the bass 1/2 step off so he's always one 1/2 step lower than the rest of us says it sound much deeper

[Rokket]

Originally Posted by homeboyz

Don't forget you can't tuna-fish but you can tune that old baby, or play 1/2 tone off to follow that guitar (like my bass player likes to play) he tunes the bass 1/2 step off so he's always one 1/2 step lower than the rest of us says it sound much deeper

I know a bass player that tunes his 5 string like that. Actually, he tunes a whole step down. His lowest note is an "A"... really freaky tone running through his Ampeg...