matt
Joined: Oct 18, 2010
Posts: 656
Boston, MA
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Posted on Jan 12 2016 05:49 PM
I've started working with a keyboard player. His main keyboard is a very good piano, and a very crappy farfisa!! He has expressed willingness to invest in something with a better farfisa/vox sound.
I'm wondering if there are any CHEAP keyboards out there which have a decent enough organ sound to get started? I don't think I can ask him to buy a Nord or deal with a vintage combo organ. Seems like some casio must have a good sound, but I know nothing of their range of products.
thanks!
— Matt Heaton & the Electric Heaters
Boston's Premier Surf/Noir Combo
http://www.heatonsurf.com
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Jan 12 2016 06:20 PM
Japanese and American companies made organs to compete with the Italians in the 60s and they are just as good, if not more reliable than the 'real thing'. Teisco and Rheem (the heater manufacturer) come to mind readily. Troll craigslist unceasingly to see what comes up.
— Squink Out!
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Jan 12 2016 06:26 PM
Have you thought about buying your own compact organ and letting him use it? He may love it and buy it some day or if he doesn't work out you'll have a combo organ for the next person to play.
We did this for our drummer who didn't want to buy new drums at the time. He now owns the kit.
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matt
Joined: Oct 18, 2010
Posts: 656
Boston, MA
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Posted on Jan 12 2016 08:07 PM
I have, more than once, thought of buying a compact organ. Haven't quite been able to justify it, being that I couldn't actually play it. but you raise a good point...
— Matt Heaton & the Electric Heaters
Boston's Premier Surf/Noir Combo
http://www.heatonsurf.com
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evL
Joined: Oct 13, 2015
Posts: 85
Crab Key
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Posted on Jan 12 2016 09:13 PM
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Last edited: Mar 11, 2016 10:16:59
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sysmalakian
Joined: Dec 24, 2015
Posts: 460
México
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Posted on Jan 12 2016 10:24 PM
Hi, well i would rather a combo organ, there is tons of models, some are cheaper and have a good sound, check them here:
http://combo-organ.com/
Another option is this
— My latest LP Unknown Creatures by Otitis Media Records is available now on all digital platforms and colored vinyl. Listen and buy here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/sysmalakian/unknown-creatures
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heepeejeep
Joined: Feb 28, 2013
Posts: 350
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Posted on Jan 13 2016 07:21 AM
JakeDobner wrote:
We did this for our drummer who didn't want to buy new drums at the time. He now owns the kit.
Haha! This sounds familiar, did the same myself. The drummer owns the kit now. 
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mitchvreed
Joined: Dec 28, 2015
Posts: 27
Kent, Ohio
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Posted on Jan 13 2016 07:31 AM
Probably not what you are looking to get into, but if he has a MIDI out to a laptop, this virtual organ sounds great:
http://www.martinic.com/combof/
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matt
Joined: Oct 18, 2010
Posts: 656
Boston, MA
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Posted on Jan 13 2016 08:37 AM
thanks guys! I'm liking the look of that yamaha a LOT, seems like the sort of thing you can talk someone else into....
in the meantime, I'll keep my eye open on craigslist; though in fairness, if I spend any money at all it'll be on more reverb....
— Matt Heaton & the Electric Heaters
Boston's Premier Surf/Noir Combo
http://www.heatonsurf.com
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JObeast
Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
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Posted on Jan 13 2016 10:15 AM
I watched several demo vids of the Yamaha reface series keys and was very impressed. If I was a keyboardist I'd want to get one for sure. Check out the CP that makes electric piano and clavinet sounds - super funky!
— Squink Out!
Last edited: Jan 13, 2016 10:15:52
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raito
Joined: Oct 16, 2008
Posts: 553
Madison, WI
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Posted on Jan 13 2016 12:02 PM
I played with the whole reface series around Thanksgiving. Very nice if you can get over the small size (or have MIDI).
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caddady
Joined: Feb 14, 2010
Posts: 802
N.E. Ohio
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Posted on Jan 13 2016 12:11 PM
what is wrong with the "very crappy farfisa"?
Does it just need serviced?
— http://www.reverbnation.com/thegreasemonkeyz
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psychonaut
Joined: Dec 08, 2007
Posts: 1308
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Posted on Jan 13 2016 01:03 PM
There's a old joke that goes: "Farfisa means BROKEN in Italian"!
I've never come across a Farfisa that was 100% working. They always have some issue or another. I have 3 Farfisas; 2 Farfisa Compacts and a mini compact, all in various states of disrepair. We used a Farfisa vip 500 in my band for a while, but that too was problematic. But it had a cool feature called "Synthaslalom" which is a kind of pitch shift. You can hear it used on Led Zeppelin's "Dancing Days" and Devo's "Mongoloid".
Our Italian made Vox Super Continental has been very good to us though and survived a few tours. I also have a British made single manual Continental, but it's a little finicky. Vox Continentals are the gold standard of combo organs as far as I'm concerned.
Yamaha made great combo organs too, the YC series in particular. If you're looking for a Vox Jaguar, look for a GEM Model P instead - same exact guts, way less expensive than Jaguars.
Other cool organs that can be found cheap are;
Domino
Howard
Elka Panther (Killer vibrato)
Ace tone (made by teisco)
All have that classic psychedelic sound and can grate some serious cheese.
— https://www.facebook.com/coffindagger
http://coffindaggers.com/
http://thecoffindaggers.bandcamp.com
Last edited: Jan 13, 2016 13:06:36
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matt
Joined: Oct 18, 2010
Posts: 656
Boston, MA
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Posted on Jan 13 2016 01:41 PM
Hey Psychonaut--wanna just join my band?! 
— Matt Heaton & the Electric Heaters
Boston's Premier Surf/Noir Combo
http://www.heatonsurf.com
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psychonaut
Joined: Dec 08, 2007
Posts: 1308
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Posted on Jan 13 2016 01:53 PM
matt wrote:
Hey Psychonaut--wanna just join my band?!
well I'm a guitar player not a keyboardist and if you ever heard me play the organ you wouldn't dream of asking that!
I actually have all those combos for the very idea that was mentioned above. I figured if we already had the gear, it would be that much easier to find someone to play it!
— https://www.facebook.com/coffindagger
http://coffindaggers.com/
http://thecoffindaggers.bandcamp.com
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matt
Joined: Oct 18, 2010
Posts: 656
Boston, MA
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Posted on Jan 14 2016 12:28 PM
I wonder if people in other genres do this....
— Matt Heaton & the Electric Heaters
Boston's Premier Surf/Noir Combo
http://www.heatonsurf.com
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killbabykill34
Joined: Apr 03, 2010
Posts: 3201
Jacksonville, AL
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Posted on Jan 14 2016 02:04 PM
That Yamaha Reface has me intrigued. I have long wanted to purchase a Vox Continental. But, frankly, our keyboard player might be the absolute hardest person on gear that I have ever seen. So I can't imagine keeping a 40-50 year old instrument in working order with him involved. And the only other option I have found, until now, that has good organ tones a Nord. But as awesome as those are, they are way out of the budget range.
— THE KBK ... This is the last known signal. We offer Sanctuary.
www.thekbk.com
http://www.deepeddy.net/artists/thekbk/
www.reverbnation.com/thekbk
www.facebook.com/thekbkal
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djangodeadman
Joined: Jan 25, 2007
Posts: 1569
Brighton UK
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Posted on Jan 14 2016 06:52 PM
I recently did the sound for a band from the States (playing in England, obviously), whose keyboard payer used a Yamaha Reface YC. It sounded fantastic He wasn't overly enamoured of the small keys, but it was certainly a lot easier for him to transport. If transportation is not the issue, you could couple it with a fairly inexpensive midi keyboard and you would have a more playable, but great sounding, organ setup.
— Los Fantasticos
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matt
Joined: Oct 18, 2010
Posts: 656
Boston, MA
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Posted on Jan 16 2016 07:37 AM
Here's a bizarre and circuitous branch to this thread. the other day, on facebook a friend wrote that "there's a band called Archie & the Bunkers." I thought it was a great name, chuckled and went back to the business of trying to find a combo organ on craigslist. And WAIT A MINUTE!! someone is listing an Ace Tone top model 5! Never having heard of it, I looked for a youtube demo. found one, seemed kind of lackluster, but I happened to look at the comments and there is one from...Archie and the Bunkers, giving a link to their video where they use that very organ!
Submitted for your approval is my new favorite band:
— Matt Heaton & the Electric Heaters
Boston's Premier Surf/Noir Combo
http://www.heatonsurf.com
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