Lowrey Prestige Organ...

[danorob1]

OK - This is a simple question… Does anyone have a more recent Lowrey organ…
I would like opinions on them - Looking at a Prestige or a newer versions of the same style model…

I have my Hammond T-582C that my parents purchased for me New in 1973 - I was 7-years old at the time… The Organ still woks as it should, and sounds good for it's age, but I think it is time for something a little newer…

Considering a New Lowery Liberty LE6500 is running about $62,000 New, I am looking for something a little older at a more reasonable price… I have found a Prestige at my Lower Dealer which as a one owner trade- He is asking $10,999 - The one thing I notice is the prices vary greatly…

Here is an image of the one I am looking at -

I am open to all comments - I am looking to hopefully purchase next weekend...
Thanks,
Dan

 

[kenkart]

This is NOT a new Lowrey..

But you will get a kick out of this anyway, here is a Lowery hooked up to a old Leslie speaker, this clip is from the 60s and 70s tv show, The Gospel Singing Jubilee, I watched it every Sunday morning before church, my Mother and Grandmother hated it   LOL, just as a note, the lady playing is Sandy Payton, and she is the minister of music now at a big Baptist church in Atlanta.

 

[danorob1]

Hi Kenkart…

I know this is not a new Lowrey… I think the Prestige was from 2008 or 2009 -
As I said, $62,000 for a new one is out of the question…
This appears to have many of the same features of a new one - The good part is someone else has taken the hit on the depreciation…

Dan

 

[kenkart]

62000.00

Great day, you can buy a Rogers or Allen for that kind of money!!!LOL.

 

[kenkart]

You can get a B3 Hammond

for less than 10,000 in perfect shape, and those old tonewheel organs will run forever, I saw one of the lowreys you mentioned at an estate sale a year or so ago, I think they had it priced 1200.00, so they are out there.

 

[countryguy]

I currently have a Prestige, as seen in my avatar - bought it new in 2012 from a dealer in MI. Previous to that I had purchased 4 used Lowreys on Ebay. I traded 3 of them for the Prestige and paid only slightly more than what your dealer is asking. It is a great organ. It all depends on what you are looking for. I have been following Lowrey organ prices on Ebay for years. There are LOTS of organs available on Ebay at great prices - all depends on how close you are to the seller and whether you want to pay shipping costs or pick it up yourself. The price your dealer is asking is a little high. Are they offering a warranty? There have been several elite models after the Prestige namely Imperial, Sterling, Patriot and the most current model the Liberty. There are a few minor differences between the Prestige and the Liberty. The Liberty has more rhythm styles and built in presets but with 216 styles on the Prestige and over 5000 presets, as well as the capability to edit any style (i.e. change the background instruments, volume, balance, etc.) as well as the voices, it will keep you busy for the rest of your lifetime LOL The Liberty does have the double wide screen whereas the Prestige only has the single screen so more information can be displayed at one time on the Liberty. I do prefer the bench style of the Prestige as it has drawers on either side which can be opened while sitting on the bench. On the Liberty the set top opens up so you have to get off the bench in order to get anything from inside.

There is a yahoo group for Lowrey owners. The members on there have a wealth of information when it comes to all Lowrey models including prices as well as many other makes of organs.

Gary


http://https//groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/lowreyforum/info

 

[danorob1]

Hi Gary,

Thank you so much for all your feedback, especially on the pricing…
There are quite a few Prestiges for sale right now, and the prices vary from $5999.99 to $16,900…
The problem for me is that most of them are in TX, CA, or the Ohio Valley in PA -
I am not worried so much about the shipping costs, but more about not being able to play the actual organ prior to purchase… They are all from Lowrey Dealers and come with a warranty, so I am hoping this will not be an issue…
The other concern is we have a tight staircase to get it upstairs… I have seen on the Lowrey UK site that the organ can be delivered in Three Sections to "fir up even the tightest of staircases"… I would hate to have it delivered to find out it will not make it upstairs…
I am going back on Saturday to try and make a deal with the Local dealer who is about 1 hour away…
I will post the outcome...
Dan

 

[countryguy]

You are welcome Dan. None of the 5 organs I have purchased have been located near me. The MX-1 came from Oregon, Parade from Vancouver, Majesty from south of Chicago, Stardust from Dallas and the Prestige from MI. I know all about the shipping concerns and problems. The Prestige can be stood on end to help make it easier to get around corners. It is a heavy organ - 350 pounds! In the UK all the Lowreys come in 2 pieces...this is NOT the case with organs destined for North America. They cannot be taken apart. I have a split entrance with 1/2 flight of stairs going up and 1/2 flight going downstairs. It is tight quarters but were still able to get the organ in the house.

If you have any other questions, let me know.

Gary

 

[tolivac]

Since I read this thread-wanted to know more about Lowrey organs.So I looked up their site and several sites of dealers that sell them.One dealer was flat out honest about the pricing of these instruments.Like an organ that is priced at 60,000 new---but a few to several years later it is only worth a FRACTION of that 60K price.Watched a demo video of the Liberty organ.Very impressive-but NOT worth the 62 grand suggested price.Remember these organs were intended for the home hobbyist player.I asked myself--how many folks are going to pay almost 70 grand for a household organ???Were talking about the price of a higher end CAR here!That organ would be lots of fun to have-but the price is the turnoff.For that money-you could buy other professional instruments.Or you could buy a vintage band type organ that plays itself!!A friend of mine had an older Lowrey organ.It used tubes in its tone circuits.Replaced the tubes in it.Worked so much better-no more ciphers and funny strange noises!That fellow enjoyed not only using at as an organ-but playing his record player thru the organs amps and speakers!!Sounded really good! that organ doubled as a Hi-Fi console.The amps used 7591A tubes in push pull and each amp drove a 12 in speaker on the front of the organ.
I just fear with the high prices asked for current home organs they many not be around much longer---and to top it off the Lowery company was bought up by the Kawai Piano company.They closed down the US Lowrey factory near La Grange Ill and moved the production to Indonesia.

 

[countryguy]

Totalvac,

Everything you stated is well known in the organ industry and by anyone that owns a Lowrey or similiar organ. For years we've been saying that the prices are ridiculously high and their entire marketing strategy needs to change. They have come out with some smaller organs which are less expensive but still too expensive for the beginner home hobbyist. Their marketing strategy up to now has been to sell to seniors who have the cash flow and if not, then get them to take out huge loans and even mortgages on their homes. I've heard many horror stories. It is only those that are not informed that would pay those high prices. I know I didn't even pay 1/4 of the suggested retail price. All makes of organs, not just Lowrey, depreciate very quickly. The younger generation just does not want to learn how to play the organ....keyboards are what it is all about for them. The sound of a keyboard however can't even come close to what is produced by an organ. Roland organs have the same problem. They are not quite as expensive however.

Kawai purchased Lowrey in the late 80s/early 90s. The headquarters for Lowrey is still in the Chicago area...it is the production that has moved overseas. At one time they had over 200 employees in their Chicago location....now they probably have less than 50. I toured their factory in 2007....it was very impressive and it was obvious that everyone that worked there was very proud of the instruments that they produced.

Gary

 

[danorob1]

Hi Gary -

Thank you once again for all your information… One thing you said blew me away…. You mentioned that you only paid slightly more then my dealer is asking for this one now, when you purchased yours brand new…

Was that AFTER the trade in value of the other organs, or was that selling price before the trade in discounts?

If you do not want to answer, I will completely understand… I am just trying to come to a conclusion on what a fair asking price should be… There are a few on e-bay now that range from $16,000 to as low as $3500.00 so it is all very confusing…

I am also sorry to hear that they do not come in sections like the UK - I will have to bring pictures and dimensions of the staircase and lading with me when I go…

Thanks again,

Dan

 

[countryguy]

Hi Dan,

The amount I paid in cash was after taking the trades into account. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Gary

 

[tolivac]

Think the organ salesmen may be in for a shock trying to sell to seniors---the cashflow may NOT be there and many of these people are moving to retirement homes.The move to the retirement home often involves selling thir existing home and contents-one of the contents just may be a home organ.Now if that organ was a Hammond-they just may get some good cash for it.Others----No.And will the retirement home allow an organ-the home may already have one in their recreation room area.So--the instrument builders may end up targeting the wrong folks.If I have to pay 60 grand for a home organ--it had better be able to take me to work!That Liberty Organ cost MORE than my Toyota Highlander Hybrid car!!!I think things are WAY OUT of perspective here.And does the Liberty come with external tone cabinets besides the speakers built into it?Think it should!One of the swap shops here-where I get my washers and dryers-had a Thomas organ-it didn't work-they hauled it to the dump.No one wanted it.Showed the Liberty to others here at work-the mowing contractor that does our towerfeild commented the organ cost MORE than his tractor and batwing mower-I commented-least the tractor and mower will pay for themselves doing mowing jobs-will the organ pay for itself in that way?Another guy here said he was happy with his Casio keyboard.He was shocked an electronic organ would cost 60 grand.

 

[williamr1248]

Lowrey Prestidge Organ

I talked to a very old friend yesterday that bought a brand new Hammond B3 with matching tone cabinet in 1964 and it was about $2400.00 which even with inflation now would be about $18,500.
When I bought my Hammnond back in the 1980's I believe the Elegante which was the top of the line was about $19,000 which I thought was a crazy amount.

I love all the lights on the back of the Lowrey. It reminds me of the high backsplash of my grandmother's old 1948 Hotpoint Automatic double oven electric range that had all the lighted push buttons in different colors!
It was a very deluxe, top of line range at the time and the first time "talking colors" were offered on an electric range. Each burner had 5 different colors to tell you from across the room which burner or oven was turned on and at what cooking heat level. Also had a full with lamp on the backsplash and not one but 2 electric outlets for portable appliances, a built in salt and pepper set and sealed heat ovens with the elements built UNDER the oven floor.
I think I MIGHT pay $62,000 if I could buy a new Electric range of that quality now! Just kidding.

 

[countryguy]

Unfortunately there are a lot of unscrupulous organ sales people out there, especially in retirement areas such as FL and AZ. I've heard many horror stories where seniors got swindled into buying a new organ, taking out a mortgage on their home or a loan. There is one dealer in particular known to do this but I won't mention the name here. You'd be surprised at how many seniors with money do pay full price for these organs. I have been to 2 of Lowrey's HOH (Home Organ Holiday) conventions. They have been having an annual convention for about 15 years now. Usually there are around 700 people there. Most of these people are seniors and have all purchased several Lowrey organs during their lifetime. Everytime a new model comes out they upgrade. It is like they have to outdo the Jones'.

Gary

 

[tolivac]

Guess those seniors that attend the Lowrey HOH Convention must have money to spend from somewhere.The seniors I know--don't.These prices just inspire me to be entertained some other way-and same with other folks like when I showed them this thread at work.I would ask a question---If you buy the 64 grand Lowrey organ---Will you use it 6 months from when you bought it?or how bout 3 yrs from when you bought it or even 6?These would be good questions to ask yourself before buying.Otherwise the organ will become a VERY expensive peice of furniture!In a ways many Lowrey Organ buyers are kinda like Kirby buyers-they upgrade to the next model!!Also would imagine these folks have good organ collections unless they trade their old one in to the new one.For the guys I know in my area-the only way they would buy such a thing is if they won the Lottery top prize.So--guess I will get my organ "fix" from CD's I have and videos on YouTube.

 

[tolivac]

Looked up the organ sales to seniors in Arizona and Florida-was shocked at what I read!One elederly couple had TWO such 60K organs so they could play duets.MUST BE NICE!!!Another had her 60K organ in her trailer home not worth more than 20K!And we thought Kirby-and other DTD vac salespeople took advantage of seniors and elderly.Was interesting reading.What is with the pricing of things dealing with music today?-we have those Lowrey organs and Hi End Hi-Fi gear.So far as I know the piano&organ place closed here a few years ago.There are two music stores here-they mostly deal with guitars and other smaller less expensive musical instruments.

 

[davetranter]

'Organ 'fix''

"guess I will get my organ "fix" from CD's I have and videos on YouTube."

Much the same for me. I am, however, lucky in that two of our local churches have occasional 'free' organ recitals, weloming donations towards the upkeep.

Home organs are quite rare on this side of the 'pond'.... Few have large enough homes to accommodate them, and, as pointed out elsewhere, the 'target demographic' for them is rapidly aging and moving into retirement homes. As a result, there are quite a few very good instruments available at quite reasonable prices...

My own 'Livingston' instrument was declared 'redundant' at a chapel near me, from where I was able to 'rescue' it. It has quite a few problems with noisy contacts, etc, (and an intermittent fault on all the C# keys, so preumably in the tone generator/divider somewhere) but it's better than nothing!!

All best

Dave T

 

[countryguy]

Actually home organs are still very popular in the U.K. as well as Germany, Netherlands. Allen's is the Lowrey dealer in the U.K. and is very well known for being a reputable and honest dealer. The Wersi organ is also very popular. There are many professional organists that put on concerts in these countries.

Gary

 

[danorob1]

Hi All,

First to Gary…

Thank you so much for all your input and responses to all my questions…

I ended up not looking at the Rhapsody in Delaware… While It LOOKED pristine, I was concerned that since it had not been played in many, many, many years, that there would be dirty contacts from sitting… That combined with the fact I did not have much luck finding someone to ship it for me…. So That one was out…

Yesterday my partner and I went down to the Only NJ lowrey Dealer down at the shore… I had purchased parts from him in the past for my Hammond and he was a terrific guy…

We were there for almost four hours…. I played so many organs it was not even funny…

I tried a Lowrey Majesty, Rhapsody, Prestige, Holiday, The New Liberty, Celebration, Palladium, Imperial, Encore, Royal, and Stardust…

In the end, I understand that each year they add more sounds, presets, and effects, but the organs as a whole all had the same type of wonderful sound when played as you would play a standard organ, without all of the extra effects, intros, etc…

Even the special effects seemed to sound the same between them…

The final part of the picture for me was that I did not want a Debt… I wanted to purchase it in cash like I do everything else… That combined with the fact that I am not 100% sure I will continue to play every night like I used to when I was younger, lead me to pick the Rhapsody…

Now - Before everyone jumps at me, you have to remember that I am coming from a 1973 Hammond T-582C - Very Mechanical, very plain jane… Even a 80's Lowrey would make it sound like a toy…

So - I paid what I felt was a fair price - Got an extended 3-year warranty in the cost, and they will deliver it early this week….

The funniest part was that the particular organ was just traded in by a Senior who was in the shop waiting for their Saturday Morning coffee clutch/lessons… When I was trying them out I kept the volume low so as not to disturb anyone… When they were done they asked me to play for them, and the owner came over and said "it has been so long since I saw anyone play with more then one finger, and never mind actually using pedals" - He then said "from the way you play, I can assume you will not be coming in for the free lessons"? -

It did make me feel good - Even my partner was teasing me saying I always said you could play, but the told me the sound I got out of the Rhapsody was beyond anything he thought I could do…

I Am sure it will give me many years of joy, and then in another 10-years, I may trade it up for something else…

Finally - Here is a picture - For some stupid reason I only took one…
Thanks again Gary -
Dan

 

[tolivac]

Lowrey Rhapsody-VERY NICE!!!This is more organ than my freinds old Lowrey-It would be like comparing a 747 to a Cessna!Good that you were able to try several before making a decision as to the one you wanted.Can't do that my way-the closest Lowrey dealer is in Raleigh.The Piano-organ dealer here closed a few years ago.Now out of their former building there is a used car dealer.And afraid to try something I couldn't afford at this time.I would need the lessons-I can't carry a tune in a bucket!the only organs I could "play" was a Mortier or a Wurlitzer that played from punched music books or rolls.Are those small lights above each key on the keyboard-if so what do they indicate?Again my freinds Lowrey had no lights or anything above the keys and a simple stop control panel.Was sort of able to make crude tunes on it or making something that sounding like an elk bugle call!Only music places here now are RedPhish Music and Greenville Guitars.They don't carry console type electric-electronic organs or pianos.

 

[countryguy]

Dan,

Glad to hear you made a purchase that you are comfortable with. It is great that you were able to try out all the different organs to make the comparisons. You are right that there is not much difference between many of the newer models other than a few extra styles and voices. I'm sure you will be happy with the Rhapsody as well as feel confident since you have the 3 year warranty from the dealer.

Happy playing.

Gary

 

[danorob1]

Hi Gary -

Yes - I loved playing all the different models, but a lot of the tones, rhythms and effects did sound the same between all of them...

Mine new (to me) baby is being delivered tomorrow at sometime between 1:30 & 2:00, so I am going to take half a day off and meet them at the house for the delivery…

I will have to record a few songs to put on the lowrey forum… I must say, I enjoyed listening to the wonderful music you shared with the Lowrey group…

One last question for you - Do you have a Surge Protector on your Lowrey? If so, what brand and model did you go with ?

Thanks again,
Dan

 

[danorob1]

Hi Rex -

The small lights you see above each key are illuminated notes showing which note is for which key -
We only turned them on for the Shot - I would not ever see using them in real life, but they make for quite the addition to the other 300 lights on this thing…

I was glad to be able to get something I was happy with, with a warranty, and delivered, without going into any debt… I think I paid slightly more then someone else may have paid, but I was very happy with the deal, and in the end, that was all that mattered to me… Plus the dealer is only 45 miles away, and he is an authorized Lowrey dealer…

I will put up some pictures tomorrow after it is delivered…

Dan

 

[tolivac]

Thanks-mystery solved.These may be useful for a beginning organist-but for an experienced one then not needed.Glad you are happy.Make some beautiful music with it and play your favorite organ songs!And its always thrilling to have something delivored to you-wether your new organ or a new Kirby!Glad the dealer is close to you.Raleigh is about 2 hrs away for me.Will have to wait on organs.It would be so nice to have.Looking forward to seeing pictures of it installed at your place-and can you put up video clips of you playing it?Would like to see how it works!!It appears you can get good deals on instruments traded in.Will have to look into that in the future.I would need those lights-never really played before and haven't had lessons.Would like to learn.Can you be sort of "self taught" on this organ?Or for me-lessons.

 

[countryguy]

Hi Dan,

I'm sure you are getting very excited right about now to have your Lowrey delivered this afternoon! Have fun with it.

I have the Prestige plugged into a combination surge protector/UPS as I had a spare one in the house. It is made by APC and was about $60 I believe. I use the same type of UPS for my TV and computer equipment.

Rex,

You can be self taught on the organ as that is what I did. There are no organ music teachers or organ dealers anywhere close to where I live. I did know how to read music before I started as I took accordion lessons for 4 years when I was in grade school. I started playing about 8 years ago. I've watch a lot of instructional vids on youtube.

Gary

 

[filterqueenman]

We are dying here....

I have been checking several times today to see posts of the new baby you had delivered today!!  Sadly nothing...my hope is you are enjoying your new instrument and I can not wait to hear more and see more.  This has been a wonderfully thrilling thread!!  


 


Cheers!

 

[tolivac]

Dan&Gary--Glad you can teach yourself on these organs--do you have to know how to read music?Have some music class textbooks I bought at a yard sale that show something about reading music.I watched some demo videos on YouTube-esp the one that showed how the Liberty works.Was from a dealer in UK.NOW THAT would be a long way from me-hate to see what the delivory charge would be!And you can't tuck the organ under your arm as you fly on the airlines or whatever.As I mentioned there are no dealers or instructors that I know of near me at this point.Now if I wanted to play the guitar-"G"fiddle-LOTS of folks that could give lessons.Afraid I am into something with more "wood"--the organ.They have always fascinated me.Someday.Also played around on my Grandmothers pump organ when I was a kid.She seemed to like the weird noises I made with it.You had to pump it pretty hard to make it work.Good leg exercise!

 

[countryguy]

Rex,

Yes it does help if you know how to read music however with the Lowrey, they have something called EZ-play. There are a series of instructional music books, 12 in all I think starting with the very basics (sometimes they are available on Ebay). The notes are extra large on the music as well as having the name of the note printed on the page which then of course matches up with the lighted notes on the organ. They also have the chord printed above the music which colour matches the chord notes on the lower keyboard. These are for one fingered chords. All Lowrey organs allow the use of one and 2 fingered chords (for minor and 7th chords) as well as full chords. When I first started playing, I began using just one fingered chords. Then after a couple of years I taught myself full chords. Now I am slowing beginning to play the pedals. The Lowrey is definitely the most easy organ to play for the home hobbyist.

BTW, there are no organ dealers anywhere close to me either. I have had my organs shipped from Vancouver, Portland OR and Dallas and I've travelled to south of Chicago to pick up one. My current organ was delivered here by the dealer near Detroit - an 8 hour drive and in a snow storm to boot!

Gary