Lowrey Prestige Organ...

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Hello All,

Sorry I did not post anything yesterday -

One of my friends from work came over, and I had to play for her for an hour -
Then my partner came home at about 5:30, and we stayed at that damn organ until 9:00 -

I had not eaten anything since breakfast, and had a splitting headache -

So - Now for some pictures -
First of my old Baby - My parents purchased this for me New when I was 7-years old, back in 1973… God I'm Old… I actually played it for about an hour before the new one came… I was depressing myself while i was thinking about the day it was delivered…. All the holidays around it… And that fact that what was my huge family had all passed on except for my mom, and one aunt and uncle…

When they came to deliver the new one, he told me he would take the old one out first.. I told him to call me when it was on the truck, because I could not watch it go… I know - Corny and sentimental, but that is me…

The old… ( it looks like a toy now compared to the new one)

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Dan:Where to begin?Such a wonderful instrument!Looking at the stop and control panels it is beckoning you to play!Now I understand the lights on the keys better-shows the notes of the keys.For someone as music dumb as me that would sure help.Sad you had to turn in your Hammond.Hope they gave you good trade in credit for it.Too bad you couldn't keep it for old times sake.In 1973 was when I started working in radio stations.Too bad they don't have organs anymore-this would be a good one for them!And you were trying your new organ for close to four hrs!
Gary-after seeing the picures of Dan's organ-the lights on the keys-that could help-along with E-Z Play.But again will be sometime before I could consider one of these neat instruments.But good to know about them.
 
Rex,

Keep an eye on Ebay! You would be surprised at how cheap some of these expensive Lowrey's are selling for! It is a shame really. Usually it is the kids selling them after a parent or grand parent dies. A friend of mine from the Lowrey yahoo group is currently selling a Prestige for $4000! That is an absolute bargain.

Gary
 
is that a TV screen on that organ? the thing looks more like a rocket command station than a musical instrument! 
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If that Hammond was my organ, it would be sitting in the garage for years to come, I would be chasing the truck down and yelling "Get to the side of the road with MY organ!"! 
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Why not just put the Hammond beside the Lowrey-Certainly room could be made for it.Would think that Hammond would have some sort of sentimental value.I could not get rid of something like that for ANY price!!!And as a strange twist--the Hammond just may have MORE future value than the Lowrey.Hear of musicians that want older Hammonds for their music production.They want the real tonewheel models-not the electronic or digital "imatations".
I don't use EBay-too much "chicannery" going on there.Yes,as I pointed out in another entry-the kids disposing of Mom,Dads,Granddads,Grandmoms organ after they have died and they have no interest in it.Think there would be some sentimental value since the child grew up listening to the organ or trying to play it or making noise with it.The "TV" screen on the organ is an LCD display screen-touchscreen-these are now on many things today-why your cell phone probably has one!You use it to select what features or functions you want the organ to do while you play.Does the organ you have feature the audio out,in and video out so you can use a TV or video projector to display the words and such in the songs?Think it was the Prestige-linked to an owners manual on it-you can use the audio in so you can use the organs amps and speakers to play MP3 players and other devices thru the organ-kinda like what my buddy did so many years ago-no input jacks- had to run a lead into the back of the organ into the audio inputs of its amps.Either way-you are now using the organs sound system as a "Hi-Fi" system.And the organ had a line out so you could use an external amp and speaker system if you wanted.Guess if you were playing the instrument in Carnigie Hall or something so all of the fans can hear!The owners book shed some light and cleared up some things for me.At some point will look for one of these cool instruments.
 
Hello All,

To reply to a few comments and questions -

Alex & Rex...As has been stated, the screen in the middle is a touch screen that is used to access various functions of the organ that are not accessed through the panel buttons…

While I was a little melancholy seeing the Hammond go, we just did not have room to keep them both… It has served me well for 41 years, but it was showing its age… The vibrato scanner was on its way out again and sounded like a can of marbles… This was the one piece that I did replace @ 10 years ago - At that time it look me many months to find a used one… The other issue is that one of the coils was going in the tone generator, and any of those parts are non existent, never mind the work to pull the T/G for the repair…

On the last day, I played a couple of my favorite songs that I would always play for my family and friends. and recorded it with my i-phone… I also took some final pictures… If I ever wanted another for nostalgia, they are all over E-bay and Craigslist, and can be had for $50-$150 dollars in excellent shape...

While I did say I was a little depressed knowing i was playing it for the last time, I also know that until my mind finally goes, I have all the memories of the past that i will cherish… The memories are really in my heart, and not a piece of furniture…

The real panel has the following ports: Midi In, Midi Out, Midi Thru, Aux In L/R, Aux Out L/R, and Video out -
One the right front panel of the organ are Microphone & Headphone jacks, each with their own level controls…

Dan
 
Gary - Have you ever checked out the YouTube Videos posted by Walter Hammel - He is a master organist and plays on a Prestige -

If you get a chance, watch his video of "Let there be peace on earth" - I am wondering if you can identify the rhythm he is using in that piece for me...

That is one of my favorite pieces that I have played since I was about 8-years old… While I play it in the typical liturgical style, I love the way he does it… A little overdone with the endless registration changes, but lovely all the same…

I also really love his rendition of "Over the Rainbow"...

Dan
 
Tonewheel generators-no current from the electronics flows thru the coils.They are like very miniature electric generators-the rotating toothed tonewheel induces a tiny magnetic feild into the coil.The output of the coil is amplified and "shaped" to be fed to an amp and speaker resulting in the sounds you hear as you play the organ.Being an electro-mechanical device-the Hammond can be rebuilt.For the most part just replace the capacitors in the electronics-bet the Hammond would sound like new again!The tone wheel generator coils could also be thought of as similar a tape head or magnetic phono cartridge.I don't know how the vibato scanner on the Hammond works-if its an electro-mechanical device it could be repaired.
When I reveiwed an operators manual for the Lowrey-their description of the back panel connectors matches yours.Good the organ can be interfaced with other equipment.Know someone here at work who would love that-imagine the sound of that organ run thru several Crown Amps and JBL commercial speakers!
Does your organ have the memory stick part and the CD player-recorder?These would also be neat features.
 
Another thing with the Lowreys--Yes,they are cool and such--but for their high dollar prices---Can we have a peak "under the Hood"?Want to know what equipment is inside that nice wood case!Think there should be a transparent even working,model in the showroom so folks can see what they are really getting.It would be interesting!!Watched more demo videos on YouTube-indeed,the Lowreys are impressive.But I want to see what is behind the curtain!
 
Hi Rex -
You actually must have read my mind…
I had every intention of pulling off the back to see what was inside…
I will snap some good photos with my camera instead of my i-phone…
I will do so this afternoon -

I do not have the USB or the CD Recorder -
They only switched over to the USB a few years ago -This one still had the floppy drive -
They did not add the USB until recently with the A4000 series…
The palladium SU630 was the first to add the CD - It had the floppy Drive and the CD drive -

The good part is that there is Floppy to USB converter drive that is a direct fit plug in - They can be had for less then $100.00 now on e-bay… Since it is nothing but a giant computer, the swap is easy…
I will be doing that down the road -

With the ports in the back, I can easily add the CD recorder if I wanted to, but I do not really see that I would use it that much…

Dan
 
Hi Dan,

I have watched all of Walter Hammel's vids on youtube> I am not sure what rhythm style he is using although I think it is one of the Waltz 2 variations. I tried them all but couldn't find one that match his rhythm exactly. He may have altered some of the instruments.

Gary
 
Dan:So curious to know what is inside your organ-looking forward to seeing the pictures.A joke between me and the freind that had the Lowrey organ-how many screws needed to take off the back-his had MANY screws holding the cover on-to get at its tubes.Pretty sure yours will not have tubes in it.At work when taking a cover off something-like some in the transmitters-I say-"This cover has as many screws as the Lowrey back!"Of course for the transmitter RF sheilding and continuity-the cover COULD be part of the RF circuit.Good that you could add the USB or the disc recorder if you need them.Can you still get the floppy discs-haven't seen any around in several years.Before I get an organ of this nature will have to wait for my boat to come in!It's still unbeleivable that you have to pay the high price for something that is a form of dedicated purpose computer.Thought the idea of going that way was to get the prices LOWER!
 
Rex,

If you are anxious to see what is inside a Lowrey, here are a couple of pics of the inside of my Prestige. In June/2013 the power supply died and I had to replace it as well as another board so I took pics of the inside before I started doing the replacement.

Gary

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Hello All,

Sorry I did not post - I have been sick as a dog the last two days…
Here are a few shots inside mine - The only big difference I notice from Gary's is that the CPU Box is almost the full width of the organ on mine - Other then that - Looks the same -

The last picture is the issue they are going to fix which I think resulted from the tech using a contact cleaner/lubricant, instead of just a cleaner - It disolved the glue which held the pads…

Not a big deal - it will be repaired shortly…

Dan

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Dan,Gary: Interesting groups of pictures of whats under the hood or behind the curtain.Far cry from my freinds tubed Lowrey.I am supposing the large rectagular box in the middle is the enclosure for the bass speaker.The vertical heat sink like chassis on the left must be the amp(s).Then thereappears to be a wide metal strap connecting the center chassis to the lower one on the floor of the case.Strap goes over the "box".Guess they want a good ground between the chassis for lowest noise!And your organs contain more speakers then my freinds older model-in looking thru the manuals in Garys link figure my freinds organ was the Heritage.My how these things have changed thru digital technology.Just hope Lowrey can still be around.
 
Rex,

You have a good eye as to what is behind the curtain....correct on all counts I believe. The Prestige has 15 speakers and 350 amps of power - enough to knock anyone's socks off LOL The Imperial, which was the next organ after the Prestige has the same speakers plus an additional 7 speakers built into the bench and backrest. It also has a full pedal boards.

Gary
 
Would have to assume the Prestige has 15 speakers and 350 watts of power.Like the idea of some speakers in the seat(Imperial).Could serve as a tone cabinet and give the organist a "sorround sound" effect.Does the Imperial have another amp for the seat speakers?Guess could look in the link to see!Think there was a demo video of the Imperial-the organist didn't mention the speakers in the seat and backrest-you could see them.But since YouTube is mono you can't hear the effect.That would be neat.And in the organ pictures like the idea of speakers at the organists seated ear level as well as ones underneath.NICE!
 
The Imperial is definitely a TOL premium model as are all the elite series of Lowrey organs. I'd love to have the Imperial but unfortunately the backrest with speakers on the Imperial bench would not fit the corner of my dining room where I have my organ situated and I don't really have anywhere else to put it.

Gary
 
Hi Rex -

It may not take as long as you think to find an Imperial as a trade -
The dealer I got mine from in NJ already has a liberty on the floor - when I asked him was this the new model he said "yes it was, but this one was a pre-owned trade in" - I wondered to myself what could they have possibly traded this in on ???
 
I looked up the organ forum again and there was mention someone payed $93,000 on a Lowrey organ.What model would this be???thought the Liberty was the current TOL model.Has Lowrey come up with another?Around my way you never know WHAT turns up at the swap shops.One had a Wurlitzer organ-All I have is the amp and tone cabinet for it.think it came from a 20 series model.I asked the swap shop man where was the organ?He said he took it to the dump.I asked why he saved the speaker.He said he liked the cabinet!I am using it as a nighstand now.Above the speaker is a motorized flap for a crude "Leslie" effect.The amp is PP 6L6.I told him next time he gets an organ like that or similar to CALL ME right away and NOT take it to the dump.I hope he doesn't take a Lowrey model like what we have been discussing to the dump!If need be--I can MAKE room in my place for an organ.For some things that is why there are attics and sheds.No basements my way-water table too high.
 
Hi All,

Got my letter and "built For" plate from Lowrey today -

It will be so much better then looking at the "built for customer name" blank on the left hand side of the organ -

Will take a shot of it installed tomorrow night -

Dan

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