Combo organ
Encyclopedia
A combo organ is an electronic organ
of the frequency divider type, generally produced between the early 1960s and the late 1970s. The combo organ concept, at least in the context of mass-production, is thought to have been born from the accordion
, probably in Italy
, as the brainchild of necessity for portable organs of simple design, mainly for use in small groups playing jazz
, pop
or dance
music. These groups were known in the early 1960s as combos, hence the designation for this type of organ. As accordions were nicknamed "squeezebox," combo organs were likewise often dubbed "cheesebox." Combo organs ended up having a major impact on the music scene of the mid- and late 1960s, particularly on Rock & Roll of that era.
The definition of a combo organ is an electronic portable organ, usually transistorized (although some early designs used tubes
while from the late 1960s onwards many models incorporated integrated circuits) and designed for use on stage, usually in the context of a band or group. Combo organs were best known for their bright, reedy, (or, as some describe it, a "cheesy") sound; their portability; surprising versatility; and relatively low price tag. Most such instruments have no built-in amplification - a guitar
-type amplifier
would normally be used. A typical combo organ has one keyboard
, covering four or five octaves, though a few models had two keyboards of three or four octaves. Such instruments were often called a "Combo Duo." A number of different pitches and tone-colours can be selected, usually via rocker switches known as stop-tabs or sliders called drawbars. Although the sounds may bear such names as "flute", "string" or "horn", they are not intended to sound like their orchestral namesakes - the nomenclature is borrowed from pipe organ
tradition. Some instruments allow the keyboard to be split, the lowest octave or two producing a pedal-like bass tone. Most combo organs allow vibrato
to be added to the sound; a few feature more unusual effects such as "repeat percussion" (tremolo
), "slalom" (pitch bend) or wah-wah. A volume pedal is normally used to vary the volume while playing. Less frequently an optional set of bass pedals
can be attached. A combo organ is usually supported on a removable or folding stand or legs; these originally would have been supplied as part of the instrument. Soundwise, combo organs are very similar to each other, although there are definite discernible tonal characteristics that differ between models that might be considered "default" for each model. For instance, the Vox Continental
tends toward having somewhat of a Hammond
-like, or "sine wave
"-like sound (only thinner); while the Farfisa
Combo Compact has a wiry, aggressive, muscular bite to some of its boosted tones, and the Gibson G-101
has a cleaner, contoured, more "sawtooth wave
"-like tone, with harpsichord
-like, percussive sound capabilities and a slight "after-jingle", with Sustain
selected, on some voice settings.
To current collectors, players and enthusiasts, the visual aesthetic is often as important as the sound; the instruments were often available in bright and unusual colors (orange, blue, bright red, green) with showy chrome stands, multi-colored stop-tabs and reverse-colored or gray-and-white keys. Towards the mid 1970s, combo organs began to take on a more muted appearance, with woodgrain or black covering and conventional keyboard colors.
Many combo organs were produced in such countries as Italy
or Japan
, yet some more common models used by major acts were manufactured in the United Kingdom
or the USA.
Organs intended to emulate the sound and characteristics of a Hammond organ
are not generally regarded as combo organs; see clonewheel organ
.
Well-known combo organs include:
, The Animals
, Iron Butterfly
, Manfred Mann
, Them
, Strawberry Alarm Clock
, and many others. Although the instrument fell from favor during the 1970s there was a resurgence about 1977 when New Wave
artists such as Blondie
, Elvis Costello
, Talking Heads
and XTC
started using them. More recently, vintage combo organs have been enjoying a substantial comeback, particularly among collectors, aficionados and players known affectionately as "Combo-nauts," and have been used extensively by The Horrors
, Stereolab
, Pulp
, Kaiser Chiefs
and Arctic Monkeys
.
Electronic organ
An electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds....
of the frequency divider type, generally produced between the early 1960s and the late 1970s. The combo organ concept, at least in the context of mass-production, is thought to have been born from the accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, probably in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, as the brainchild of necessity for portable organs of simple design, mainly for use in small groups playing jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
or dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
music. These groups were known in the early 1960s as combos, hence the designation for this type of organ. As accordions were nicknamed "squeezebox," combo organs were likewise often dubbed "cheesebox." Combo organs ended up having a major impact on the music scene of the mid- and late 1960s, particularly on Rock & Roll of that era.
Details
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
while from the late 1960s onwards many models incorporated integrated circuits) and designed for use on stage, usually in the context of a band or group. Combo organs were best known for their bright, reedy, (or, as some describe it, a "cheesy") sound; their portability; surprising versatility; and relatively low price tag. Most such instruments have no built-in amplification - a guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
-type amplifier
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
would normally be used. A typical combo organ has one keyboard
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
, covering four or five octaves, though a few models had two keyboards of three or four octaves. Such instruments were often called a "Combo Duo." A number of different pitches and tone-colours can be selected, usually via rocker switches known as stop-tabs or sliders called drawbars. Although the sounds may bear such names as "flute", "string" or "horn", they are not intended to sound like their orchestral namesakes - the nomenclature is borrowed from pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
tradition. Some instruments allow the keyboard to be split, the lowest octave or two producing a pedal-like bass tone. Most combo organs allow vibrato
Vibrato
Vibrato is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms of two factors: the amount of pitch variation and the speed with which the pitch is varied .-Vibrato and...
to be added to the sound; a few feature more unusual effects such as "repeat percussion" (tremolo
Tremolo
Tremolo, or tremolando, is a musical term that describes various trembling effects, falling roughly into two types. The first is a rapid reiteration...
), "slalom" (pitch bend) or wah-wah. A volume pedal is normally used to vary the volume while playing. Less frequently an optional set of bass pedals
Bass pedals
Bass pedals are an electronic musical instrument with foot-operated pedal keyboard with a range of one or more octaves. The earliest bass pedals from the 1970s consisted of a pedalboard and analog synthesizer tone generation circuitry packaged together as a unit...
can be attached. A combo organ is usually supported on a removable or folding stand or legs; these originally would have been supplied as part of the instrument. Soundwise, combo organs are very similar to each other, although there are definite discernible tonal characteristics that differ between models that might be considered "default" for each model. For instance, the Vox Continental
Vox Continental
The Vox Continental is a transistor-based combo organ that was introduced in 1962. Known for its thin, bright, breathy sound, the "Connie," as it was affectionately known, was designed to be used by touring musicians...
tends toward having somewhat of a Hammond
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
-like, or "sine wave
Sine wave
The sine wave or sinusoid is a mathematical function that describes a smooth repetitive oscillation. It occurs often in pure mathematics, as well as physics, signal processing, electrical engineering and many other fields...
"-like sound (only thinner); while the Farfisa
Farfisa
Farfisa is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy.The Farfisa brand name is commonly associated with a series of compact electronic organs, and later, a series of multi-timbral synthesizers. At the height of its production, Farfisa operated three factories to produce instruments, in...
Combo Compact has a wiry, aggressive, muscular bite to some of its boosted tones, and the Gibson G-101
Gibson G-101
The Gibson G-101 is a model of combo organ, one of many makes and models of transistorized portable organs, most popularly used in rock & roll bands of the mid- and late 1960s, designed for use on stage or in the studio, for players that transported them frequently between performances.The...
has a cleaner, contoured, more "sawtooth wave
Sawtooth wave
The sawtooth wave is a kind of non-sinusoidal waveform. It is named a sawtooth based on its resemblance to the teeth on the blade of a saw....
"-like tone, with harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
-like, percussive sound capabilities and a slight "after-jingle", with Sustain
Sustain
In music, sustain is a parameter of musical sound over time. As its name implies, it denotes the period of time during which the sound remains before it becomes inaudible, or silent.Additionally, sustain is the third of the four segments in an ADSR envelope...
selected, on some voice settings.
To current collectors, players and enthusiasts, the visual aesthetic is often as important as the sound; the instruments were often available in bright and unusual colors (orange, blue, bright red, green) with showy chrome stands, multi-colored stop-tabs and reverse-colored or gray-and-white keys. Towards the mid 1970s, combo organs began to take on a more muted appearance, with woodgrain or black covering and conventional keyboard colors.
Many combo organs were produced in such countries as Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
or Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, yet some more common models used by major acts were manufactured in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
or the USA.
Organs intended to emulate the sound and characteristics of a Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
are not generally regarded as combo organs; see clonewheel organ
Clonewheel organ
"Clonewheel organ" is a jargon term used to refer to an electronic musical instrument that emulates the sound of the electromechanical tonewheel-based organs formerly manufactured by Hammond. The first generation of clonewheel organs used synthesizer voices, which were not able to accurately...
.
Models
Well-known combo organs include:
- Vox ContinentalVox ContinentalThe Vox Continental is a transistor-based combo organ that was introduced in 1962. Known for its thin, bright, breathy sound, the "Connie," as it was affectionately known, was designed to be used by touring musicians...
- Vox JaguarVox JaguarThe Vox Jaguar was a combo organ that was built in the 1960s, in Italy, , as a budget variation on the Continental. It was built into the Continental's cabinet. Its technology was far less intricate, but the Jaguar still managed to produce a decent combo organ sound...
- FarfisaFarfisaFarfisa is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy.The Farfisa brand name is commonly associated with a series of compact electronic organs, and later, a series of multi-timbral synthesizers. At the height of its production, Farfisa operated three factories to produce instruments, in...
Combo Compact series - FarfisaFarfisaFarfisa is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy.The Farfisa brand name is commonly associated with a series of compact electronic organs, and later, a series of multi-timbral synthesizers. At the height of its production, Farfisa operated three factories to produce instruments, in...
Professional and FAST series - Ace ToneAce ToneAce Electronic Industries Inc., or Ace Tone was a manufacturer of musical instruments, including electronic organs and analogue drum machines, and effects pedals. Founded in 1960 by Ikutaro Kakehashi with an investment by Sakata Shokai, Ace Tone can be considered an early incarnation of the Roland...
"TOP" series - Gibson G-101Gibson G-101The Gibson G-101 is a model of combo organ, one of many makes and models of transistorized portable organs, most popularly used in rock & roll bands of the mid- and late 1960s, designed for use on stage or in the studio, for players that transported them frequently between performances.The...
- Fender ContempoFender Contempo OrganThe Fender Contempo Organ is a type of combo organ made by Fender.-History:In the early- to mid 1960s, there was an influx of inexpensive portable combo organs aimed at teen keyboardists inproduced by Vox, Gibson, Farfisa, Ace Tone, and many others, Fender Musical Instruments chose to take a shot...
- YamahaYamahaYamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
A3 and YC series - Doric OrganDoric OrganThe Doric Transistorized Organ is a model of combo organ produced in Italy in the 1960s. Doric organs were also sold under the brand name Ekosonic and were marketed as being the "lightest on the market" at 40 pounds...
Popularity
The combo organ's greatest popularity was during the 1960s, when it was featured on hits by The DoorsThe Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, The Animals
The Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
, Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly is a US psychedelic rock band best known for the 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".Their heyday was the late 1960s, but the band has been reincarnated with various members. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the 31st best-selling album in the world, selling more than 25 million copies.-History:The...
, Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band...
, Them
Them (band)
Them were a Northern Irish band formed in Belfast in April 1964, most prominently known for the garage rock standard "Gloria" and launching singer Van Morrison's musical career...
, Strawberry Alarm Clock
Strawberry Alarm Clock
Strawberry Alarm Clock is a psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles best known for their 1967 hit "Incense and Peppermints". The group took its name as an homage to the Beatles' psychedelic hit "Strawberry Fields Forever", reportedly, at the suggestion of their record company Uni Records.They are...
, and many others. Although the instrument fell from favor during the 1970s there was a resurgence about 1977 when New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
artists such as Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
and XTC
XTC
XTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...
started using them. More recently, vintage combo organs have been enjoying a substantial comeback, particularly among collectors, aficionados and players known affectionately as "Combo-nauts," and have been used extensively by The Horrors
The Horrors
The Horrors are an English band from Southend on Sea, formed in 2005. Their debut Strange House, was released in 2007 and reached number thirty-seven on the UK Albums Chart, their second album Primary Colours was released in 2009 and peaked at number 25 in the UK...
, Stereolab
Stereolab
Stereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes...
, Pulp
Pulp (band)
Pulp are an English alternative rock band formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their lineup consists of Jarvis Cocker , Russell Senior , Candida Doyle , Mark Webber , Steve Mackey and Nick Banks ....
, Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....
and Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
.
External links
- Combo Organ Heaven Extensive site about numerous combo organ manufacturers and models
- Combo Organ Nation Forum for combo organ owners