Often we see these kind of organs forgotten in a senior citizen's home.......... it's nice to hear one come alive. I have an organ here that was saved......and I've really gotta use it to make some music.
I remember this organ. We had a Thomas dealer in our hometown. We had two Thomas organs, a Thomas Californian 261 and a Thomas Californian Theater 287. Played it for many years.
Hi that's a great Thomas Organ. My friend Steve Frye was the organ playing champion of our state and he played a big Thomas Organ. His teach3r was Bob Ralston who played in The Lawerence Welk Orchestra. Bob Rals5on is now the sol3 owner of Thomas Organs. Thànk you for this video and your demonstration. Cheers Robert
😂at three minutes in, the expression of your partner. Mine the same whenever i brought another organ or keyboard home. I'd be in the dog house for weeks. I've now built a large cabin at the end of the garden and bring any additions in under the cover of darkness (or when she's out shopping😮)
This organ came out right after Love is in the air had hit the charts. So it was the song used for demonstrations in music stores. Also Baldwin organs had this same "Disco" pattern. It was somehow a limited pattern. I used to play this song with this pattern, some Barry White's and earlier Disco songs. but after a year I was craving for other organs that had newer rhythm patterns built in.
I thought that the Thomas Playmate Organ was part of the Rev W Awdry's short lived and ill-fated excursion into adult fiction but this is much more interesting, thanks!
Position 17:28 - I would say Thomas is ready for techno, at least for some Popcorn! The "Fancy Voice" reminds me of wavetable sweep controls known from modern synthesisers/sampler. "Color Glo", "Orchestral Presence", "Arpeggio Magic" - wouldn't have expected an electric organ with that many features with own names each. Many thanks for sharing this awesome presentation and all the best :-)!
Steve as always your approach to demonstrations is quite delightful and I can’t help but to be totally enthralled in your demonstrations and so keep it up and I wish you happy days
I love the ambitious sound and effect names. Concert hall reverb = quiet sustain, Harpsichord = thin saw waves, pure old analog goodness and full of character (and PCBs!). That symphonic violin was off the charts though. Fancy voice sounds a better name than wah wah, phaser or resonant filter. Still not convinced by the virtual yellow highlighter pen on the keys but clearly looking to the future. The drums sound like a field of crickets, but again analog charm and now commanding crazy prices! Lovely old organ demo along with your amazing humour that makes this channel so unique.;
Thank you for this demo. My daughter just got a Thomas Californian 262 this morning and she loves it. This one you are showing is quite similar but a few more buttons. :)
Thomas developed the Wah Wah/Cry baby from the MRB circuit on the Vox solid state amps of the mid sixties, Brad Plunkett was the guy who altered the circuit with Del Casher being the guy who put it in the volume pedal from a Vox Continental organ, those red inductors are either TDK or Fasel units.
I've been trying to explore these organs because my grandparents had one and I couldn't figure out what brand it was -- searching images to see what voice\instrument selection switches matched. You mentioned Lowrey and now I think that is it based on the typeface and switch shapes. Thanks for sharing!
We had a Hammond that was very similar to this with coloured tabs. It also had an external Roland rhythm box attached underneath. That was about 37 years ago. It was terrible. We bought a Yamaha PSR-60 when it came out (which I have just bought again for nostalgia), and it blew the Hammond away.
Hi Interesting show once again. The inductors are part of the3 tone forming network - a fairy common technique back n analogue days. Alan Douglas's book "The Electronic Musical Instrument Manual" has a fair bit of info on such tings. I've played a few Thomas organs back in the day. Their cheap mdels were prett limited. Keep 7p the god work, and have a good Christmas
I had a similar organ, but it didn´t have the Fancy voice, orchestral presence, an arpeggios. Basically no control on the side of the keyboards. For minor chords in "one note auto accompaniment" you had to play the base note and a black note, and for 7th a white note and another white note. I learn to play in this organ, but I progressed very fast and my father and I went back to get a bigger organ, the choice was this one or a Yamaha. And we exchanged it for a Yamaha.
How does the 'Fancy Voice' sound if you are not playing legato but lift your fingers between notes? Most organs that had modulated filters worked as simple paraphonic synthesizers. That meant that all fingers had to come off the keys for the envelope to retrigger. So if you play separate notes they will sound like WAUW-WAUW-WAUW-WAUW-WAUW but if you play like a church organist and tie the notes together it will just go WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUW.
I saw one of these on Facebook a while ago for 50 squid and got a Yamaha organ instead and now I regret my decision completely. I would give anything for the Fancy Voice
The Lawrence Welk Show always featured Thomas organs. The first organ I ever played was a Thomas back in 1969. The first piano my dad bought when I was a kid in the late 1960’s was a Thomas. It was utter garbage. Instead of a cast iron harp it had a welded steel harp. It was made in Ireland. A blind tuner came to the house to tune it for the first time and immediately informed us that he could not tune such a piece of junk piano.
Not especially, the inductors in that organ are much later units by Fasel or maybe TDK. The ones we want are the Italian "halo" inductors found in the Vox Continental/Jaguar organs, the Italian gear from the sixties is fantastic if you know what your looking at.
Why the lighting on the lower manual is only in the one octave, are the lamps broken? So, the reverb is basically an envelope trick, similar to the 80s Casios. But when used in pair with "leslie" it sounds quite nice. And the retriggered solo sustain is because the envelope is monophonic, and all is made as "divide-down technology?". The Color-glo is great and quite unusual for the typical 70s organ. Something like manual phaser.
Often we see these kind of organs forgotten in a senior citizen's home.......... it's nice to hear one come alive. I have an organ here that was saved......and I've really gotta use it to make some music.
I remember this organ. We had a Thomas dealer in our hometown. We had two Thomas organs, a Thomas Californian 261 and a Thomas Californian Theater 287. Played it for many years.
Hi that's a great Thomas Organ. My friend Steve Frye was the organ playing champion of our state and he
played a big Thomas Organ. His teach3r was Bob Ralston who played in The Lawerence Welk Orchestra.
Bob Rals5on is now the sol3 owner of Thomas Organs. Thànk you for this video and your demonstration.
Cheers Robert
😂at three minutes in, the expression of your partner. Mine the same whenever i brought another organ or keyboard home. I'd be in the dog house for weeks. I've now built a large cabin at the end of the garden and bring any additions in under the cover of darkness (or when she's out shopping😮)
Hahaaaa yes that’s the best way
Nice playing of that ‘Love Is In the Air’ tune! That was the first thing I started thinking of when that bass line turned on.
This organ came out right after Love is in the air had hit the charts. So it was the song used for demonstrations in music stores. Also Baldwin organs had this same "Disco" pattern. It was somehow a limited pattern. I used to play this song with this pattern, some Barry White's and earlier Disco songs. but after a year I was craving for other organs that had newer rhythm patterns built in.
I thought that the Thomas Playmate Organ was part of the Rev W Awdry's short lived and ill-fated excursion into adult fiction but this is much more interesting, thanks!
Hahahaa
Omg memory lane. My Grandad had this model and I used to love playing it.
This is the organ my family had when I was a kid. Been looking for one, for that reason.
This is a pre-vintage synhesizer! 😀 Thank You! 👍🎉
Hello Steve, as usual your demonstration have been magistral !!
There is no need for an Owner Manual after this !!
Position 17:28 - I would say Thomas is ready for techno, at least for some Popcorn! The "Fancy Voice" reminds me of wavetable sweep controls known from modern synthesisers/sampler. "Color Glo", "Orchestral Presence", "Arpeggio Magic" - wouldn't have expected an electric organ with that many features with own names each. Many thanks for sharing this awesome presentation and all the best :-)!
Hey, Telulla, let's Play "Mate".... 🎹
As always, love it 💗
Love the channel you guys deserve more success on TH-cam. Even the dorky pythonesque jokes are good.
Thanks so much :)
Steve as always your approach to demonstrations is quite delightful and I can’t help but to be totally enthralled in your demonstrations and so keep it up and I wish you happy days
Many thanks! :)
I love the ambitious sound and effect names. Concert hall reverb = quiet sustain, Harpsichord = thin saw waves, pure old analog goodness and full of character (and PCBs!). That symphonic violin was off the charts though. Fancy voice sounds a better name than wah wah, phaser or resonant filter. Still not convinced by the virtual yellow highlighter pen on the keys but clearly looking to the future. The drums sound like a field of crickets, but again analog charm and now commanding crazy prices! Lovely old organ demo along with your amazing humour that makes this channel so unique.;
Thank you:)
Thank you for this demo. My daughter just got a Thomas Californian 262 this morning and she loves it. This one you are showing is quite similar but a few more buttons. :)
Beautiful!!!!!
Thomas developed the Wah Wah/Cry baby from the MRB circuit on the Vox solid state amps of the mid sixties, Brad Plunkett was the guy who altered the circuit with Del Casher being the guy who put it in the volume pedal from a Vox Continental organ, those red inductors are either TDK or Fasel units.
Thank you for your fact checking!
Always enjoy the content, I learn so much watching your videos, keep up the good work sir, it's appreciated.
Blake’s 7 soundtrack in one box!
I've been trying to explore these organs because my grandparents had one and I couldn't figure out what brand it was -- searching images to see what voice\instrument selection switches matched. You mentioned Lowrey and now I think that is it based on the typeface and switch shapes. Thanks for sharing!
We had a Hammond that was very similar to this with coloured tabs. It also had an external Roland rhythm box attached underneath. That was about 37 years ago. It was terrible. We bought a Yamaha PSR-60 when it came out (which I have just bought again for nostalgia), and it blew the Hammond away.
Yeah I had a similar Hammond once, and it lasted 2 weeks before I took to it with a tree saw and converted it into a makeshift Leslie cabinet!
@Vintage Keys Studio 😆 The wood was quite ornate, I seem to remember!
You’re fun!
Wonderful instrument
Definitely love is in the air, soon as you hit that bass on
Hi
Interesting show once again. The inductors are part of the3 tone forming network - a fairy common technique back n analogue days. Alan Douglas's book "The Electronic Musical Instrument Manual" has a fair bit of info on such tings.
I've played a few Thomas organs back in the day. Their cheap mdels were prett limited. Keep 7p the god work, and have a good Christmas
Thank you Tony for the info on the book! Happy Christmas from us at Vintage Keys
I wish organs would make a major comeback.
Thanks. Can you use the wah-wah circuit &/ amp for external instruments?
Not yet… watch this space
I had a similar organ, but it didn´t have the Fancy voice, orchestral presence, an arpeggios. Basically no control on the side of the keyboards. For minor chords in "one note auto accompaniment" you had to play the base note and a black note, and for 7th a white note and another white note. I learn to play in this organ, but I progressed very fast and my father and I went back to get a bigger organ, the choice was this one or a Yamaha. And we exchanged it for a Yamaha.
The "Fancy Voice" is awesome! :O :)
How does the 'Fancy Voice' sound if you are not playing legato but lift your fingers between notes? Most organs that had modulated filters worked as simple paraphonic synthesizers. That meant that all fingers had to come off the keys for the envelope to retrigger. So if you play separate notes they will sound like WAUW-WAUW-WAUW-WAUW-WAUW but if you play like a church organist and tie the notes together it will just go WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUW.
Thank you, you are right, the envelope doesn't retrigger unless you take all the notes off.
I saw one of these on Facebook a while ago for 50 squid and got a Yamaha organ instead and now I regret my decision completely.
I would give anything for the Fancy Voice
0:12 - Still carrying the dog's poop
Love your vids. You shold cover the leslie 9xx as well!
The Lawrence Welk Show always featured Thomas organs.
The first organ I ever played was a Thomas back in 1969.
The first piano my dad bought when I was a kid in the late 1960’s was a Thomas.
It was utter garbage. Instead of a cast iron harp it had a welded steel harp. It was made in Ireland.
A blind tuner came to the house to tune it for the first time and immediately informed us that he could not tune such a piece of junk piano.
Haha brilliant
Vintage wah wah collectors would go mad for those inductors
Not especially, the inductors in that organ are much later units by Fasel or maybe TDK.
The ones we want are the Italian "halo" inductors found in the Vox Continental/Jaguar organs, the Italian gear from the sixties is fantastic if you know what your looking at.
❤
Why the lighting on the lower manual is only in the one octave, are the lamps broken? So, the reverb is basically an envelope trick, similar to the 80s Casios. But when used in pair with "leslie" it sounds quite nice. And the retriggered solo sustain is because the envelope is monophonic, and all is made as "divide-down technology?". The Color-glo is great and quite unusual for the typical 70s organ. Something like manual phaser.
The lower keyboard “Color Glo” indicate chords (all of one color make a chord).
They give this stuff away? that's mad.
So it has a VCF and LFO as well?
Hi!
This organ has an audio output in order to plug into a speaker ?
We no longer have this organ anymore, but I think there is a line out or at least a headphone out
£1500 to £15 man that's some depreciation :)
too bad it didn’t get lighter at the same ratio 😂
I’m currently looking for one of these if anyone has any for sale or knows of one, please comment here! Thank you!
Could you flick that Nosferatu switch man?
You MUST be wearing your Fancypants to play this
a geringonsca 13:50 um
No dog but mystery dog poo.
got caught short