There is a video of a TC-4 in a Catholic Church in Phoenix and the acoustics are really nice. The organ sounds surprisingly sweet with only a few voices I didn't care for. Overall, I think it rivals a lot of the digital organs.
@CaptainSiberia Thanks! This is an analog organ, and this was one of the first videos of this organ that I ever posted on YouTube! I have done a lot more with the organ now that I know how to make the most use out of it. Time to post a new video of the organ.
You really play great! Nice registration and timing. I bought my house organ, a Hammond A-100, from a church in Mesa, AZ, in 1991. It has really worked great. It was originally manufactured in 1963 and, like all tone-wheel organs, never needs tuning.
How is the tuning holding up on this instrument? I just serviced a TC-4 last week and it would tune no better than A438 as the tuning capacitors under the generator racks have drifted quite a bit.
I am in the process of rehabilitating an Allen TC-1 for my church which I believe was built in 1959. With it's two gyroscopic speaker cabinets, it really sounds more like a comparable-size pipe organ than most newer organs I've played. Not like a huge instrument, but very much like a Möller or Reuter instrument of several ranks. Frankly, it has a better tone quality than many newer Allen or Rodgers digitals.
@maynardcat It does have deep bass, and I do that on purpose. I have a mixing board (top left) on top of the organ where I can control the volume of the bass, middle, and treble of the Diapason, Flutes, and Reeds of the organ.
Excellent sound and condition for an organ of that age. Allen makes a wonderful instrument and I grew up with Allens in the churches that I can remember up until I moved away and joined the Navy. It was then that I began playing Rogers Organs. While different, they are both very similar as well. I guess one would have to combine them to make the perfect electronic organ!
Nice to hear an old model of Allen.... read all the comments.. We in India have very few pipe organs.. mostly in a bad shape... hardly any digital organ... we play on Keyboards.. mostly Yamaha Psr series.. I try to play maximum with my fingers.. Thinking of getting a spinet organ at least.. It would be good for contemporary music.
The organ sounds fine! Makes for a great practice organ. Sure is a good deal for the home. My Allen also sounds better than a lot of Pipe organs that are poorly maintained. Enjoy it !!
Hi, Nick! Well done! Are you playing organ in a congregation, now? Although I am a church organist for several years, it seems to me that you play much better than I do :)! So, go forward... and good luck!!!!
@CoolNick107 I am 16 and play for a congregation at Dublin United Methodist Church, and I was recently invited to go to Colonial Williamsburg, VA to Bruton Parish Church (The 1654 church within the town) and play the pipe organ they have there! It is just short of 6,000 pipes! I am so excited! Here is a link for info on the organ!
@tman8077 WOW! You get to play an organ with 6,000 pipes. The biggest pipe organ in my town only has 2,851 pipes. Please record yourself playing it and put it on youtube so we can hear the organ.
I think it sounds really nice. You did a great job. That organ looks pretty pristine. Actually, I have played an Allen from the 60's, which I thought sounded great, but I don't remember the model. They told me I was too heavy footed. lol And yes, pipes are great, but we play what the church can afford, and we own what WE can afford. I'm a teacher. "Nuff said. Keep up the great work and continue enjoying the organ.
@donovad2007 You are forgetting one thing. I can upgrade to a DIGITAL organ at the Allen organ shop where I bought this organ and put the same $3000 towards a new digital organ. In other words, I can send this organ back and get a new organ and the new organ will be $3000 cheaper. You can't do that on Ebay.
This is not a piece of junk. Compared with the 1973 Baldwin I have, this is much nicer, seeing as it has what appears to be a sturdy AGO pedalboard, substantial keys, a combination action, lack of noise and stops that don't all sound the same; none of which is true of the organ I have. And I still wouldn't call MY organ a piece of junk, since it at least allows me to practice.
@donovad2007 Piece of junk? I have a TC4 that is NOT a piece of junk. Real wooden keys, sturdy AGO pedals, reliable for 50+ years, one of the best analog classical organ tones. The new large digital consoles cost much more, and the consoles are not as nice. I find the TC4 tone more pleasing, even though it has fewer options than a digital. I wouldn't upgrade to digital unless the generators became unreliable. I would first upgrade the sound system. More bang for less money.
@donovad2007 It's all in the eye of the beholder. When you buy on eBay you don't know what you are getting unless you can try the instrument out first. Even then it may have hidden Gremlins which will show up later. At least with a dealership they can give you service and even 90 days warranty on a quality used instrument.
@pipeorgan09 This is an electronic organ built in the 60's. Give some grace. Electronic organs built lately can sound much better than a badly designed or installed pipe organ too!
@pipeorgan09 Not true, a pipe organ which was not tonally finished and or maintained can sound terrible, compared to a electronic which was installed and tonally finished to fit the room.
I say that I am most impressed with the sound quality of this old analog organ sounding so great! Are you using the Gyrophonic speakers with it or a Leslie? You play very well! I am also a traditional organ player, but also a professional keyboard musician that uses an Allen MIDI Expander with my on stage gear.
I have really enjoyed hearing several of your selections. I get to play Allen organs in two churches every Sunday. It seems to me that you ARE ready to serve as church organist; don't hesitate to say "yes" the next time you are asked to play. Also, it is good to hear you include the "Amen" at the end of the hymns. They have been eliminated from so many recent hymnals, and I think it adds a bit of dignity to the service; surely we need all we can get of that!
I am glad that you enjoyed my videos. It just so happens that I am currently wanted to play in a small protestant church with a 30 rank pipe organ once every sunday for service. I don't think I am ready to play yet because I can't site-read a hymn perfectly yet. Also, the "Amen" belongs on hymns with a prayer nature. You wouldn't play Amen at the end of the "Star Spangled Banana, I mean Banner".
Why not agree to play for a couple of Sundays or for a month? That will meet the church's immediate needs and give you a chance to find out that....you really are ready! The hymns should be no problem; your instrumental selections can be other hymns .... which maybe that church does not know, but YOU know very well! I am no virtuoso, but in the churches where I play, it's me or nobody!
You could ask to know what the hymns are by Wednesday so you would have adequate time to practice.
Nice, sir. It is good to see a young man pursuing a position of solid musical training and education void of the glitzy, sensationalist style in some areas. I cheer for you, CoolNick107. Blessings and achievements to you.
I have the same organ, only cherry color. I hear that yours has reverb, not mine. Tell us about the sound system. I have three amps and four tone cabinets from other Allens. Hope to get my gyros spinning soon. Fantastic instrument!
I got my reverb through a BEHRINGER mixing board. I have two external speakers. My amplifier, which is a Walker amplifier, is in the back of the organ. Sadly, we don't have room in the house to connect the gyro speakers that the organ is made to have, but I at least also got tremolos in my mixing board.
You might find an Allen with a built in gyro, and canabalize it. Console gyros are much smaller, but sound wonderful. Could build a small cabinet for the gyro and amp. Your organ probabley has the correct signal to activatet he gyro relay. If you want a Leslie effect, the new Ventilator sim is getting the best reviews. It is about to be released with stereo capabilities. Best emulation of a 3 speed tube amp leslie
@rmaccrea The gyrophonic loudspeakers found in a console often time have a AC motor and they tend to be noisy compared to the DC type two to three speed settings (Choral & Tremolo)
Nick - sounded great and perfect tempo, You got a great price for that Organ for sure. I hope you use your talent to serve the Lord with Church music. Lance ♫
Thanks! My hometown has many church's but very few organists and people are already asking me to play but I'm not ready yet. My organ teacher explained how there is a lot of sight reading involved during rehersal.
There is a video of a TC-4 in a Catholic Church in Phoenix and the acoustics are really nice. The organ sounds surprisingly sweet with only a few voices I didn't care for. Overall, I think it rivals a lot of the digital organs.
BenjaminNicholaus 4 months ago
Hi coolnick.
One thing for sure! Having an organ such as your Allen at home is a good idea! One can practise whenever!
JoRoAM1 5 months ago
@JoRoAM1 Ya! It is so nice.
CoolNick107 5 months ago
What a fantastic organ! I never knew Allen Organs created such rich sounds!
CaptainSiberia 5 months ago
@CaptainSiberia Thanks! This is an analog organ, and this was one of the first videos of this organ that I ever posted on YouTube! I have done a lot more with the organ now that I know how to make the most use out of it. Time to post a new video of the organ.
CoolNick107 5 months ago
You really play great! Nice registration and timing. I bought my house organ, a Hammond A-100, from a church in Mesa, AZ, in 1991. It has really worked great. It was originally manufactured in 1963 and, like all tone-wheel organs, never needs tuning.
tempetiger 5 months ago
How is the tuning holding up on this instrument? I just serviced a TC-4 last week and it would tune no better than A438 as the tuning capacitors under the generator racks have drifted quite a bit.
Xerox6085I 6 months ago
Is this an Allen 202?
Classicalguy12 11 months ago
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I am in the process of rehabilitating an Allen TC-1 for my church which I believe was built in 1959. With it's two gyroscopic speaker cabinets, it really sounds more like a comparable-size pipe organ than most newer organs I've played. Not like a huge instrument, but very much like a Möller or Reuter instrument of several ranks. Frankly, it has a better tone quality than many newer Allen or Rodgers digitals.
Audinos 11 months ago
Comment removed
Audinos 11 months ago
Beautiful playing; can you share the name of the prelude and include your stops? Would like to play for my service. Thanks
clintinva 1 year ago
Very nice organ and good playing.
accousticdecay 1 year ago
This organ sure has very deep bass.
maynardcat 1 year ago
@maynardcat It does have deep bass, and I do that on purpose. I have a mixing board (top left) on top of the organ where I can control the volume of the bass, middle, and treble of the Diapason, Flutes, and Reeds of the organ.
CoolNick107 1 year ago
Excellent sound and condition for an organ of that age. Allen makes a wonderful instrument and I grew up with Allens in the churches that I can remember up until I moved away and joined the Navy. It was then that I began playing Rogers Organs. While different, they are both very similar as well. I guess one would have to combine them to make the perfect electronic organ!
jdconyx 1 year ago
Nice to hear an old model of Allen.... read all the comments.. We in India have very few pipe organs.. mostly in a bad shape... hardly any digital organ... we play on Keyboards.. mostly Yamaha Psr series.. I try to play maximum with my fingers.. Thinking of getting a spinet organ at least.. It would be good for contemporary music.
resultant64 1 year ago
For an analog organ, it sounds great! The Allen TC-1 church organ. I have heard other analog organ, and nothing sounds this good as this organ.
patsaxon 1 year ago
The organ sounds fine! Makes for a great practice organ. Sure is a good deal for the home. My Allen also sounds better than a lot of Pipe organs that are poorly maintained. Enjoy it !!
Bob
shorttim77 1 year ago
@shorttim77 Thanks! :-)
CoolNick107 1 year ago
Hi, Nick! Well done! Are you playing organ in a congregation, now? Although I am a church organist for several years, it seems to me that you play much better than I do :)! So, go forward... and good luck!!!!
asdomarco 1 year ago
@asdomarco Thanks! I do play for congregation at St. Bernard's now.
-Nick :-)
CoolNick107 1 year ago
@CoolNick107 I am 16 and play for a congregation at Dublin United Methodist Church, and I was recently invited to go to Colonial Williamsburg, VA to Bruton Parish Church (The 1654 church within the town) and play the pipe organ they have there! It is just short of 6,000 pipes! I am so excited! Here is a link for info on the organ!
tman8077 1 year ago
@tman8077 WOW! You get to play an organ with 6,000 pipes. The biggest pipe organ in my town only has 2,851 pipes. Please record yourself playing it and put it on youtube so we can hear the organ.
-Nick :-)
CoolNick107 1 year ago
I think it sounds really nice. You did a great job. That organ looks pretty pristine. Actually, I have played an Allen from the 60's, which I thought sounded great, but I don't remember the model. They told me I was too heavy footed. lol And yes, pipes are great, but we play what the church can afford, and we own what WE can afford. I'm a teacher. "Nuff said. Keep up the great work and continue enjoying the organ.
longboardjeff 1 year ago
For that analog piece of junk you paid about $3000 too much. You could have gotten a descent digital model off Ebay for the came money
donovad2007 1 year ago
@donovad2007 You are forgetting one thing. I can upgrade to a DIGITAL organ at the Allen organ shop where I bought this organ and put the same $3000 towards a new digital organ. In other words, I can send this organ back and get a new organ and the new organ will be $3000 cheaper. You can't do that on Ebay.
-Nick
CoolNick107 1 year ago
@donovad2007
This is not a piece of junk. Compared with the 1973 Baldwin I have, this is much nicer, seeing as it has what appears to be a sturdy AGO pedalboard, substantial keys, a combination action, lack of noise and stops that don't all sound the same; none of which is true of the organ I have. And I still wouldn't call MY organ a piece of junk, since it at least allows me to practice.
ccoraxfan 1 year ago
@donovad2007 Piece of junk? I have a TC4 that is NOT a piece of junk. Real wooden keys, sturdy AGO pedals, reliable for 50+ years, one of the best analog classical organ tones. The new large digital consoles cost much more, and the consoles are not as nice. I find the TC4 tone more pleasing, even though it has fewer options than a digital. I wouldn't upgrade to digital unless the generators became unreliable. I would first upgrade the sound system. More bang for less money.
rmaccrea 1 year ago
@donovad2007 It's all in the eye of the beholder. When you buy on eBay you don't know what you are getting unless you can try the instrument out first. Even then it may have hidden Gremlins which will show up later. At least with a dealership they can give you service and even 90 days warranty on a quality used instrument.
Xerox6085I 6 months ago
not in a house- a church! Sorry for not been too clear!
pipeorgan09 1 year ago
electronic organs really do sound awful. 3 manual real pipe organs sound much, much better!!!
pipeorgan09 1 year ago
@pipeorgan09 This is an electronic organ built in the 60's. Give some grace. Electronic organs built lately can sound much better than a badly designed or installed pipe organ too!
waihoong11 1 year ago
@pipeorgan09 I have to agree that pipe organs sound better, but electronic organs don't sound awful.
CoolNick107 1 year ago
@pipeorgan09 Not true, a pipe organ which was not tonally finished and or maintained can sound terrible, compared to a electronic which was installed and tonally finished to fit the room.
Xerox6085I 6 months ago
I say that I am most impressed with the sound quality of this old analog organ sounding so great! Are you using the Gyrophonic speakers with it or a Leslie? You play very well! I am also a traditional organ player, but also a professional keyboard musician that uses an Allen MIDI Expander with my on stage gear.
patsaxon 2 years ago
I love Allen Organs, Allen organs beats them all. I've played several church organs and found Allen Organs were the best.
wedgwood1 2 years ago
I agree, I think you are ready dude!! ;-)
jimoaklandu 2 years ago
I have really enjoyed hearing several of your selections. I get to play Allen organs in two churches every Sunday. It seems to me that you ARE ready to serve as church organist; don't hesitate to say "yes" the next time you are asked to play. Also, it is good to hear you include the "Amen" at the end of the hymns. They have been eliminated from so many recent hymnals, and I think it adds a bit of dignity to the service; surely we need all we can get of that!
Wattsviller1 2 years ago
I am glad that you enjoyed my videos. It just so happens that I am currently wanted to play in a small protestant church with a 30 rank pipe organ once every sunday for service. I don't think I am ready to play yet because I can't site-read a hymn perfectly yet. Also, the "Amen" belongs on hymns with a prayer nature. You wouldn't play Amen at the end of the "Star Spangled Banana, I mean Banner".
CoolNick107 2 years ago
Why not agree to play for a couple of Sundays or for a month? That will meet the church's immediate needs and give you a chance to find out that....you really are ready! The hymns should be no problem; your instrumental selections can be other hymns .... which maybe that church does not know, but YOU know very well! I am no virtuoso, but in the churches where I play, it's me or nobody!
You could ask to know what the hymns are by Wednesday so you would have adequate time to practice.
Wattsviller1 2 years ago
Who wrote or compiled this music for this book, i'm interested in finding it for myself?
porschefan930 2 years ago
Most of the songs were composed by Reinburger including number 24 which is a song I play in one of my videos.
CoolNick107 2 years ago
@CoolNick107
Does the book give a specific title for this song?
porschefan930 2 years ago
Nice, sir. It is good to see a young man pursuing a position of solid musical training and education void of the glitzy, sensationalist style in some areas. I cheer for you, CoolNick107. Blessings and achievements to you.
organmusicfan 2 years ago
I own an Allen from the 1970s. But it doesn't sound as good as this organ.
theaterpipe1 2 years ago
I have the same organ, only cherry color. I hear that yours has reverb, not mine. Tell us about the sound system. I have three amps and four tone cabinets from other Allens. Hope to get my gyros spinning soon. Fantastic instrument!
rmaccrea 2 years ago
I got my reverb through a BEHRINGER mixing board. I have two external speakers. My amplifier, which is a Walker amplifier, is in the back of the organ. Sadly, we don't have room in the house to connect the gyro speakers that the organ is made to have, but I at least also got tremolos in my mixing board.
CoolNick107 2 years ago
You might find an Allen with a built in gyro, and canabalize it. Console gyros are much smaller, but sound wonderful. Could build a small cabinet for the gyro and amp. Your organ probabley has the correct signal to activatet he gyro relay. If you want a Leslie effect, the new Ventilator sim is getting the best reviews. It is about to be released with stereo capabilities. Best emulation of a 3 speed tube amp leslie
rmaccrea 2 years ago
@rmaccrea The gyrophonic loudspeakers found in a console often time have a AC motor and they tend to be noisy compared to the DC type two to three speed settings (Choral & Tremolo)
Xerox6085I 6 months ago
Very cool. Keep studying, keep practicing, and by all means, keep playing
pooh52 2 years ago
Nick - sounded great and perfect tempo, You got a great price for that Organ for sure. I hope you use your talent to serve the Lord with Church music. Lance ♫
organpipe8 2 years ago
Thanks! My hometown has many church's but very few organists and people are already asking me to play but I'm not ready yet. My organ teacher explained how there is a lot of sight reading involved during rehersal.
CoolNick107 2 years ago
Hi Nick!
I have an Allen model 416...still working great...what model is yours?
Keep up the good work!
Mark
Towman1952 2 years ago
I have an Allen model T-c4.
-Nick :-)
CoolNick107 2 years ago
Nice organ and great registration and sound for that Allen!
shorttim77 2 years ago
Thanks!
CoolNick107 2 years ago
Nick a great buy in an Allen! I have a ADC 5000. Keep posting and give that Allen a workout! Ray
rttipton 2 years ago
I love the sound of the organ Nick. It really has nice bass and for $3000 that isn't bad at all.
mayagod00 2 years ago
I love those old organs. They have a lot of character especially when they're kept up as this one looks like it was. 3000.00 ain't bad for this one.
pedalboy 2 years ago