Bob Ralston - I left my H.i.S.F., Thomas Organ

Bob Ralston playing incredible as usual. Bob is one of the most creative electronic organists...I still want to know what a ' Versatone Footnote ' is Bob. If you are out there can you pop on here and comment about it? People are quick to judge a Thomas organ who have never played one. Yes, they like a lot of other companies made a few duds, but they were a projected market, not because they didn't know what they were doing. Most electronic organ companies invested countless man hours and dollars perfecting circuitry that would make the digital sounds available today pale in comparison. The transistor in a guitar amp is not so great, but in an organ it opened the pathways for incredible tonal opportunities from about 1960 until about 1970. Before 60' the vacuum tube was actually won over by the Hammond tone wheel generator and the Wurlitzer electrostatic reed organ with the beautiful and incomparable tone of vacuum tube amplifiers, of course. However, for a home market vacuum tubes for tone generation was just too complex, expensive, and heavy! The transistor proved to be a most incredibly warm participant when combined with tunable transformers and for filtering. They really did perfect the most perfect electronic organ in the 1960's. Without these perfect organs ( and they are still out there on Craigslist for almost nothing!) there would be no ' Organ Boom ' of the 1970's. Unfortunately the automated features, made practical by lower cost and more reliable 'logic chips', became a trend and seemed to be the formula for impressing passersby at shopping malls. Even with these 'eyesores' the well respected electronic organ builders tried as best they could to maintain a certain level of craftsmanship and perfection in tone that was achieved in the 1960's, but LSI ( Large Scale Integrated circuits) was a bit of a compromise. You see, in analog music, and analog electronic music there is a phenomena associated with how the electron takes on slightly varying paths each time it sets out. If the input of a circuit is a slightly higher volume pedal, or an added voices- say two more flute pitches combined with a reed and a clarinet voice...the electrons react differently. In analog electronics consisting of transformers, tubes, or transistors, and electromechanical tone generation- any combination, will always sound better than digital.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Bob Ralston
• Verstone Footnote
• Great organists
• Thomas Electronic organ
• Thomas organ
• Thomas Organ Co.
• Lawrence Welk
• Lawrence Welk organist
• groovy music
• Organ Television
• OTV
• Thomas Trianon
• Thomas Celebrity

[paulj0557]

Well guys the mystery of what a Versatone Footnote is over, someone on the Organ Forum explained it. Apparently it is like the Trek II system of 'string bass' for the pedals. he said the Trek was a better system so the Versatone never took off. Personally I'd like to see actual bass strings under each pedal and then use pick-ups to give it a genuine bass guitar tone ( for those who like that). If you look at a pedal harpsichord this is what gave me the idea.

[2reeler]

Wonderful album! I saw Bob at a Jelani Eddington concert. I appreciate his talent. Its great to hear an anolog Thomas played so well! Digital organs can't duplicate what these 60s organs can do. Thanks for sharing the whole album!

[Wurlitzer2ify]

The analog organs sound more "alive" than digital. I have heard a few very modern digital organs that are an improvement, but still it is the older models that my ears enjoy the most.

[patsaxon]

Bob Ralston is one of the very best organist and plays my favorite, the Thomas organ! I love the sound of a Thomas organ.