Conn Theatre Organ

The sound is so realistic .it beats some digitals. Good ole analog produces an amazing realism !!

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Music

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• Bartonbuster

[bartonbuster]

Thanks for your kind words. The organ is a

Conn 651 that was once owned by Don Baker.

Happy music making !!

[RedVoxVulpes]

Wow man, slick playing! I have a Conn 650 same as yours, and I'd love to be able to play a number like this. Maybe in another five years.

[bartonbuster]

You can do it !!! Hope you put something on Youtube soon .....

[MassageMan1]

Interesting arrangement and perfect execution of this long-standing favorite. Hopefully, more will come from your classic Analog Conn. Thanks for a great job.

[bartonbuster]

Thanks ...I'll be putting some more theatre style stuff ....... Best wishes !!

[LibertyWorldNow]

I am the proud owner ov a vintage Conn 651. Except for the rythem section, works perfectly. It gives the payer the feel of playing a much larger organ.

[phildoethedildoe]

@paulj0557 Yes i indeed plan to make a video of the workings of my "Beefed Up" CONN 645. This thing also has two Amplifiers instead of one main, they both seem to be tied into the pedal system, and into the leslie speaker system to. I also have noticed that the Original Owner added their own Schematics on Paper in a sealed baggie, Unfortunately the Paper is so old that i can't unroll it without destroying it. I would love to meet and shake the hand of the guy who Modded this monster. :) :)

[paulj0557]

@phildoethedildoe What are the chances you could make a video to show us this very interestingly modded Conn 645 you have? I know that it would make the day of quite a few of us out here in organ land.

You described it once on another post and this got me thinking of what people must have done with their organs back in the days before the LSI -Large Scale Integrated circuits, & digital. We have to remember that when this major modification was done that organs were expensive.

Hope to see it.

[phildoethedildoe]

@paulj0557 Nope, apparently my CONN was revamped with some HAMMOND parts, or so it looks. It still has the Tubes for the main oscillators in it, but also has Tone wheels system installed. I know cause it has a starter switch, and a run switch along with the normal Tube-power switch. So someone clearly knew what they were doing with this beast. Just wish i knew which Hammond they got the parts from. lol :)

[paulj0557]

@phildoethedildoe Wow, I thought only Hammond had tone wheels. According to the Organ List the Conn 645 has individual vacuum tube oscillators, which would account for the warmth of the organ. I have a Hammond S6 chord organ that has a rich and responsive tone because it too is a vacuum tube organ. The 'woodwind' tab makes this organ sound positively wooden. It yelps like a bass clarinet! . Getting 46' Wurlitzer Orgatron model 31 this weekend & it's tall tremolo cabinet. Was only offer of $100.

[phildoethedildoe]

@paulj0557 Yeah i can share some information about one of the three. My CONN 645 has the Tone Wheels, and man they have a soft, smooth almost floating sound. I know TOS and Individual oscillators are decent but you will not get that "Feel" out of them. I have had an Allen Digital organ and an older Hammond Model A100 to. And the CONN Tone Wheel Organs seem to take on a more solid and easy sound. but it is all in the preference of the owner/operator.

[Ragmate]

My Conn 651 was just moved to our home today. The owner's manual says it has a earphone jack but I can't find it? It's not on the xeroxed page showing where everything is located. Also, there is this box thing under the right hand side of the organ with a grey wire hanging off it off it. It's not anything I could hook earphones to so do you know what it might be?

[Gillyyorkie]

@bartonbuster

I played a conn 651 for 7 years in a cinema in yorkshire loved every minute on that organ !

Thanks for posting

[patsaxon]

You play very well! Do you ever use the automatic rhythms? I know that this organ is very old, possibly early 1970's, but it sounds great and my very first organ teach had one of these. I am so glad that my parents and grand mother encouraged me to learn how to play the organ at the age of 10 in 1973. I still enjoy the organ over any keyboard instrument!

[paulj0557]

By the way, great playing and that organ really does sound very very nice. I'm one of those people whose dream job would to have been to go around to organ manufactures and give critiques on the tones they were working on. I'd have to say that the Conn 651 nailed it! Unfortunately, or maybe I should say fortunately, now it takes lots of time looking through youtube videos trying to find an acceptable sounding organ that I might be able to find. Youtube vids of Trinidad organ have horrible audio.