Gibson G-101

Last updated

Gibson G101
Gibson G101 Combo Organ 1967.jpg
Manufacturer Gibson
Dates1967 – 1969 [1]
Technical specifications
Polyphony Full
Synthesis typeElectronic
Input/output
Keyboard 61 keys

The Gibson G-101 (or Gibson Portable Organ, also known as the Kalamazoo K-101) is a transistorised combo organ, manufactured in the late 1960s by the Lowrey Organ Company for Gibson.

Contents

The G-101 was produced in response to similar combo organs such as the Vox Continental and Farfisa, though it had a wider range of features such as foldback as seen on a Hammond organ. It provided a 61-key manual with a variety of stops accessed by rocker switches and a separate bass system. Because the organ was manufactured by Lowrey, the G-101 can create similar sounds to that company's console organs manufactured at the time. The instrument was not as commercially successful as the Continental and Farfisa, and less than 2,000 models were sold. However, it was used by some popular musicians at the time, particularly The Doors' Ray Manzarek.

Production

The instrument was introduced by Gibson in 1967 but produced in the U.S. for them by the Lowrey Organ Company. [2] Both companies were owned by Chicago Musical Instruments. Lowrey had already produced several combo organs, beginning in 1946. [3] The G-101 was first introduced in 1966 as the Kalamazoo K-101, as that name was used by Gibson for its budget range of equipment. The name was changed to Gibson G-101 shortly thereafter, in order to encourage sales, and production continued until 1969. [4] A Gibson G-201 organ was introduced at the same time, which is a spinet organ with two manuals, but otherwise has the same electronics, but not as many features. [5] [2]

The original price was $995 ($8,700 as of 2022), which was one of the most expensive single-manual combo organs at that time. [6] Less than 2,000 models were produced (about a quarter of the Vox Continental), making the instrument a sought-after model for collectors compared to similar instruments. [4]

Features

Despite the change in name badges and model numbers shortly after its introduction, the Kalamazoo K-101 and the Gibson G-101 are the same instrument. Kalamazoo was a brand name that Gibson used for budget instruments. The only significant change in production was a cast Gibson logo added to the instrument's front panel. [4]

The G-101 had two square, tubular, fold-out legs, and a "drop panel". The panel supported the legs, via secured thumb screws, and acted as a cover for them during transport. [7] Other external features included an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) black plastic top, [4] a tri-colored plastic keyboard, color-coded rocker-switch tabs, and a vinyl fabric-covered plywood cabinet, drop panel, and lid, using an aqua-and-gray color scheme. While superficially similar in appearance to many other combo organs in the 1960s such as the Farfisa Compact, it can easily be distinguished from competing models by identifying the cabinet colors. [8]

Three optional accessories were available for the G-101: a travel bag, an expression pedal (volume pedal), and a set of bass pedals. [9] The expression pedal is required, as without it, the organ will make no sound (though this can be fixed by changing the internal wiring). [10] The volume pedal had a spring-loaded side-lever that could be used to actuate the "Glide" and "Trumpet Wow-wow" effects. [11] In addition to a standard 1/4" jack socket for a standard amplifier, an additional jack also enabled users to connect to a custom external reverb unit made by Gibson or Maestro. The "Reverb" tab is used to activate this; the organ itself has no onboard reverb unit. [12] The instrument's top had a removable, fold-down wire rack for sheet music. [8]

The G-101 was designed to be easily serviceable. The internal arrangement of the instrument's electronics makes it easy to find and fix components. Some parts are hinge-mounted, to allow easy access to others. [7]

Sound

The G-101 has a single manual of five octaves (61 keys), divided into three sections. [4] [13] The bottom octave is for bass, using reverse-colored white-on-black keys similar to those on the Vox Continental and the bass section of Farfisa Compact combo organs. [4] The next octave has gray and white keys and could be used as either a second bass octave or an extension of the main voice, like a Farfisa. [4] [2] The top three octaves uses the main (treble) voices. [4]

The main section offers 16', 8', 4' and 2⅔' footages, with reed, string and flute voices. There is also a mixture tab that combines 4' and 2⅔' tones. [11] From left to right, the controls are: [2]

  • (Green) String Bass; Sax Bass; Fuzz Bass
  • (Gray) Bass Normal/Percuss.; Bass Sustain Off/On
  • (Red) Glide Normal/Trumpet Wow-Wow
  • (Yellow) Trombone 16'(Piano S-St-P); Clarinet 16's
  • (Blue) String 8'(Harpcd S-St-P)
  • (Yellow) Trumpet 8'; Kinura 8'
  • (White) Flute 16'; Flute 8'; Piccolo 4'; Nazard 2-2/3'; Mixture
  • (Red) Brilliance Normal/Full
  • (Green) Vibrato Slow/Fast; Vibrato Light/Heavy; Vibrato Off/On
  • (Red) Sustain S Med; Sustain SS Long; Staccato St Off/On
  • (Gray) Reverb Off/On; Percuss. Off/On

Because the G-101 was manufactured by Lowrey, its electronics – and thus, its voicings – are similar to Lowrey's own T-1 and T-2 models (all of which use the same generator boards as the Lowrey TLO ["Holiday"] spinet models); the G-101 is not, however, identical and does contain several additional distinctive features. [14] Like other combo organs, the G-101 uses twelve individual tone generators with a frequency divider to create the other notes. These are routed through a sequence of filters activated by the various tabs on the instrument, which gives it a wider range of sounds than a Vox. [15]

The G-101 features strong and bright voices, which when combined with sustain, can cut through a mix to be the dominant instrument in a band. [16] Like a Hammond, but unlike most combo organs, using the high voices such as Nazard 2⅔, the tones are duplicated as audio foldback. This allowed Lowrey to cut costs as they did not need as many tone generator circuits as would have been required otherwise. [12] The "Repeat" feature sounds similar to tremolo, but uses a re-triggering circuit on the percussion board instead; the knob can be used to control its off/on and speed rate. [11] This feature often faded in functionality because it used a photodetector which contained a neon bulb that could dim over time, but this is fixable by locating and installing an appropriate replacement part. [2]

The "Glide" effect pitches the notes flat by a semitone when actuated by the side-lever on the expression pedal when the "Glide" tab was selected to "Normal". [2] When the same tab is selected to "Trumpet Wow-wow", the side-lever actuates a "wah wah" effect. [6] The "Piano" and "Harpsichord" tabs simulate the tones of those instruments. [11] The tones can be given additional attack (note-onset time) when the "Percussion" and "Staccato" tabs are selected, producing a piano-like "bounce". The "Sustain" can be used on these latter two voices to continue sounding for a while after the note is released. [2]

Notable users

Ray Manzarek playing a Gibson G-101 and Rhodes Piano Bass in 1968 Ray Manzarek 1968.jpg
Ray Manzarek playing a Gibson G-101 and Rhodes Piano Bass in 1968

The most prominent user of the G-101 was The Doors' Ray Manzarek, who switched from the Vox Continental to the G-101 during the recording of Waiting for the Sun in 1968. [17] Manzarek later said the G-101 "had a little more versatility than the Vox; it could make the sort of piano-ish sound I used on "Back Door Man" (from The Doors album); plus, it had a little knob sticking up on the volume pedal which could bend the note a half-step down. We used it on "Not to Touch the Earth". Even synthesizers don't really do that." [17] Another important reason for using the G-101 was because it had a flat top, which meant he could put a Rhodes Piano Bass on top of it, to play basslines in concert. [18] The instrument has consequently become sought-after by Doors tribute bands to authentically replicate the original group's look and sound. [19]

Jazz musician Sun Ra also began using the G-101 during the 1960s. The first documented use is on the Atlantis album, which was released in 1969. Ra, who often invented names for his instruments, lists the G-101 as the "Solar Sound Organ" in the credits. Don Preston used a G-101 with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, and was seen playing one on the cover of his solo album Filters, Oscillators & Envelopes 1967–75. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Effects unit</span> Electronic device that alters audio

An effects unit, effects processor, or effects pedal is an electronic device that alters the sound of a musical instrument or other audio source through audio signal processing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hammond organ</span> Electric organ

The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated sound by creating an electric current from rotating a metal tonewheel near an electromagnetic pickup, and then strengthening the signal with an amplifier to drive a speaker cabinet. The organ is commonly used with the Leslie speaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhodes piano</span> Electric piano

The Rhodes piano is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, the hammers strike thin metal tines, which vibrate next to an electromagnetic pickup. The signal is then sent through a cable to an external keyboard amplifier and speaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vox (company)</span> Musical equipment manufacturer

Vox is a British musical equipment manufacturer founded in 1957 by Thomas Walter Jennings in Dartford, Kent, England. The company is most famous for making the Vox AC30 guitar amplifier, used by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, Queen, Dire Straits, U2, and Radiohead; the Vox Continental electric organ, the Vox wah-wah pedal used by Jimi Hendrix, and a series of innovative electric guitars and bass guitars. Since 1992, Vox has been owned by the Japanese electronics firm Korg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric piano</span> Electro-mechanical keyboard musical instrument

An electric piano is a musical instrument that has a piano-style musical keyboard, where sound is produced by means of mechanical hammers striking metal strings or reeds or wire tines, which leads to vibrations which are then converted into electrical signals by pickups. The pickups are connected to an instrument amplifier and loudspeaker to reinforce the sound sufficiently for the performer and audience to hear. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument. Instead, it is an electro-mechanical instrument. Some early electric pianos used lengths of wire to produce the tone, like a traditional piano. Smaller electric pianos used short slivers of steel to produce the tone. The earliest electric pianos were invented in the late 1920s; the 1929 Neo-Bechstein electric grand piano was among the first. Probably the earliest stringless model was Lloyd Loar's Vivi-Tone Clavier. A few other noteworthy producers of electric pianos include Baldwin Piano and Organ Company, and the Wurlitzer Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guitar amplifier</span> Electronic amplifier for musical instruments

A guitar amplifier is an electronic device or system that strengthens the electrical signal from a pickup on an electric guitar, bass guitar, or acoustic guitar so that it can produce sound through one or more loudspeakers, which are typically housed in a wooden cabinet. A guitar amplifier may be a standalone wood or metal cabinet that contains only the power amplifier circuits, requiring the use of a separate speaker cabinet–or it may be a "combo" amplifier, which contains both the amplifier and one or more speakers in a wooden cabinet. There is a wide range of sizes and power ratings for guitar amplifiers, from small, lightweight "practice amplifiers" with a single 6-inch speaker and a 10-watt amp to heavy combo amps with four 10-inch or four 12-inch speakers and a 100-watt amplifier, which are loud enough to use in a nightclub or bar performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organ stop</span> Part of a pipe organ

An organ stop is a component of a pipe organ that admits pressurized air to a set of organ pipes. Its name comes from the fact that stops can be used selectively by the organist; each can be "on", or "off".

Farfisa is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy, founded in 1946. The company manufactured a series of compact electronic organs in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Compact, FAST, Professional and VIP ranges, and later, a series of other keyboard instruments. They were used by a number of popular musicians including Sam the Sham, Country Joe and the Fish, Pink Floyd, Sly Stone, Blondie, and the B-52s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric organ</span> Electronic keyboard instrument

An electric organ, also known as electronic organ, is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally designed to imitate their sound, or orchestral sounds, it has since developed into several types of instruments:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guitorgan</span> Electric guitar with added electronic organ components

Guitar Organ or GuitOrgan is a type of electric guitar with electronic organ components added, developed by Jennings Musical Industry as Vox Guitar Organ at latest in 1965. Similar instrument, GuitOrgan was developed by Murrell Electronics, circa 1967. On this type of instruments, each guitar fret is separated into six segments, creating independent contact switches for each string. The organ notes are keyed when a string touches a specific segment. An expression pedal is used to fade the organ sound in and out, while the guitar can be played at the same time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keyboard bass</span> Use of a keyboard to substitute for a bass guitar or double bass in music

Keyboard bass is the use of a smaller, low-pitched keyboard with fewer notes than a regular keyboard or pedal keyboard to substitute for the deep notes of a bass guitar or double bass in music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky Mount Instruments</span> Subsidiary of the Allen Organ Company

Rocky Mount Instruments (RMI) was a subsidiary of the Allen Organ Company, based in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, active from 1966 to 1982. The company was formed to produce portable musical instruments, and manufactured several electronic pianos, harpsichords, and organs that used oscillators to create sound, instead of mechanical components like an electric piano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wurlitzer electronic piano</span> Mid-1950s – mid-1980s electric piano

The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from 1954 to 1983. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is conceptually similar to the Rhodes piano, though the sound is different.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ace Tone</span> Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments

Ace Electronic Industries Inc., or Ace Tone, was a manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, including electronic organs, analogue drum machines, and electronic drums, as well as amplifiers 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 Corporation, which was also founded by Kakehashi. Ace Tone began manufacturing amplifiers in 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fender Contempo Organ</span> Combo organ

The Fender Contempo Organ is a combo organ made by Fender during the late 1960s. It was designed to compete with similar instruments such as the Vox Continental and Farfisa Compact, and had additional stops, features and controllers not found on the other models. However, it was only in production for a few years as it struggled to compete with the more popular Hammond organ and Rhodes piano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vox Continental</span> Portable electronic organ

The Vox Continental is a transistorised combo organ that was manufactured between 1962 and 1971 by the British musical equipment manufacturer Vox. It was designed for touring musicians and as an alternative to the heavy Hammond organ. It supports drawbars in a similar manner to the Hammond, and has distinctive reverse-coloured keys. The sound is generated by a series of oscillators, using a frequency divider to span multiple octaves.

A combo organ, so-named and classified by popular culture due to its original intended use by small, touring jazz, pop and dance groups known as "combo bands", as well as some models having "Combo" as part of their brand or model names, is an electronic organ of the frequency divider type, generally produced between the early 1960s and the late 1970s. This type of organ predated, and contributed largely to, the development of modern synthesizers. The combo organ concept, at least in the context of mass-production, is thought to have arisen from popular demand, when smaller home organs were seen in music stores. Combo organs were probably originally developed in the United Kingdom, based on the Univox polyphonic version of the Clavioline, and some models included the inner-workings of Italian-made transistor accordions. They were the brainchild of necessity for portable organs of simple design, mainly for use in these small groups. Combo organs ended up having a major impact on the music scene of the mid- and late 1960s, particularly on rock and roll of that era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lowrey organ</span> Electronic organ

The Lowrey organ is an electronic organ named after its developer, Frederick C. Lowrey (1871–1955), a Chicago-based industrialist and entrepreneur. Lowrey's first commercially successful full-sized electronic organ, the Model S Spinet or Berkshire, came to market in 1955, the year of his death. Lowrey had earlier developed an attachment for a piano, adding electronic organ stops on 60 notes while keeping the piano functionality, called the Organo, first marketed in 1949 as a very successful competitor to the Hammond Solovox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doric Organ</span>

The Doric Transistorized Organ is a model of combo organ produced in Italy in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital accordion</span> Musical instrument

A digital accordion is an electronic musical instrument that uses the control features of a traditional accordion to trigger a digital sound module that produces synthesized or digitally sampled accordion sounds or, in most instruments, a range of non-accordion sounds, such as orchestral instruments, pipe organ, piano, guitar, and so on. Digital accordions typically encode and transmit key presses and other input as Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) messages. Most digital accordions need to be plugged into a keyboard amplifier or PA system to hear their sounds.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, pp. 195.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Gibson G101". Combo Organ Heaven. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  3. ↑ Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, p. 198.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, p. 202.
  5. ↑ Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, p. 197.
  6. 1 2 Vail & Carson 2000, p. 260.
  7. 1 2 Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, p. 203.
  8. 1 2 Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, pp. 202–203.
  9. ↑ Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, pp. 203, 207, 208.
  10. ↑ Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, p. 208.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, p. 204.
  12. 1 2 Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, p. 206.
  13. ↑ Gibson 1967, p. 12.
  14. ↑ Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, pp. 197–199.
  15. ↑ Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, pp. 203–204.
  16. ↑ Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, pp. 196–197.
  17. 1 2 3 Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, p. 196.
  18. ↑ Vail & Carson 2000, p. 259.
  19. ↑ Lenhoff & Robertson 2019, pp. 202, 209.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.