Toaster

[DouglasCorr]

I've seen the word 'toaster' used in these pages. It seems to mean organ - any organ or a specific type/style of organ and why ?

 

My late toaster really was a toaster! I think it was 1960s vintage and it came from St Marks Middleton Square London. Unlike many electronic organs that derived most of their notes from a single oscillator - it had a separate oscillator for each note. From 16 ft to 2ft for a 56 note range, I think it was, resulting in around 80+ vacuum tubes. These all glowed and generated much heat - as good as any toaster! Appropriately I kept it in my kitchen...

[martin_greenwood]

My late toaster really was a toaster! I think it was 1960s vintage and it came from St Marks Middleton Square London. Unlike many electronic organs that derived most of their notes from a single oscillator - it had a separate oscillator for each note. From 16 ft to 2ft for a 56 note range, I think it was, resulting in around 80+ vacuum tubes. These all glowed and generated much heat - as good as any toaster! Appropriately I kept it in my kitchen...

Sounds like it could have doubled up as a musical Aga.

 

Sq.

[MusingMuso]

Sounds like it could have doubled up as a musical Aga.

 

Sq.

 

 

===========================

 

 

This suggests a title for the composite recital CD on another thread. "An organist's Cook's Tour"

 

The programme would have to include the BWV565.....which we could call "The AGA Toccata."

 

MM

[innate]

This suggests a title for the composite recital CD on another thread. "An organist's Cook's Tour"

 

The programme would have to include the BWV565.....which we could call "The AGA Toccata."

Thus ensuring no one plays A G# A, which I heard on a recording a long time ago.

[gazman]

Thus ensuring no one plays A G# A, which I heard on a recording a long time ago.

And on Sacred Music the other evening.....

[Tony Price]

With apologies, but I couldn't find a more appropriate thread in which to make this request.......

 

An old friend is a Parish Priest with a Baldwin electronic instrument that is in need of attention. I have looked online and cannot find anything or anyone helpful. I'm sure I have read on these august pages somewhere of a specialist in such things, and wonder if anyone is able to offer (PM if appropriate) anything that might assist me/him in anyway? The instrument is located in Bexleyheath, in S.E. London. I hope nobody will be offended at my asking.

 

With grateful thanks, Tony

[davidh]

With apologies, but I couldn't find a more appropriate thread in which to make this request.......

 

An old friend is a Parish Priest with a Baldwin electronic instrument that is in need of attention. I have looked online and cannot find anything or anyone helpful. I'm sure I have read on these august pages somewhere of a specialist in such things, and wonder if anyone is able to offer (PM if appropriate) anything that might assist me/him in anyway? The instrument is located in Bexleyheath, in S.E. London. I hope nobody will be offended at my asking.

 

With grateful thanks, Tony

It might be worth looking at

http://www.eocs.org.uk/

where the Secrectary of the Society could put you in touch with both amateurs and professionals who have experience of a wide variety of electronic instruments.

 

David Hitchin

[Tony Newnham]

It might be worth looking at

http://www.eocs.org.uk/

where the Secrectary of the Society could put you in touch with both amateurs and professionals who have experience of a wide variety of electronic instruments.

 

David Hitchin

 

Hi

 

Yes, EOCS is a good place to start. I would suggest trying Ron Coates (Classic Organs at Boxhill) http://classicorgans.co.uk/

 

Another possibility is http://www.ormatronixorgans.co.uk/index.htm (I no nothing about this company, so please don't take this as a recommendation). They claim to cover the whole country. There's another firm near Louth - http://www.castletronics.co.uk/index.html

or Alan Morrison in Scotland.

 

Every Blessing

 

Tony

[Barry Oakley]

Hi

 

Yes, EOCS is a good place to start. I would suggest trying Ron Coates (Classic Organs at Boxhill) http://classicorgans.co.uk/

 

Another possibility is http://www.ormatronixorgans.co.uk/index.htm (I no nothing about this company, so please don't take this as a recommendation). They claim to cover the whole country. There's another firm near Louth - http://www.castletronics.co.uk/index.html

or Alan Morrison in Scotland.

 

Every Blessing

 

Tony

 

Your posting, Tony, has proved most useful. A friend has a two-manual and pedal valve-system Norwich (maybe by Miller) that is in need of repair although is available FOC as she wishes to dispose of it. I have initially contacted Ormatronix by e-mail to gauge their interest. If anyone on this forum is also interested, please make contact with me.

[DHM]

Another possibility is http://www.ormatronixorgans.co.uk/index.htm (I no nothing about this company, so please don't take this as a recommendation). They claim to cover the whole country.

Tony

 

I can recommend Ormatronix (Royston Orme). I'm not sure whether he works on older analogue instruments, though he may well do.

He certainly comes to Kent when necessary, and I have been very happy with his work.

 

Douglas.

[Tony Price]

Very many thanks to all who have contributed their advice, both here and privately. I have duly passed on the relevant information to an extremely appreciative parish priest.

 

Kind regards, Tony

[Tony Newnham]

Your posting, Tony, has proved most useful. A friend has a two-manual and pedal valve-system Norwich (maybe by Miller) that is in need of repair although is available FOC as she wishes to dispose of it. I have initially contacted Ormatronix by e-mail to gauge their interest. If anyone on this forum is also interested, please make contact with me.

 

Hi

 

Where is the organ located? And do you have any idea of size/weight?

 

Glad to be of help.

 

Every Blessing

 

Tony

[Barry Oakley]

Hi

 

Where is the organ located? And do you have any idea of size/weight?

 

Glad to be of help.

 

Every Blessing

 

Tony

 

Although owned by an individual the organ is stored at Oulton Abbey, the Benedictine monastery near Stone. Staffordshire. Unfortnately I am unable to give you more details re size and weight. The stoplist is as follows:

 

Great

Open Diapason 8ft

Stopped Diapason 8ft

Dulciana 8ft

Principal 4ft

Stopped Flute 4ft

Twelfth 2.2/3ft

Fifteenth 2ft

 

 

Swell

Gedackt 8ft

Clarabella 8ft

Salicional 8ft

Gemshorn 4ft

Gedackt 2ft

Oboe 8ft

Trumpet 8ft

Tremulant

 

Sw to Gt

 

Pedal

Major Bass 16ft

Bourdon 16ft

Principal 8ft

Flute 4ft

 

 

Barry Oakley

[Tony Newnham]

Although owned by an individual the organ is stored at Oulton Abbey, the Benedictine monastery near Stone. Staffordshire. Unfortnately I am unable to give you more details re size and weight. The stoplist is as follows:

 

Great

Open Diapason 8ft

Stopped Diapason 8ft

Dulciana 8ft

Principal 4ft

Stopped Flute 4ft

Twelfth 2.2/3ft

Fifteenth 2ft

 

 

Swell

Gedackt 8ft

Clarabella 8ft

Salicional 8ft

Gemshorn 4ft

Gedackt 2ft

Oboe 8ft

Trumpet 8ft

Tremulant

 

Sw to Gt

 

Pedal

Major Bass 16ft

Bourdon 16ft

Principal 8ft

Flute 4ft

 

 

Barry Oakley

 

Thanks

[bombarde32]

I can recommend Ormatronix (Royston Orme). I'm not sure whether he works on older analogue instruments, though he may well do.

He certainly comes to Kent when necessary, and I have been very happy with his work.

 

Douglas.

 

 

Royston is a personal friend of mine, and I have to say that I have never met such super hard-working chap! If you have an electronic organ fault, he is generous to a fault with his time, and technically very competent indeed!

[Christopher Price]

It's a (fairly derrogatory) term for an electronic/digital/"pipeless" organ. In addition to Davidh's response, I would note:

 

1. Just like Toasters, electronic organs are electrical appliances

2. Just like Toasters, electronic organs occasionally go wrong and when you look for the part, you find it's been discontinued

3. Just like Toasters, new models of electronic organs are updated every 2 or 3 years to keep up with the latest fashions

4. Just like Toasters, new electronic organs are sold with the latest gizmo that offers to revolutionise the way we experience toast/organ music. The salesman truly believes that this new gizmo is as important as the apocalyse/second coming of Jesus to electronic organs/toasters. After a few years, it just makes ordinary toast/organ-like-sounds like every normal toaster.

5. Just like Toasters, one day the electronic organ will start to malfunction, with clouds of smoke billowing everywhere.

6. Just like Toasters, when you first get your electronic organ, it looks and sounds amazing and everyone in the house is really excited by it.

7. Just like Toasters, electronic organs look and sound rather naff after a couple of years.

 

We have a superb 'toaster', built 20 years ago by a certain genius from Northamptonshire! If it is to be compared to a toaster (as in an appliance for browning slices of bread) it is a true master of its work, a bit like a 'Dualit'- no fancy extras, and utterly dependable to produce good music whenever required. We haven't any space for a decent pipe organ, and our congregation has never sung so well in 38 years! It covers a great deal of repertoire pretty well too!

 

CP

[bombarde32]

As the temperature in the church in which I play was -2 degrees I have come to the following conclusion re toasters:

 

2 manual drawstop toaster (actually doesn't get hot enough for toast anyway) as installed in my lovely heated music room = 100 points

 

2 manual drawstop pipe organ installed in local church @ -2 degrees = NIL POINTS.

 

End of.

[Henry Willis]

As the temperature in the church in which I play was -2 degrees I have come to the following conclusion re toasters:

 

2 manual drawstop toaster (actually doesn't get hot enough for toast anyway) as installed in my lovely heated music room = 100 points

 

2 manual drawstop pipe organ installed in local church @ -2 degrees = NIL POINTS.

 

End of.

 

Is this analogy fatuous or serious? Are you awarding points to the situations (i.e. the 'rooms') or not?

 

DW

[bombarde32]

Absolutely, David!

 

I'd rather be warm and snug any time!

 

I have spent far too long in freezing cold churches in my teenage years practising for exams and diplomas playing ropey old instruments to care whether its an electronic organ or not really!