Home practice organ
  • Matilda
    Posts: 76
    I may be looking for a practice organ for my home soon. I'm particularly interested in the Johannus Studio 170 but I cannot find a price for a new one on the website. I would love to hear the many contradictory and opinionated things folks have to say. And if I play a 3 manual at work would it be better to look into a 3 manual for practice? Please release the floodgates of your opinions!
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,296
    1) You'll never find a price on their website, but will have to call a dealer.
    2) I think it would be a more than sufficient practice organ, though it seems that the pedalboard isn't AGO standard. If it's still concave and radiating, then I would guess it would still be fine.
    3) I personally don't think it would be necessary to have a 3-manual practice instrument at home just to mirror what you have at church, but maybe someone else will chime in with an alternative opinion.
    Thanked by 1Matilda
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,694
    I wish someone would start producing these at a decent price -

    http://www.bennettearlykeyboards.com/index.php/our-instruments/single-rank-practice-organ/
    Thanked by 4CHGiffen M. Jackson Osborn Matilda MNadalin
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,368
    Amen to matthewj -

    But -
    Presuming that you are opting for the simulacrum instead of a small chamber organ, it would be nice (though not obligatory) to have as many manuals on your practice instrument as you do on your church organ. This because you can practice changing pistons and changing manuals just as you would at church. You alone can judge if this is for you a needful feature.
    Thanked by 1Matilda
  • Matilda
    Posts: 76
    Matthewj that thing is just beautiful to look at, even if it were mute!
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 2,722
    I have a 3m Johannus that I've silenced and use to drive Hauptwerk and I'm happy as a clam. 3m at home isn't strictly necessary, however I find 3m instruments to be substantially more flexible to play, even if they are relatively limited in number of stops. Things like trumpet tunes, for example, are much easier when you can have a trumpet stop on one manual, a second manual set to an appropriate accompaniment level, and a third manual as your louder chorus for when the theme is repeated without the trumpet. Things like that repeat often for me, that said, I spend the overwhelming majority of my time on manuals 1 and 2, and if I don't need all 3 but I need the stops on 3, I couple down so I don't have to reach so far.

    If you are tech savvy or have a tech savvy friend, I'd seriously consider Hauptwerk as an option. You can find an organ that sounds just the way you like and then play that. You aren't limited to baked in sounds, and smaller sample sets are pretty affordable.

    Don't forget to check the organ classifieds online, and especially eBay, which often has excellent deals on used organs. I got my fully-digital console for only 3k because the son of the deceased owner just wanted to get rid of it. There are some nice looking deals for under 10k at this very moment.

    All I will say in definitive terms, is that having a practice organ at home is quite lovely and I sincerely recommend it to anyone who can make it happen. Before moving in August, I had a dedicated music room and my church job was 60 mins from home. It was simply the best to be able to practice in my pajamas at 9pm, slide off the bench at 10:30, take 20 paces and get right into bed.
    Thanked by 1Matilda
  • Casavant Organist
    Posts: 800
    Perhaps the unpopular opinion here but I believe strongly that consistency in pedalboards is hugely important, especially for beginning organists. If it's not AGO, I honestly wouldn't go for it. There are other options. In terms of manuals, 2 is more than enough for practice, but of course, 3 is more fun, especially with Hauptwerk.
    Thanked by 3CharlesW Matilda SarahJ
  • Matilda
    Posts: 76
    I have drooled over Hauptwerk , read a lot , seen many videos but never tried one. I even tried (unsuccessfully) to download a free sample into a small electronic keyboard. I'm not very tech savvy, nor is anyone close to me. I'm afraid in the direction of do-it-yourself Hauptwerk for me there lie only deep pits of despair.
    However I'm not as poor as I used to be- old age can have advantages. I've seen turnkey Hauptwerk setups advertised. Does anyone know about anything like this? What do.people think.if Hauptwerk?
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    I have never seen/heard/or played a Hauptwerk installation in person. They may be great, but I have wondered if the degree of tinkering needed to keep them functioning would drive me nuts. For now, I will stay with the home Rodgers.

    I was at the local Allen dealer for some sheet music recently. The dealer noted how the price jumps drastically when you buy the 3 as opposed to the 2 manual organ.
    Thanked by 1Matilda
  • Marc Cerisier
    Posts: 517
    I have a Hauptwerk console by Arnold Organs. Was about half the cost of the Johannus you mentioned, which would have been my first choice.
    Thanked by 3CharlesW irishtenor Matilda
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 2,722
    HW can be a bit heady to set up but there are companies that do turnkey, as you mentioned, and there are some online consultants as well; people who will talk you through things via Skype, etc. Once you have HW set up, it is set and forget. Yes, you can tinker till the cows come home, but you don't have to. I only have a few sample sets. The one I use the most, I mapped all the virtual stops to my physical stop tabs and even made labels for my physical organ to match in MS word which I pasted over the Johannus. So, I can boot up HW on my computer and then interact with the instrument just like any other "normal" organ without ever touching the computer again. To say that the sounds surpass the Johannus is a comical understatement. In terms of sound, you can get a great pair of headphones, a single pair of nice-quality studio speakers, or a whole large setup of 30 speakers (and anything in-between). This is where a consultant can help.

    All that to say, it is indeed very possible to go the HW route but not need to be fiddly with it. If that interests you, check out Westminster organ works, Noorlander, Mixtuur, Martin Digital Organs (US based), midiworks.ca and hauptwerkconsultant.com for starters. I'm happy to help as much as I can. If you check out contrebombarde.com I believe there is a HW installation finder where people who have HW and are willing to show others list their contact info. There may be someone in your neck of the woods. I'm in Indiana between FW and South Bend and I'm happy to show people how it works.
    Thanked by 2Matilda irishtenor
  • Matilda
    Posts: 76
    Marc Cerisier, Arnold Organs looks to be out of Minnesota, not so far from where I grew up- is this so? That's a company i had been interested in previously and I travel there every so often...could you tell me more about your experience with this company please? Are you happy with what you got, have they been helpful with maintenance, etc?
  • Matilda
    Posts: 76
    I live in New England now,anyone know of turnkey companies here( or those who do Hauptwerk counseling)? Thanks so much for information, it really sounds like Hauptwerk would be a ton of fun. Serviam, your statement about the sound of hauptwerk surpassing Johannus is very interesting!
  • Matilda
    Posts: 76
    Thank you
  • Marc Cerisier
    Posts: 517
    Marc Cerisier, Arnold Organs looks to be out of Minnesota, not so far from where I grew up- is this so? That's a company i had been interested in previously and I travel there every so often...could you tell me more about your experience with this company please? Are you happy with what you got, have they been helpful with maintenance, etc?


    Matilda,

    I had an excellent experience with Matt at Arnold Organs. It is just outside of Duluth, so you're looking at the right place. I'm very happy with what he built, and the quality is top notch. He's unique among Hauptwerk builders in that he builds everything from scratch—he doesn't just assemble parts from various manufacturers into a case. I've not had any maintenance issues, but when I have any questions, he's quick to respond. I did refer some friends of mine that wanted a home organ to him, and they were very happy with what he built. I only bought the console from him, but they bought the whole package with computer and speakers.

    If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

    Marc
    Thanked by 1irishtenor
  • Matilda
    Posts: 76
    Thank you Marc!
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