Top O' The Morning from Ireland .... :)

[j70]

Hi Everybody .....

I'm another of those non musicians , however I've always been interested in electronics and music and what better way to combine these interests than with a combo organ ;D (I wouldn't be interested at all in modern digital keyboards )

Being particularily keen on organ music and considering my formative era was the 60's I was always most impressed by the keyboard sound in songs like The Animals HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN and The Doors COME ON BABY LIGHT MY FIRE .

Quite a few years ago I was given a combo organ which most of you probably have never heard off but which nevertheless has a good pedigree behind it . it's a JENNINGS J70 ( hence my username ).

The only info I have ever come across about it is from the excellent COMBO ORGAN HEAVEN and if I may be allowed to post a link to it's JENNINGS section . the article on there contains more information than I could personally offer .....

www.combo-organ.com/Vox/Jennings/index.htm

Mine is the J70 version (1970 being the year of manufacture ) and it looks almost identical to the J68 version pictured there except the tremelo speed knob is slightly repositioned . The electronics seem to be just about the same as the Vox Super Continental and indeed it sounds almost the same ( quite excellent ;D ) Now all I have to do is learn how to play it properly . .

Anyhows , looks a great forum about something thats close to my heart , and it'll be interesting to hear if anyone has ever seen or heard of the elusive Jennings Electronics Industries built organs before .


Cheers ...

[revtonynewnham]

Hi

The Jennings firm was, I think, established and building electronic organs in the 1950's - I'm not sure if it was a new start-up or an existing company that diversified. IIRC they built a similar device to the Solovox (a monophonic electronic "solo" keyboard. I do know for a fact that they built large "classical" style organs - I used to own a 2 manual & pedal once - 2 61-note manuals and a 29 note pedalboard - all valve technology and an amazing sound for the era. Sadly, for various reasons which I won't go into now, I ended up having to scrap it. They used to advertise in the organ magazines of the day, and I've heard of a 3 manual. I guess they saw a marketting opportunity with the growth of the pop bands, etc. in the 1960's and started building combo organs, using the then new-fangled transistors. (Electronics has changed radically in my lifetime!)

Every Blessing

Tony

[j70]

Yes ..... Tom Jennings started building organs in the late 40's / early 50's as THE JENNINGS ORGAN COMPANY ... it seems they built full size organs for church and home as well as that portable UNIVOX model. They then incorporated as JENNINGS MUSICAL INDUSTRIES JMI and started making the famous VOX amplifiers in the late 50's . In the early 60's they decoded to go into the portable organ market with the famous VOX CONTINENTAL . However Tom lost control of the company soon after but stayed with them till the late 60's when he left to form JENNINGS ELECTRONIC INDUSTRIES JEI . The article on the Combo Organ Heaven gives some nice background .

www.combo-organ.com/Vox/

However the most interesting part for me is that his JEI organs like mine were effectively the last development of the Continental series of organs although he couldn't use the name anymore . It's interesting to see where he intended to take the design and indeed it's a pleasure to posses such an instrument .


Cheers ...