Post by blair on Mar 15, 2008 9:55:02 GMT -5
I'm Blair. I started the ComboOrgan YahooGroup, probably in the late 90s sometime, when it was still on OneList or possibly some other long forgotten company. I know there were at least two hosts before YahooGroups ended up with it. I thought maybe 25 people would join. As you can see, there are now over 1250 members! I turned over the reins to Robert MacNutt - who runs Combo Organ Heaven - not long after Yahoo took over ownership of whoever hosted it previously. Robert actually had plans to *do* some cool stuff with it and, well...He's done an outstanding job. Between his leadership of the group and the work he's done on Combo Organ Heaven, we all owe him an enormous debt of gratitude.
I'm 42. I got my first combo - a grey Farfisa Combo Compact Deluxe - in 1988 for $200, from a guy who claimed to have sold Tom Petty tons of Vox amps. (I've never verified that story and I was never sure how much I could believe him about various things.) I was interested because (a) I'd played piano for a few years as a kid and this was the one rock'n'roll instrument I'd be able to play; (b) 'cuz I'd fallen in love w/the whole garage revival around 1983 and was friendly w/Long Island band The Mosquitos (who wrote "That Was Then This Is Now", which the reunited Monkees took into the Top 20 around '86) and hung out w/some of the NY area bands on that scene, as well as The Chesterfield Kings up in Rochester where I went to school. The organ sound was *it* for me. Plus, of course, I loved so many of those great mid-60s tracks that used Vox and Farfisa.
When the Mosquitos broke up in '87, I thought about buying their red Farfisa Combo Compact, but Tony wanted $400 for it, which was more than I could afford. Andy Babiuk of the Chesterfield Kings offered to sell me their Vox Continental - complete with legs and road case! - around '88 or so, for that same $400, but that was, as I said, too much for me. I know, these days it sounds like nothing compared to what Continentals can go for.
Around '89 or so, I bought my first Vox Continental, from Bobby Belfiore of the Optic Nerve, for $200.
I also picked up a Farfisa FAST 3 in the early 90s from a music store in Wayne or Totowa, NJ. I think it was a bit over $200. I also got an organ that was still new in its leather case, which simply said "Combo Deluxe". No brand on it, but eventually Robert or someone on the ComboOrgan YahooGroup identified it as a Lem.
Now, somewhere also in the early 90s, a friend gave me a Panther 300, but it was half dead. Rotted coils, etc. Pretty, though, and the things that did work had a great sound.
Somewhere in that time period, I got an AceTone Top 8 from Mojo Guitars for $150. The Sustain voices on there are fantastic. And I love the Vibrato it has, as well. It was great for years, but these days, the output is extremely faint. Maybe after I move I'll take a look.
I also bought (Fleshtone vocalist) Peter Zaremba's red Combo Compact from him around '93 or so. (Yeah, the one he "used" on American Bandstand.) Tons of problems with it, but the price was right. These days, though, I have tons of organs and, with the move coming later this year, I'll likely sell it. However, it's only going to go to a Fleshtones' fanatic, so if you aren't a fan, don't ask. I actually do have at least one person interested, but it means finding a box to ship it and then doing that. I *hate* shipping combos!
I believe I also may have had a completely non-working VIP of some sort at the time, as well, but I left that for my roommate - an electrical engineer and a soundman on the side - when I moved out. I think it cost me 10 bucks, so it wasn't much of a loss.
I then stopped buying combos for a number of years. In the meantime, Dave Amels - Voce, Inc. - and I would occasionally talk about starting a Combo Organ fanzine, but we never got around to it. That's why I started the email group in the late 90s - to find likeminded nuts.
Another time, I'll start talking about the combos I started buying around 2000 or so. 'Cuz *that* is when the story really gets interesting.
I'm 42. I got my first combo - a grey Farfisa Combo Compact Deluxe - in 1988 for $200, from a guy who claimed to have sold Tom Petty tons of Vox amps. (I've never verified that story and I was never sure how much I could believe him about various things.) I was interested because (a) I'd played piano for a few years as a kid and this was the one rock'n'roll instrument I'd be able to play; (b) 'cuz I'd fallen in love w/the whole garage revival around 1983 and was friendly w/Long Island band The Mosquitos (who wrote "That Was Then This Is Now", which the reunited Monkees took into the Top 20 around '86) and hung out w/some of the NY area bands on that scene, as well as The Chesterfield Kings up in Rochester where I went to school. The organ sound was *it* for me. Plus, of course, I loved so many of those great mid-60s tracks that used Vox and Farfisa.
When the Mosquitos broke up in '87, I thought about buying their red Farfisa Combo Compact, but Tony wanted $400 for it, which was more than I could afford. Andy Babiuk of the Chesterfield Kings offered to sell me their Vox Continental - complete with legs and road case! - around '88 or so, for that same $400, but that was, as I said, too much for me. I know, these days it sounds like nothing compared to what Continentals can go for.
Around '89 or so, I bought my first Vox Continental, from Bobby Belfiore of the Optic Nerve, for $200.
I also picked up a Farfisa FAST 3 in the early 90s from a music store in Wayne or Totowa, NJ. I think it was a bit over $200. I also got an organ that was still new in its leather case, which simply said "Combo Deluxe". No brand on it, but eventually Robert or someone on the ComboOrgan YahooGroup identified it as a Lem.
Now, somewhere also in the early 90s, a friend gave me a Panther 300, but it was half dead. Rotted coils, etc. Pretty, though, and the things that did work had a great sound.
Somewhere in that time period, I got an AceTone Top 8 from Mojo Guitars for $150. The Sustain voices on there are fantastic. And I love the Vibrato it has, as well. It was great for years, but these days, the output is extremely faint. Maybe after I move I'll take a look.
I also bought (Fleshtone vocalist) Peter Zaremba's red Combo Compact from him around '93 or so. (Yeah, the one he "used" on American Bandstand.) Tons of problems with it, but the price was right. These days, though, I have tons of organs and, with the move coming later this year, I'll likely sell it. However, it's only going to go to a Fleshtones' fanatic, so if you aren't a fan, don't ask. I actually do have at least one person interested, but it means finding a box to ship it and then doing that. I *hate* shipping combos!
I believe I also may have had a completely non-working VIP of some sort at the time, as well, but I left that for my roommate - an electrical engineer and a soundman on the side - when I moved out. I think it cost me 10 bucks, so it wasn't much of a loss.
I then stopped buying combos for a number of years. In the meantime, Dave Amels - Voce, Inc. - and I would occasionally talk about starting a Combo Organ fanzine, but we never got around to it. That's why I started the email group in the late 90s - to find likeminded nuts.
Another time, I'll start talking about the combos I started buying around 2000 or so. 'Cuz *that* is when the story really gets interesting.
