12/2/2023 0 Comments Vox continental organHowever, in the new year of 1980, I saw a televised Rock Goes to College performance by The Specials (from the Colchester Institute in Essex), in which Jerry Dammers was using a Vox Continental through a rotary speaker. I liked the music, but didn’t particularly pick up on the organ sound with the first Madness stuff. The debut Madness album was actually the first LP I ever bought with my pocket money (ah, pocket money – they were the days), and it was absolutely deluged with the bold, toppy tones of the Vox. I missed out on the original wave of bands who used the Vox Continental II, so my introduction to the model came in the late ‘70s, when keyboardists such as Steve Nieve (The Attractions), Jerry Dammers (The Specials) and Mike Barson (Madness), used it extensively. The stitching has come loose along one side of the cover, and there is a tear near one of the handles, but it's a miracle that this cover even exists at all.When someone generically refers to a ‘60s organ, by and large, it’s this instrument or one of its relatives they’ll be talking about. The original vinyl cover with "Continental Baroque" silkscreen text is included. This organ was only originally available from 1968-70 and very few Baroques were ever made, largely due to the fact that this keyboard cost nearly three times as much as a single manual Continental! The chrome legs have very clean plating, and the gray hammerite finish on the original volume pedal is near mint. There is sparingly little wear on the enclosure, although one of the two side plastic handles is missing. Also unique to this Continental model, a pair of 6x9 speakers are included on the top of the organ which faithfully amplify the keyboard's signal, and naturally the organ has a traditional 1/4" output jack as well.Ĭosmetically, this Continental is stunningly clean, with original gray tolex on the majority of the organ and an eye-catching orange top. A hidden drop down knee lever is also included and can be used for either volume or pitch variation. These sounds are all balanced and clear, with independent Volume and Tone knobs to blend the upper manual signal with the traditional combo organ tones available on the lower manual. The Harpsichord is thin and reedy, the Lute is smooth and airy, and the Carousel is perhaps the most spacey and lush of the bunch, with a repeating signal that has its own delay repeats and rich overtones. The upper manual is where the real magic of the Baroque model lies, with quite convincing and rich analog sounds that truly do evoke the instruments noted on the tabs. This bass section features its own pair of dedicated drawbars, as well as a knob to control sustain, and two toggle switches to further control the depth of the bass signal and whether or not extra overtones were added to the sound. An 18 note bass section is also included on the lower manual, which can be disabled to extend the standard Continental organ sound to the bottom of the keyboard. The Baroque features six drawbars that govern the main signal path on the lower manual, with 8, 4, 2, and IV footings, plus "flute" and "reed" drawbars that essentially control the general bass and treble EQ response of the organ. Unlike most combo organs that relied on simple tone switches, the Continentals featured individual drawbars, allowing for much more nuanced sounds that truly do evoke the venerable Hammond B3 which was the inspiration for the combo organ craze. In the combo organ world, the Continental is king, and the range and richness of the tones that can be coaxed from this vintage organ is truly incredible. Complete with its original chrome legs, Vox Baroque volume pedal (stamped exclusively for this model), and even the vinyl Baroque cover, this is easily one of the best maintained and rarest Vox organs on the market today. This particular Baroque has been fully serviced and recapped as necessary, with all keys and features functioning exactly as intended. Manufactured in Italy and by far the rarest Continental model distributed by Thomas Organ in the USA, the Baroque has an extremely versatile set of features, with a traditional Continental lower manual augmented by a separate bass section, and an upper manual that is wholly unique among the Vox organ family, with sounds such as Harpsichord, Cimbalom, Lute, Celeste, and Carousel. Up for sale, a 1960's Vox Continental Baroque model V305 vintage combo organ in exceptional, collector-grade condition and in perfect working order.
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