Not sure where to really put this, but I have (2) full Organs that are now.....mine. My mom played Piano and Organ for almost 70 years and in church for 60. Last week she passed and I was gifted these.
I do not have room for them, and would love for them to go somewhere that someone would like.
One is a Baldwin. Unclear as to which model at the moment. This spent most of its life in a church. My mom moved it from the original church home into my dad's church where it was used there for about 25 years. It was moved out of the church a few years ago into her home when they redid some of the church. There are 2 stops that do not work, but overall it's playable in good condition. The speaker on this one is seperate from the organ itself. That is a large piece alone honestly.
The other is an Allen MDC Classic 20. I don't know much about this one other than it was in a friend's home and they played until they passed a couple years ago. My mom played it prior to moving and it all worked then.
These are both full Organs, so they have the full footpedals below.
I also have vintage organs, but I’m still using them at the moment.
David S. Wallens said:
I also have vintage organs, but I’m still using them at the moment.
Sorry thought the same thing. Been playing this a bit. 
If that speaker is a Leslie, it's got some value to musicians. Otherwise, it's hard to find homes for old electric organs. Churches are the best bet but they're more likely to be trying to divest themselves of organs as well.
I'd get as much info as you can off them (placards with model numbers, etc) and stop by some local music stores, especially those that do consignment sales.
Mndsm
MegaDork
4/26/23 11:21 a.m.
wearymicrobe said:
David S. Wallens said:
I also have vintage organs, but I’m still using them at the moment.
Sorry thought the same thing. Been playing this a bit.
I'm glad that a- I'm not the first one to think this way and b- someone else knows that game.
Keith Tanner said:
If that speaker is a Leslie, it's got some value to musicians. Churches are the best bet but they're more likely to be trying to divest themselves of organs as well.
Our church had a great electric organ with speakers behind wall panels up high. It sounded great - our music guy would preprogram an entire song into the organ, start the song in service and walk to our Steinway grand piano and play a duet with himself. It was awesome.
We got a new guy (younger) and the organ got tossed (allegedly donated). The older Guy was cut and now plays Sunday mornings at another church although he is still a member at ours.
We now have a fog machine.
In reply to Datsun310Guy :
My mom's church just ripped out the pipe organ and replaced it with an electronic one. Apparently it sounds great and the parts from the old one are being used to keep others alive. But it makes me sad, because you don't get a pipe organ back.
The ones in question here are probably using mechanical tone wheels, which makes them more interesting but less flexible than a synth.
My old bass player ended up with a couple of organs from past associations. They are definitely not the easiest to unload. There is probably some sort of organ trading group on FB.
I agree the speaker cabinet could be worth $$ if it's a Leslie. A local store here in NH sold one a few weeks ago for around $800. Definitely sounded cool with a Fender Showman plugged into it.
In reply to Thinkkker :
Too bad so few young people learn how to play the piano.
For centuries those skills were highly prized. Thus became a worth while skill to learn.
In reply to frenchyd :
My son played piano in grades 1,2,3 then onto the French horn thru grade 11.
At Hope College (2011-2012 maybe?) in Holland, Michigan he needed an arts credit so he took organ lessons allowing him to play on a new pipe organ the school had acquired as a donation.
It required him to buy special organ playing shoes.
My MIL had a 1970s Hammond Organ, that was her father's. Attempts to sell it went unanswered. We changed it to a free listing and it moved.
It went to a Church about 30 minutes away. Two guys and a Ford Ranger arrived and helped them load it up.
Something about roses on your piano and tulips on your organ.
Ill have to check out the Speaker. Good info.
The Baldwin is a vacuum tube setup, I know that.
The Allen is apparently terrible for most as parts are REALLY non-existant.
I was given an old Hammond M3 spinet organ. It sounds just like a B3 and if I had that Leslie rotating speaker I would have sounded just like Keith Emerson from Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. The vibrato switch for some reason was stuck on all of the time so that no matter what I played, it always sounded like soap opera music. I tried to give it away to several music stores and they would show me the couple they already had in the back they couldn't sell for a hundred bucks. I still have it stored in the shed because I can't just throw it away thirty years later. The speaker and amp might each be desirable to people who still get into old mono tube amp stereos (I know, oxymoron but I don't know what else to call them).
Have any pictures? Good luck getting rid of them without destroying them.
This is the Baldwin
This is the Allen
We are still trying to clean the house and such, so I should hopefully get some better pics as we can dig these out.
frenchyd said:
In reply to Thinkkker :
Too bad so few young people learn how to play the piano.
For centuries those skills were highly prized. Thus became a worth while skill to learn.
They still learn, but the piano market is saturated. You can get one for free. Or you get a keyboard which is a whole lot more convenient, compact and can be played with headphones on.
Keith Tanner said:
frenchyd said:
In reply to Thinkkker :
Too bad so few young people learn how to play the piano.
For centuries those skills were highly prized. Thus became a worth while skill to learn.
They still learn, but the piano market is saturated. You can get one for free. Or you get a keyboard which is a whole lot more convenient, compact and can be played with headphones on.
The biggest reason to get the organ is that you know how to play, and want to use the foot pedals. The difference in playing the organ *like a piano* and playing an organ is IMMENSE. I do feel snobbish sometimes when I know an "organist" isnt using the foot pedals.
Also, the amount of base you can get out of one is awesome.
Thinkkker said:
Keith Tanner said:
frenchyd said:
In reply to Thinkkker :
Too bad so few young people learn how to play the piano.
For centuries those skills were highly prized. Thus became a worth while skill to learn.
They still learn, but the piano market is saturated. You can get one for free. Or you get a keyboard which is a whole lot more convenient, compact and can be played with headphones on.
The biggest reason to get the organ is that you know how to play, and want to use the foot pedals. The difference in playing the organ *like a piano* and playing an organ is IMMENSE. I do feel snobbish sometimes when I know an "organist" isnt using the foot pedals.
Also, the amount of base you can get out of one is awesome.
I actually started on organ, as my grandfather was an organist. I didn't learn piano until the year before university, as I had to show a certain level of proficiency on the piano to get my music degree.
When my grandfather died, his huge Leslie speaker and homebrew organ with Hammond internals went somewhere else. I wish I had them now.
I have my moms piano in my basement. My daughters took a few lessons. My Grandson parks his hot wheels on it. Her Hammond organ went to the dump. There is a very limited market for full size stuff like that, when even Elton John sometimes uses an electronic keyboard.
In reply to Streetwiseguy :
I was so proud of buying an upright grand piano for only $300 and having buddies and friend help me get it in my house.
I then used come alongs to raise up onto the bridge over the great room before I put the railings up. It's up there for good!!
We gave away that Hammond Organ to a church to clear out the MIL house but my wife is a school teacher and got a piano for free from another teacher to add to our house.
Though the piano was free, I chose to pay real movers to take it out of one house, drive it across town, and bring it into our house. I found that it was $125 well spent. Mostly because I didn't want to cause any damage taking it out of someone else's house.
I could have spent more than $125 on a electronic keyboard but instead we got "the real thing"
frenchyd said:
In reply to Thinkkker :
Too bad so few young people learn how to play the piano.
For centuries those skills were highly prized. Thus became a worth while skill to learn.
Some do, my wife currently has 3 piano students actually
Also I wish you were close, because I'd be interested.
But really, organs are a hard sell. The one I have was $25 with free moving and they were ecstatic to sell it too.
Thinkkker said:
The biggest reason to get the organ is that you know how to play, and want to use the foot pedals. The difference in playing the organ *like a piano* and playing an organ is IMMENSE. I do feel snobbish sometimes when I know an "organist" isnt using the foot pedals.
Also, the amount of base you can get out of one is awesome.
That's funny, I learned playing the piano and there is no way that I am coordinated enough to also use my feet at the same time. My buddy learned on the organ and he is amazing playing either.
