# Viva Italia... - Site: Analog Industries - Author: Chris Randall - Date: 2011-08-28 - URL: https://analogindustries.com/2011/08/viva-italia/ Yesterday, one of my many Craigslist search spiders turned up this little gem, a Melo-Sonic 350 combo organ (with drum machine, natch!) I'd never heard of this particular instrument, but that's never stopped me before, and the early bird gets the worm, as far as Craigslist postings for cheap instruments go. As luck would have it, the dude wrote me back straight away, and he only lived like 4 blocks from here, so I hopped in the CReagle and went over to grab this mythical Melo-Sonic. It's a tiny little combo organ with integral legs. Once I got it home, I went a-googlin' to see what was known about this thing. Turns out, the "Made In The United States" sticker on the bottom is somewhat misleading, as the boards inside come from (and it says so right on 'em) Italy. The Whippany Electronics Company in New Jersey made (perhaps "assembled" would be a better word) combo organs throughout the 60s and early 70s for several brand names, including Realistic, Rockland, Clark, and our Melo-Sonic. They're all the same organ and really there are only two models: one with a drum machine, and one without. This company sourced boards from Italy (where a thing or two is known about making a combo organ) and built the enclosures here, in their New Jersey factory. Unfortunately, the Italian company that made these boards is not Farfisa. The guy selling this to me said "yeah, it's like the Poor Man's Farfisa!" I don't want to disagree with his detective work or anything, but it'd have to be a really, really poor man. Instead of 12 divide-down oscillators like every other solid state organ, it only has four, with each oscillator serving three notes in the octave. This makes certain chords and inversions impossible to play, and results in some very strange voicing. To add injury to insult, it is in need of re-capping (it is, after all, over 40 years old) and some of the notes bend a bit when you strike 'em. So, being me, I took the couple hours necessary to do a full multi-sample, so I can pack this thing up and put it in The Land Of Unused Instruments. I have added a Live Set to the "Free Shit" page (link on the right) that contains an Instrument Rack with Samplers for every voice in the organ, plus the bottom octave monophonic synth bass (which is, by far, the best feature). I've also cloned the knob functionality, including the "Vibrato" feature (which is, of course, actually tremolo.) For some strange reason, the designers chose 7Hz exactly as their tremolo speed, which is a punk-rock clip for organ trem. Maybe they were doing amphetamines or something. Anyhow, I've duplicated that as well. Also included in the set is a Drum Rack containing every drum sound the little fucker can make. The drum loops are actually not terrible for this sort of donka-donka drum machine, but I didn't bother to sample them entire, as most of their character comes from the unpredictable nature of the result, and I can't duplicate that with a loop. Anyhow, this is the sort of sample set that you need when you need it, and the rest of the time you don't need it. Everything is parted out inside, so you can, if you so desire, just grab the samples folder out of the project and make a set for your sampler of choice. As always, hitting the Donate button is appreciated but in no way required. ## Comments (19) **bodo** (2011-08-28): Mmm combo organs, I always wanted to start collecting them, but never really got to it. Perhaps when I'm old... Most of 'em have these irresistible cutesy looks that put many synths to shame, I mean who could resist such a funky number: http://egrefin.free.fr/images/Philicorda/phil11.jpg **Chris Randall** (2011-08-28): I'm right there with you. I love 'em. There's a red Farfisa Compact at Music Brokers here in PHX I've been eyeballing for some time. When I have $350 not earmarked for other chores, it'll probably come home with me. But I've always had a soft spot for 'em, and the nice thing about recording them is that they take effects really well. People just tend to think "meh, combo organ," but those pure tones can really be chewed up nicely. Lots of possibility living in a typical combo organ. With this particular one, I would have left it unsampled except that its problems made it essentially unplayable. When the original instrument is in good working order (see: my CP-80B) I don't generally bother with sampling it. Also, something like a CP-80B is too harmonically rich and complex to accurately take to sampling. This little combo, on the other hand, is so simple that my sample set is essentially indistinguishable from the real thing, aside from the problems. -CR **bodo** (2011-08-28): Yeah, a red Farfisa is teh Don when it comes to these hot little beasties. 350 seems like a very fair price seen the allure it exudes. Throw a dinner party, and everyone is drooling over these Italian organs like there is no tomorrow, the Goiks cased modular, not so. **ZombieStomper** (2011-08-28): You found something desirable at Music Brokers? The last 10 times I went in there I found nothing but beat up junk. It's been a while though, perhaps it's time for another visit. **Chris Randall** (2011-08-28): The one on Central near Indian School, right? The other ones are pure, unadulterated shit. But that one always has fun stuff. Unless you're looking for guitars. Then not so fun. -CR **Scodiddly** (2011-08-28): I worked on combo organs about 6-8 years ago reasonably often. Never saw one that was too cheap to have all the oscillators! Fixed up a Rheem organ once. That thing was gorgeous inside, the wood was finished and the circuit boards were downright artistic. **ZombieStomper** (2011-08-28): Yes, the one on Central is the one I was talking about. Maybe I just don't go there often enough so all the good stuff has come and gone before I pay another visit. We used to have 3 or 4 stores around PHX called Music-Go-Round, which sounds stupid, but I really liked those places. I picked up a Prophet 600 and a near mint condition LinnDrum at the one that used to be in Mesa. I really miss that place. Damn, now I really want to go to Music Brokers just to look around but it's way too hot out and it's nearly 30 miles from my house. **Peppe** (2011-08-29): Hmm. My own collection of about a dozen Casios and thoroughly sampled Yamaha Electone D-85 aren't the most embarrassing sample collection anymore. Phew. Great stuff, though! **puffer** (2011-08-29): So if one were going to keep an eye on craigslist for decent/fun combo organs, is there anything to be aware of or looking for? Brands? Years? Or is it simply, if you can get it cheap enough it's worth it? Also, as I was reading this, the following matrixsynth link popped up on twitter: http://m.matrixsynth.com/2011/08/farfisa-compact-fast-2-organ.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter **Chris Randall** (2011-08-29): I had one of those very Farfisas for a while. Through a Marshall, it sounds like the world is ending. It's a fine example of the breed, IMO. Pretty much any 60s or early 70s Farfisa or Conti is gonna get you where you want to be, sound-wise. They all have the same basic bedrock, and any extra features are just icing on the cake. Personally, I prefer the Vox best-of-breed, Continentals and Jaguars, to the Farfisa offerings, but that's really just personal taste. Any of the better ones are perfectly playable instruments that have an unique character. For extra credit, hunt down a Moog CDX, which is essentially a Moog Super Satellite grafted on to a Thomas Organ combo in a space-age plastic shell. I had one for years, and only sold it because I got tired of moving it. -CR **seancostello** (2011-08-29): A friend of mine plays in a "power pop" band, and uses a Yamaha combo organ. It has an INCREDIBLE sound. I don't know the product number - there were probably a bunch of these over the years. The vibrato is out of this world. I always wanted a Moog CDX. And an egg shaped chair to sit in while I played it. **puffer** (2011-08-29): From the Oh-yeah-that-site google file: http://www.combo-organ.com/ I recall doing a bit of half-assed 'research' into building a organ-effect-pedal rig after seeing some otherwise unremarkable band at knitting factory several years ago. Dude had a combo organ feeding an elaborate effects chain and was getting some excellent sounds from it. Change that chain to a matrix mixer? Big real-time fun. Honestly though. Unless one fell into my lap for stupid cheap I can't see it happening. More interested in figuring out a way to make a Rhodes happen. Semi-related, slowly gearing up to build my first real hardware project. A matrix mixer, natch. Cheers for the samples. **inteliko** (2011-08-30): Why is it you can find vintage organs a dime a dozen on craigslist ? ANalog synths do turn up like this on craigslist every few years in my neck of the woods for an unholy low price though. ANy given time there are like 6 organs on my local craigslist for under a huundred bucks. **inteliko** (2011-08-30): I think I just creamed ... http://orlando.craigslist.org/msg/2572546318.html gotta have some burnt chips ! **Chris Randall** (2011-08-30): That post is already gone. I assume you bought it? That said, have a look at PHX CL. There are maybe a hundred organs on there at any given time, including several combos. There's a great Welson on there right now ( http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/msg/2553646639.html ) but the dude is completely out of his mind vis-a-vis the price. I wouldn't pay that much for a nice Continental, let alone that thing. -CR **mad ep** (2011-08-30): Wow - that Moog CDX sounds as sexy as it looks.... **Duke Fame** (2011-08-30): Being a huge Doors fanatic, I was always scared away from buying the real thing after reading Ray Manzarek's (my keyboard hero) comments about how his Continentals were always breaking down. My dead synth graveyard pile is large enough. Is this concern justified? Scodiddly the former repairman, what say you? (Honorable mention: Rick Wright's Compact Duo in Live At Pompeii. Wanted one so bad after seeing that.) **Chris Randall** (2011-08-30): The pre-EKO Connies are fine. The post-EKO ones are probably fine too if you don't plan on being in the Doors. If memory serves me correctly, he switched to a Gibson Kalamazoo, which is what you see in most footage of the Doors. This is the kind of knowledge you get from reading Keyboard Magazine before MIDI was invented. -CR **Scodiddly** (2011-08-30): Organs break, especially ones that have been around for a few decades. And they're pretty full of stuff, to get all those notes happening at once. But on the other hand they're fairly easy to fix once you know a couple ground rules - probably it needs recapping, and pay attention to polarity when you do. If all the Bb notes below the top two octaves aren't working, it's not real hard to figure out which pair of transistors are the octave divider that stopped working. Then you have a 50/50 chance of replacing the right one. Oh, and be very careful around the tuning coils, those things are just about impossible to buy.