Kawai discontinued manufacturing the LOWREY organs in 2019.

They are known for their ease of use and they sound pretty good. If someone wants to purchase a LOWREY organ they would be looking at the used market.

The Yamaha STAGEA Electones may be the perfect alternative. This is a mature line. The original 01 series was introduced in 2004.

The 2nd generation 02 series was introduced in 2014.

Yamaha has 3 models:

The Standard Model ELS-02
The Custom Model ELS-02C
The Professional Model ELS-02X

All 3 models come with dual manuals and a pedal board.

Both the Standard and Custom models come with 49 + 49 Keys plus a 20 note Pedal Board.

The Professional Model comes with 61 + 61 Keys plus a 25 note Pedal Board.

The Custom and Professional Models comes with the special FSV keybed that allows each key to be shaken laterally to play a vibrato.

The Standard Model has 986 voices. It has an MSRP of $4,694.

The Custom Model has 1080 voices. It has an MSRP of $7,076.

The Professional Model has an MSRP of $11,409.

The Custom Model 02C occupies the sweet spot and is the most popular.

Here is Alex Payler performing on the Custom Model ELS-02C.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQi0sUtNEjs


Here is Marco Cerbella performing on the Professional Model ELS-02X
Notice the extra keys on the upper and lower manuals.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEWN1I3SYDo


These are majestic musical instruments that can recreate an entire orchestral piece.

Owners of an aging LOWREY organ may find the STAGEA ELS-02C an attractive alternative.

The safest way to have this shipped to your home is through Taro’s TRADE JAPAN. They are reliable with a lot of happy customers.


Standard Model ELS-02
$5,017

https://www.tarotrade.com/shop/electone-1/brand-new-stagea-els-02-standard-detail



Custom Model ELS-02C
$7,587

https://www.tarotrade.com/shop/electone-1/brand-new-stagea-els-02c-custom-detail



Professional Model ELS-02X
12,639

https://www.tarotrade.com/shop/electone-...lsu-s02c-detail



Note: They charge a little over MSRP because they wrap the original cardboard boxes in plastic and then place them inside a wooden crate for international shipping.

Here are some photos of the process.


https://www.tarotrade.com/blog-recent-ar...and-many-thanks

Excellent instruments and many have been imported from Japan, (Taros Trade) however Lowrey they are not, they do not sound like a Lowrey, they do not operate like a Lowrey, they do not have any of the easy play features of a Lowrey etc. etc.
Lowrey is a unique sound and operational instrument and while Yamaha tried to emulate it in their Tyros 5 model, they were not even close.

Bill

Hi Bill,

Yes, the LOWREY organs are one of a kind.

The 1st generation STAGEA was released in 2004.
The 2nd generation STAGEA was released 10 years later in 2014.

It’s been 10 years.

Maybe Yamaha will release the 3rd generation STAGEA and play catch up with the most sought after features on the LOWREY.

I was checking the used prices on LOWREY organs in good condition.

Lowrey Holiday A300
$7,950
https://www.ebay.com/itm/116150632257


Lowrey Prestige
$10,400
https://www.ebay.com/itm/156699029664


Lowrey Marquee EX5000
$13,900
https://www.ebay.com/itm/126718678179



Given the high cost of Lowrey organs in the used market and problems finding spare boards and chips would it be a safer bet for a home organ enthusiast to get a brand new STAGEA ELS-02C or perhaps wait for the anticipated 3rd generation?

Of course I do not expect a full parity in functionality in comparison to a Lowrey. However, the economics look appealing.

Yamaha has stood behind their ELECTONE brand for 65 years.

Actually, when the 02 came out, Yamaha also produced a software/hardware upgrade to convert a 01 to a 02.

Bill

Seems like $8000-12,000+ is an awful lot of money for anyone looking for an ‘EZ-Play’ type keyboard! 💸

Hi Diki,

The majority of customers that buy these organs are older folks who are happily retired or close to retirement with a sizable disposable income.

Many wished they had time in their younger years to learn to play the piano or the organ but could not do so because of other priorities like work, education, family etc.

However, now their children have grown up, their spouses have died or separated and now they have all the time in the world to go back and kindle their passion for making music.

The electronic organs and arrangers offer the perfect get away dream machines into their world of music. They realize they have a limited number of good years left to enjoy life. They view the EZ Play features as a godsend. The easier the organ is to play, the more attractive it becomes to this demographic.

None of them are aspiring to become a professional player. They are more than happy to learn how to play “When the saints go marching in” or “Love Me Tender” on the right hand and perhaps add the C, F and G7 chords with their left hand in Single Finger Chord Mode.

This is the highest degree of complexity that they feel comfortable with.
They are happy to use the Registration Banks that their organ instructor has provided.

This is a thriving community. One can tune into any of the free online organ classes offered by the Fletcher Music Center locations almost every day of the week. You will find a group of happy and friendly retirees totally immersed in their musical paradise.


You cannot put a dollar value on that!


Having said that, all of these electronic organs are sophisticated music making machines. After someone masters the EZ Play mode, the sky is the limit as to what a proficient musician can achieve. They do not have to go buy another instrument. All the advanced capabilities already exist in the instrument they own and familiar with.

I would like everyone to take a moment to watch this electrifying performance by YouTuber 826aska playing the Star Wars Theme on her Yamaha STAGEA ELS-02C Electone.

She recreates all the special effects including the voice of Darth Vader on this iconic John Williams masterpiece.


https://youtu.be/IlyHGksRAh0?t=1626


She played this live at the Cotton Club. No matter how jaded you are you have to acknowledge the extreme dexterity, skill set and complete mastery of her instrument of this young talent.

She started playing the electric organ at age 5.

She is an inspiration to all budding musicians. It is breathtaking performances like these that drive the sale of Yamaha Electones.

The ELS-02C was released 10 years ago in 2014. This was right after the Tyros5 was released in November 2013. The voice set was state of the art for that time.

Imagine what Yamaha can bring to their 3rd generation STAGEA. It would definitely include SA2 Voices from the Genos2.

I have a feeling Yamaha Engineers have been secretly working on the 03 series. They will surprise us when the time is right.

I wish Yamaha would make a big splash by introducing the STAGEA 03 line in the US market. This will reinvigorate the US organ market which has become stagnant with used Lowrey organs. It is getting harder finding replacement boards and chips from Kawai.

There is a lot of interest amongst retirees to get a dual manual electric organ with a pedal board with all the bells and whistles at a reasonable price. The Yamaha Electones fit the bill.

Yamaha has always offered Electones at an affordable price point undercutting the competition. They offer the best value.

The 1 finger chords are there to sell the instrument as easy play, however you will find 99% of these players use full chords, as that is what the teachers teach, some even try more advanced stuff like playing counter melodies and styles with their left hand as well as the melody on the right, (Not forgetting the pedals as well of course) this is what makes the organ more flexible than a single keyboard.

They tried to bring the Elecotones back over to the UK, (And Europe) and Yamaha said yes, providing you can sell the required amount per year, unfortunately with the organ being a niche market in the West this was not possible, so you can only import them from Japan.

BTW, to bring them over to Europe and/or the US, they need to be modified and test to the relevant electrical requirements of that country, plus they have to be re-voiced to suit western ears, all of which costs a lot of money, (As does shipping large quantities) therefore they would cost significantly more than one imported from Japan. (Compare the prices of the Ringway organs in China to the prices in Europe to see the typical increase)

Bill

I sold home organs in the 70’s, during their heyday. I don’t recall getting a SINGLE customer for any of our TOTL organs that could play worth a damn!

They all had money and wanted a piece of furniture that would wow other people that couldn’t play worth a damn…

No offense, but anyone that can wow you on a $20,000 organ can as easily wow you on a $2000 midline arranger. That’s what people who can actually PLAY do…. Sadly, unscrupulous salesmen (remember, I was one!) can easily persuade those that can’t play well that it’s all about the $20,000 organ that’s the difference, not the decades of practice and experience. Or none would ever be sold.

The arranger was the death knell of the home organ. And, while there are those that still play the home organ, it’s as musically relevant as those that still play the krumhorn or the sackbut..! And yes, I used to play the sackbut (my college had a strong medieval music program!).

But if the job is to play and create music, a couple of arrangers (or just one with an extra MIDI controller and some pedals) can do the job at a tenth of the price. And a laptop and some loops will do it even better.

But home organs DO make great furniture!