Last week I was in Kalamazoo MI (the original home of Gibson) at a school for 4 days. In my spare time I visited a Lowrey store. I was curious because I used to service Lowreys about the time the MX-1 came out.
I played the Lowrey Rhapsody. I must say what a disappointment. Not counting the two manuals and pedals but only comparing sounds and styles, I think my Tyros running through my Logitech Z2200s beat it hands down. Granted it is much easier to mix sounds when you have stops to push but everything I heard could be duplicated on the Tyros. Styles and drums were better on the Tyros. Flutes (organs) woodwinds, brass, and guitars were better on the Tyros. I did like the flexibility of the Lowrey OTS. The Lowery did have a music finder database and MIDI but all in all I found little or no improvement over the MX-1 of twenty + years ago.

I know the Lowrey must cost thousands more than a Tyros and Logitech speakers.

Tom

$43,000.........used

Donny,

At that price if I had your money I'd buy two.

Tom

Hey Tom - I used to sell Lowrey and you reminded me what a fantastic thing the MX1 was in its time. Although we had one in the store I never sold one. I sold a couple of Contempo 80s if you remember those and lots of different holiday models

It was the first organ with a chiff on the orchestral flute but boy what a price it was in those days.

I think Lowrey lost it around then and so did Hammonds when they went to Suzuki - that was the early days of Technics who were a rising star then but unfortunately are no longer with us.

Ah - those were the days

KF

I used to play a Contempo 80. Changed to a Yamaha organ in 1980. Changed to arrangers about 1985 or 86, when they were very primitive. I used the early arrangers (such as PSR 70) mostly for the bass and a chord pattern and midied it to DX7, drum machine, sound modules, etc.
DonM

[This message has been edited by DonM (edited 12-06-2004).]

Hi,
I think, with buying a Lowrey you pay it as piece of furniture.
Without the electronic and the manuals it could be a good secretary.
;-)

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Regards
RF

I still have here in the studio a Lowrey Arranger keyboard I bought in mid 80's. I bought with it a pair of amps that have 5 band EQ's made for lowrey by JVC, (Japanese Victor Company, under Lowrey's name. I still use the amps now and then. They are 35 watts each
The software looked like 4 track tapes (remember those) and plugged into the top of the keyboard. They usually had 5 or 6 styles on them and list price was 75.00 each.
This keyboard cost 2600.00. The amps were about 500.00 for the pair.
I still have them all and they still work.
Amazing but true,
I also had a couple of the Holiday Organs that were amazing for their time, prior to this keyboard, about 1967, I think.
Bebop

I'll always remember when the newest biggest Lowrey organ was demonstrated by Harry Stoneham on The Parkinson Show on BBC TV in the UK. It was unbelievable (at the time) - although Harry Stoneham is a hell of an organist.

Interesting fact that I discovered while surfing for information about Harry Stoneham:

Roland's US President is Dennis Houlihan - who was previously in charge at...Lowrey.

Jerry
Amsterdam

Also to mention Dennis Houlihan use to play organ for Lowrey in the 1970s. I have music tracks from a piece of vinyl where Dennis plays the Lowrey H25R-1 or H25R-3 not sure exactly which. Also the photo of him on the back is with with long sideburns, something he found quite amusing when I showed him the record at NAMM one year...

I dunno about all this, I own a MX-1, I got it for peanuts, it's mint and it sounds totally awesome. It can do church organ sounds beautifully as well as Wurlitzer style theatre organ sounds ala silent film era, and it can do contemporary sounds, some of which are quite excellent. Over all it sounds rich and warm and very crisp, whenever anyone hears it they are all amazed that its 27 years old. I love it.