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With several compact, easily-portable, and inexpensive models available, and their distinctive "cheesy" sound, Farfisa organs became popular among Rock Bands and other combos during the 1960s . Many listeners first heard a Farfisa on 1966 's " 96 Tears " by ? And The Mysterians , or " Talk Talk " by Sean Bonniwell and The Music Machine . The instrument also was a signature sound on Pink Floyd 's early albums, from '' The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn '' through '' Dark Side Of The Moon ''. Clint Boon of Madchester band Inspiral Carpets was also famous for using a Farfisa, giving the band its signature sound. With the advent of Synthesizers , organs such as the classic Farfisa seemed to be headed for obsolescence, but time proved otherwise. In the late 1970s , with older models going cheap, numerous Punk Rock and New Wave bands embraced Farfisas as substitutes for more sophisticated keyboards. Their classic sound, in turn, became a staple on multitimbral instruments, first synthesized, then Sampled from the originals. The Farfisa sound is today used to impart a stereotypically kitschy, 1960s - Retro essence to music, and has appeared recently on albums by bands such as Electrelane , Green Day , The Blood Brothers , Smash Mouth , Stereolab , and The American Analog Set . The Farfisa brand name, meanwhile, continues to appear on contemporary MIDI keyboards. SERIES Compact Series (1965 - 1969) The Compact series had four models. Tone and volume were regulated by controls on the pre-amp, with a knee-high lever to boost tone. Optional feature: 13-note bass pedals. COMPACT (COMBO COMPACT) Features:
COMPACT DELUXE Features:
MINI-COMPACT Smallest of the Compact Series. Only four octaves, no bass on early models. Later version had a selector switch to choose bass or acute sound in the lowest octave; these models had grey naturals with white sharps in the bass octave.
Used by Mike Mills ( REM ) COMPACT DUO Most renowned of the Compact Series, having been used by Al Kooper ( Blues Project ), Mick McNeil ( Simple Minds ), Rick Wright of Pink Floyd , and Clint Boon of the Inspiral Carpets . Features:
Fast Series The Fast (Farfisa All Silicon Transistor) Series models had a metal cabinet covered with a washable skin plate and plastic edges, chrome folding legs, retractable carrying handles, and a removable music rack. Fast 3 Features:
Fast 4 Features:
Fast 5 Features, same as Fast 4, plus:
Artists:
Professional Series
VIP Series
Matador The Farfisa Matador was produced in the Early to mid 1970s. It is a Compact Organ with a built in speaker, and amplifier. Several models of Matador were produced. Synthorchestra
The Synthorchestra also has separate outputs for each of it's two sections, giving it the name "StereoSynthorchestra" Transicord
The Transicord came in two models, a standard model and a "DeLuxe" model. The standard model has one row of tab-stops similar to those found on a Combo Compact organ, and is reported to have a similar sound. The color scheme was grey with light blue and green. The DeLuxe model has two rows of tab-stops and is black in color. Opening and closing the bellows reportedly engages an effect similar to the "tone boost" on Combo Compact model organs. The Transicord can also be equipped with the same volume pedal used for many other Farfisa organs. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
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