[sdiy] Salvagable keys from old keyboards, organs? (for Virtual Organ build)

Tue Sep 22 03:06:14 CEST 2026

 To bad it's so far from Manchester.

https://www.tennessean.com/videos/news/religion/2017/05/03/free-organ-if-you'll-pay-have-moved/101214138/

p
[image: image.png]

On Tue, Sep 8, 2026 at 4:06 PM Mike Bryant <mbryant at futurehorizons.com>
wrote:

>
>    - 1950-1990 white elephants organs are usually free for the hauling
>
>
> If someone knows of any such 'white elephants' needing hauling around
> south Manchester way please let me know !!
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Synth-diy <synth-diy-bounces at synth-diy.org> on behalf of Phillip
> Gallo via Synth-diy <synth-diy at synth-diy.org>
> *Sent:* 08 September 2026 21:19
> *To:* cheater cheater <cheater00social at gmail.com>
> *Cc:* synth-diy at synth-diy.org <synth-diy at synth-diy.org>
> *Subject:* Re: [sdiy] Salvagable keys from old keyboards, organs? (for
> Virtual Organ build)
>
>
> This thread began with the implementation of GrandOrgue sample in a
> institutional quality (or impersonated quality) instrument.
> The obvious idea is to get a multi-manual 5 octave organ and replacing the
> tone generation with "organ sample" reproduction.
> Described this way only institutional quality organs would do unless two
> keyboards is enough (parsimonious from most Console or Theatre instruments
> POV.)
>
> The next obvious is get a somewhat large contemporary keyboard (1950-1990 white
> elephants organs are usually free for the hauling)    Rip  the guts out
> of this desperately broken organ unit and recover the case as a housing.
> Good Luck!  With time, effort and wisdom this would quickly acquire
> bragging rights.  You could steal the (or leave in place) tabs from the
> original organ to re-use for the Stops of the new instrument.
> If a broken or un-usable instrument give life to a new one.. how wonderful.
>
> On the other hand, history shows we rarely regret saving an instrument,
> but we frequently regret destroying them.
>
> I have a Yamaha Electone 205D and a Lowrey Symphonic Holiday both sport
> dual 44 key manuals.  The Lowrey has a wonderful, waterfall keyboards of
> the type Jean-Pierre Desrochers's Electrohome Kinsman Clarion pix shows.
> The Yamaha has "diving board" keys.   Neither keyboard impedes
> performance (yet). This is lucky due to the reality of Roman's observations
> about "mechanical quality" not guaranteeing switch integrity.
> Time unmakes some things while the issues involved with "Have organ, Will
> Travel" usually implies possible degradation.
>
> The Kinsman Clarion organ keyboard as large as it is (a Hammond of the
> era is even larger), if playable then i bet it describes as nothing short
> of "wonderful".
>  After playing the generality of commodity MIDI keyboards, playing these
> of waterfall .. soft yet elastic; ..easy yet firm keys immediately produces
> the imagining of it driving your gear instead of those bubble contact
> switches (although there are fine keyboards available today using the this
> using this tech) .
>
> Note:
> It's important to keep the young from reading Allen Douglas or the result
> can very often be at least one organ in the bedroom or garage.
>
> p
>
>
>
> On Tue, Sep 8, 2026 at 10:10 AM cheater cheater via Synth-diy <
> synth-diy at synth-diy.org> wrote:
>
> no, i've played with the "lesser" ones too, they really are good
> quality and have a great sound. they're just not ph4t b455 m0n573rz so
> if someone's a moron they don't know how to use em in a song. but
> musicians know what to do with em.
>
> On Tue, Sep 8, 2026 at 5:37 PM Steve via Synth-diy
> <synth-diy at synth-diy.org> wrote:
> >
> > On 08.09.26 11:53, cheater cheater via Synth-diy wrote:
> > > Any electone is much too good an instrument to scavenge for anything.
> > > They are sophisticated, high quality instruments, do not destroy them.
> >
> > Some people on an organ forum seem do disagree for some of those,
> > attesting thin sound and saying things like "Yamaha was never really an
> > organ company".
> > I certainly would not suggest destroying like an D85 or E70 (?) - those
> > things can sound incredible :-D
> >
> >
> > On 08.09.26 13:07, Roman Sowa wrote:
> > > Not all MIDI kits cost 120EUR. Half of that is more common. And I
> > > can't figure out why people still buy old and expensive Doepfer kit,
> > > designed
> > > 20 years ago with 40-year old technology and still manufactured in
> > > this form.
> > >
> > IDK either :-D It's what he found, I guess.
> >
> >
> > - Steve
> >
> > >
> > > On Tue, Sep 8, 2026 at 1:11 AM Michael E Caloroso via Synth-diy
> > > <synth-diy at synth-diy.org> wrote:
> > >> Old Yamaha 1970s "Electone" home organs are a good source for
> scavenging parts.  I used to own an E-5, those have a pair of 61 note
> keyboards.  I scavenged a ribbon controller out of one of those.
> > >>
> > >> MC
> > >>
> > >> On Mon, Sep 7, 2026 at 3:44 PM Dixon, David via Synth-diy <
> synth-diy at synth-diy.org> wrote:
> > >>> I have been salvaging keyboards from old organs for many years.  In
> Vancouver, we have “junk day” once or twice a year where people can leave
> big unwanted items in front of their houses to be picked up by the
> sanitation department for free.  Of course, people put things out a few
> days early, and people drive around looking for good stuff.  I’ve picked up
> many old electronic organs in this way.  I used an old Farfisa keyboard for
> my modular synth.  I used a Yamaha keyboard for my DS-3100 polyphonic synth
> project.
> > >>>
> > >>> The Yamaha keyboard was a matrix keyboard with bubble switches and
> diodes.  I simply removed the PCB and replaced it with PCBs of my own
> making which brought the contacts for each key out to pin headers.  The
> bubble switches are surprisingly responsive to touch, and can facilitate
> lots of articulation.   You can hear all about it in this YouTube video,
> between about 2:00 and 4:00...
> > >>>
> > >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbtxMdQE64A
> > >>>
> > >>> Cheers,
> > >>> Doc Sketchy
> > >>>
> > >>> On Sep 7, 2026, at 9:29 AM, Roman Sowa via Synth-diy <
> synth-diy at synth-diy.org> wrote:
> > >>>
> > >>> [CAUTION: Non-UBC Email]
> > >>>
> > >>> 1. yes, you can get dirt cheap organs, especially in Netherlands,
> that's what I heard the most. About 100 EUR might get you nice big organ
> with decent keyboards
> > >>>
> > >>> 2. Typical old (20-40 years) organ has 61 or 56 keys. It must be
> very old or specificaly made for certain playing style if it has 4. You'd
> be surprised how those very old keyboards are excellent mechanically, but
> unfortunately they have poor contacts made of silvered springs.
> > >>> Basicaly all organs younger than 40 years use plastic keys and
> rubber contacts with diode matrix, sometimes spring contacts, but also
> matriced. And no, they were not made in "max cheap" mode ever. you may need
> to clean it, or replace contacts, but it's not comparable to today's
> definition of brand new cheap keyboard.
> > >>>
> > >>> 3. There's no such thing as decent cheap keyboard. Either it needs a
> lot of work to restore it and install new contacts, or you buy new one
> especially made for organists. Good Fatar organ keyboard cost about 600
> EUR. And I haven't mentioned yet the modern wooden keyboards made for MIDI
> organ consoles today, that's 2 to 8 kEUR.
> > >>>
> > >>> A lot of organists just take off the shelf M-Audio keyboard and say
> it's just good for what they need.
> > >>>
> > >>> Roman
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> W dniu 2026-09-07 o 17:43, Steve via Synth-diy pisze:
> > >>>
> > >>> Howdy,
> > >>> I met a very young fella who became enthusiastic about playing
> church organs, where I practise singing.
> > >>> He is not averse to some tinkering, if not super experienced. He
> e.g. MIDI-fied the pedals he got used "cheap" using a MIDI-fying kit, I
> reckon like how Doepfer or similar sell them.
> > >>> He has been looking for months now, for an affordable solution to
> get some manuals i.e. keyboards assembled to be able to play the GrandOrgue
> software on a computer at home.
> > >>> I gave him the tip of looking for salvagable home organs of the
> 1970s or so... But those seem to have mostly 4 octaves per manual.
> > >>> He says he needs 61 keys.
> > >>> I am wondering now:
> > >>> 1. were there ever home organs one might get for cheap or free
> today, made with modular-ish key assemblies, where you could use parts from
> more than one organ to assemle an octave more for each manual? I remember
> seeing some YT disassembly vids of 1980s or so keyboards where they had
> octave-wise panels.
> > >>> 2. speaking of: are there any old mass-market keyboards one might
> get cheaply, from what ever decade, with 61 keys which one might salvage?
> Reasonable playable ones, too? :-D
> > >>> I'd reckon they were made in a max cheap way that doesn't invite
> well the extraction of only the keys/matrix parts, but who knows.
> > >>> - Steve
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