Optigans a piece of junk?!?
2003-01-09 by mellotrongirl <mellotrongirl@hotmail.com>
They are toys! They were marketed as such by Mattel! They are cheaply made, cheap to buy (originally...!), boast an amplification system akin to your first gen Walkman, and were put together with staples and Elmer's. The volume pedal is connected to sewing thread, and from there, springs out of ballpoint pens. So? Fisher-Price made the PXL-2000 toy camcorder some twelve years ago that operated on plain ol' cassette tape. It produced grainy lo- res B&W shadowy pictures, but--like the Optigan, had affordable unique technology that makes them quite collectable these days. Strange how other things like AMC Pacers and Crown school buses are on the verge of being hot collector's items. Pacers just for their design even though they are junk, and Crowns for their recent upwelling appreciation for their design and impeccable history and safety record. Oh, just wait until Pea Hicks catches wind the assault of the kitsch and lo-fi toy that is the foundation for his band Optiganally Yours amongst the sound perfectionists here. You will be at the mercy of a wordsmith that will be a humbling experience. Indeed, an Optigan really has to be hotrodded to sound halfway decent when used for recording/gigging, and has even been drubbed as "the poor man's Mellotron", but what mechanical/tuned musical instrument ISN'T affected by temperature, humidity and even voltage fluctuations? Lo fi or not, mine is my fave toy to bang on and cut loose with. They are as moody as toddlers but I love 'em just the same.