The Vox Continental Combo Organ (Overview & Demo)
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- Syntaur's Kenneth Frost shows off the historic Vox Continental combo organ. The Continental was first introduced in 1962 and was a staple of many popular bands like The Beatles, The Doors, and The Animals.
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Calling a Vox Continental a "budget" instrument is a bit of a stretch - its cost was $995 in 1965 ($8,200 in 2020 adjusted for inflation). Cheaper than hammond b3, but by no means cheap.
300-400 back in the 60's 1962-63-64--when 'the house of the rising sun "came out-- everyone wanted one-Vox organ
the Jaquar was about 300 bucks new
You can get one a lot cheaper than $8,000!
@@husq48 $995 in 1965 is 8200$ today [adjusted for inflation]. I doesnt matter how much they sell for these days.
Compared to a Hammond that is damn cheap.
A young man in a studded leather jacket and neckerchief who's got rock star good looks and is a killer keyboard player. I'd never have guessed in a million years that he'd be called Kenneth. It could be different in the States, but over here in the UK I picture 'Kenneth' as being an elderly man who was once an accountant, who drives a Volvo and wears cardigans.
Ever heard of a heavy metal guitarist by the name of Kenneth Downing Jr., he played in a little band known as Judas Priest.
Kenneth Downing is actually an older man now at 72, but he definitely wasn't an accountant!@@dinorocker8647
Nice! I think that's a beautiful organ, but something that really thrills me about Vox Continental is its fancy keyboard with inverted colors. Love it!
What an awesome organ. I've always wanted to play on this instrument - the vox continental that is
Love it! I always associate the VOX with the Doors.
私はアランプライスを思い出します😊
yeh, Ray Manzarak had at it, but 'House of the Rising Sun' is what drew me in first.
Ray Manzarek was such an underrated pianist/keyboardist and he was like The Doors secret weapon with those songs with the iconic Vox organ from the first time I heard Light My Fire I was sold on them! R.I.P. Ray Manzarek he was the glue that kept the band together
@@DblakeDeathMetal89 he actually played a Gibson on most of his songs, I think he had a vox however on the crystal ship.
@@ginahodgkins1103 actually he used a vox for the first 2 albums, he switched to the gibson around waiting for the sun
This is one of the best demo videos, on RUclips. Very informative. The 60s sounds, are the best. I had a Fender Rhodes, in 1978, with a Kustom Amp
In that era, no one used Vox, etc. Mine was OK, but the sounds of Manzarek, such as the Vox, are the best.
The Continental has a unique sound! Your playing is spot on!
One of the coolest boards ever made!
Very cool, love the "In the garden of eden" intro.👍thanks for sharing
New wave in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s helped to bring the Vox Continental back into the limelight. Think Blondie and Elvis Costello! 😎🎹 Great playing by the way!
Blondie keyboard player used a farfisa
@@crazypainter56 I stand corrected. Thanks.
Think it's a Vox Connie Steve Nieve used on Radio Radio, though I might be wrong!
@@andriealinsangao613 definitely looks like Steve Nieve is playing one on the famous SNL clip, Z shaped legs, red tolex and all.
Liked your video! I have a SUPER Continental but would love to have the stand to go with it. Thanks for sharing the Vox!
OMG I ABSOLUTELY ADORE MOD U LATOR THAT WAS LITERALLY THE MOST HILARIOUIS THING I HAVE EVER HEARD
Trivia: There's a long history with that. In the 1970s I worked in the computer industry and one of my co-workers said that once, I have no idea where he got it. Could have been original. Then later in the 90s I started ending some of my articles in the Transoniq Hacker magazine with that phrase, Sam Mims was a more prestigious author there. Now Syntaur occasionally ends their videos with it. Who else will be using it in the future? (from another Continental owner)
I was in a band in London in the late ‘60’s and our keyboard player had a Continental. The chrome “z” stand it was on used to bounce when he played standing up and one night it nearly fell over when he was giving it some wellie.
Ray used to own and play the ARP Odyssey (his favorite synth if I recall correctly) too, so pretty close to the stuff that was actually in his studio.
BTW, love your Doors renditions.
Nice video, and great played Doors medley!
Im blown away that these VOX organs are impressing this generation. I built a VOX Jaguar in 1968 from a Heathkit. never guessing these would be en Vogue en among anyone in the 2020's!
I have a Roland E-66 that has a bunch of organ presets and variations on it. They never say what they were sampled from, but there is one that I like a lot that is obviously a nod to the VOX. I like its attack and crisp sound. That high frequency edge on it always just avoids being unpleasant, and it cuts through nicely. It would be fun to try the genuine article though. Great video!!👍🏼👍🏼
Super cool video ,I have the wooden key version and it’s an absolute beauty to play :) Thanks for showing us what this beast can do 🤘🏻
Ha, played this thing last time I was there at Syntaur. Good video as always.
Most of British vox have Wooden keys. NO italians
Your playing was excellent
Brilliant guys
*watches you play to learn a bit more how*
Excellent work
Just happen to be playing on one tonight at Rockfield Studio!
A true classic
Keep going, doing well and sounding as well 👌
Our keyboard player had a MK II. I played an EKO violin bass. The F major in HOTRS is a second inversion F7; it took me years to work that out, but Alan Price used it. The final chord is Am9.
If you listen to the first 3 -- Animals records--- you wonder how Alan Price played the Vox like he did-like "Worried life blues etc.I'm so Mad and other songs-- Alan said -it plays like a typewriter -but in his hands he played it like no one else--!!!!--I do own one like in your video-- mine is made in the UK 1965
96 Tears by ?
Song by Question Mark and the Mysterians, used the VOX CONTINENTAL
Loved it!
Bob Gaudio from the Four Seasons also played the Vox Continental Organ from I believe late 1963 to early 1967.
Awesome man
Great video!
No, it didn't really compete with larger home organs. They are totally different. The home organs strived to be a one-man band. The combo was an ensemble instrument. It had to provide a pad sound and cut through sound, as well as, compact and easy to move. The B3 and leslie were heavy, hard to move, but had a soulful sound that made the moving and setup somehow all worth it.
Italian models didn't have wooden keys. UK and US models did.
Would have liked to see more about the drawbars.
Excellent
I'd take a Farfisa Compact Deluxe over the Vox any day of the week.
I believe Ray Manzarek also played a Gibson combo organ. Was closer to a Farfisa than a Vox.
YES a G101 on Ed Sullivan show
No you wouldn't. The Vox Continental Baroque with Knee Pedal rules the past 2 centuries.
@@Phillip-y6d 🫡 But yeah, I would and I did. I played a Farfisa for 20+ years. Still kicking myself for selling it in the 80s.
You have so good chops there. I think it is worth noting the Light My Fire was played on a Wurlitzer combo organ. There is.clop on YT of the Doors playing on the Ed Sullivan Show and Ray is playing a Wurlitzer not a Vox. Paul Shaffer played a Vox on Patty Smyth's hit Goodbye To You, and I believe The Swinging Medallions used one on Double Shot Of My Baby's Love.
Howdy! The original studio recording of light my fire actually was a vox continental. The tape on the recording was slightly slowed down so it’s a lower pitch. Ray used the Continental on the first 2 records and by mid 1968 he switched to Gibson G101 Kalamazoo Combo organ which he used primarily live the next few years because he kept breaking Vox Keys. The Gibson G101 is what he is playing on the Ed Sullivan show. Later down the line he starting using a wider variety of organs and electric pianos.
Double shot--------- was a Farfisa
No. Ray was not playing Wurlitzer organ He was playing a Gibson G101 organ. Look it up. He never used a Wurlitzer organ live or in studio. It was Bix and Gibson which is also know as the Kalamazoo organ.
@@crazypainter56 It was Gibson G101 which looks like a Farfisa.
@@chriss3838 I knew this years ago-I used to own one---kept going out of tune --was close to a furnace-- which made the tuners go bad-I still own combo organs
I used to own an Axxe just like that, good times!
Well played! Still the sterile sound of the combo organs gives me negative chills 😅
Love it
I’m a guitar player, but I’ve always had respect for pianist/keyboardists because it’s hard to play with both hands doing 2 different things simultaneously, it’s kinda like rubbing your belly and tapping your head plus my hand muscles and forearms hurt when trying to play on them I can play some songs but not as easy as guitar was for me. I did learn (by ear) The Great Fairy Fountain song from The Legend Of Zelda and memorized it but yea respect to the players out there because definitely takes practice and talent to play
Vox demo isn't complete without playing 96 Tears. LOL
believe that was a farfisa
@@jamoore84 ooohhhhh... KNOCKOUT :D
Or I'm A Believer by the Monkees!
Good sounds great song so sounds playing piano
I bought a 2017 Vox Continental reimagined version for $2200 and then Sweetwster was cleaning out the 2023 version and I got it new for $1000. So I have two of them.
Super impressive. Need a part 2 for the "Time of the Season" solo though.
I believe the organ on Time Of The Season was a Hammond, due to the percussion that was used.
@@michaelvernacchio5678 YES it was
One of my favorite keyboard songs is “Runaway” by the Del Shannon’s on the Musitron
I liked the added musical content but being a Syntaur video I would have been interested in some info about the actual technical construction of the VOX, e.g., what type of circuitry was used to create the sounds.
You have an english one the italian ones had the plastic keys
Siiiiiick
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida!
Hi man my name is latrell into hammond organ keyboard and nice vox organ keyboard and my favorite organist player is jon lord and Vincent crane of Atomic rooster and Ray manzarek of the doors I like your organ playing it good .
Used in surf music very early on.
Check out The Blues Magoos “Psychedelic Lollipop “ for some cool VCO sound.
the Vox Continental is still made by KORG -digital--Arturia makes it in a software version-the arturia software is great ---has stompbox's well worth the money -V collection 8
Kenneth, you could’ve done a whole lot worse than the Axxe for a bass generator in the absence of a piano bass. Its lone voltage-controlled oscillator goes a long way. You didn’t sound as if you weren’t familiar with that synth when you stacked it on the Continental.
Dear Gods it all makes sense now, the ghost of the vox continental. Sorry everybody I’m rather young to be figuring all this out just then
yeah i saw ypu guys had this on reverb for local pickup :(
Thanks, worthless to say that I love the Doors and your video is of some cool info. I just run out into a small issue. What amp would sound good on a Vox, just a normal keyboard Amp, I am using a Roland keyboard amp, but...hmm not sure about that. What about a guitar Amp? I am using guitar amp and Hammond Organ combination already but not 100% sure about doing tat with a Vox Continental. What Amp are you using on this video demo? Thanks
You are a great keyboard player, I believe you are playing a UK model,I see yellow drawbar tips and you said it has wooden keys,Italian model,s have plastic keys,I own both UK and US models,both wooden key models.
Nothing says 1965 like a VCO !
The Continental you are playing has wooden, not plastic keys…and, the leg braces in the back form a inverted V, not an X..the English and American Continentals both had the wooden keys and the V bracing….whereas the later Italian Continentals had the plastic keys and X bracing on the back. When Ray Manzarek of the Doors switched from the English and American Continentals, he was comstantly breaking the weaker plastic keys…therefore he switched to the Gibson Kalamazoo on the third album, giving them a completely different sound (on songs like “The Unknown Soldier”, Hello…I Love You”, etc).
These definitely look super cool, but they're hard to find and expensive now (and often rather fragile). Most workstations have some Vox presets, and Arturia has an excellent VST version. So not much point to getting a real one.
Nah the vst is trash, real thing is much better
@@SM-ht7qf Whenever someone sugests an VST of anything, the automatic response on RUclips is "No thst's trash, the real thng is better." Half of the time, the poster hasn't even played the real thing, but it doesnt matter--VST=bad, Old shit=good. I'd say play them both and decide for yourself, but you'll have a hard time even finding an old Vox to compare. The fact is that these were considered cheap and not great-quality instruments in the day, for stage musicians who coudn't afford a Hammond. By modern standards, the circuits are beyond simple. So emulating one isn't rocket science. But if you're a purist and you can find one, than it's your money.
@@geoffk777 I literally have one in my bedroom along with a fender rhodes piano bass, the vst was so horrible i had to buy the real thing
@@geoffk777 You yourself probably dont even own a vox lmao
@@SM-ht7qf Like I said, if you're a purist and it's your money, than great. I once had a dialog with a Mellotron purist. Not only could he tell M-Tron from the tapes that it samples, he could even tell Mellotron models apart in recordings. That's interesting, but 99 percent of players will find M-Tron identical and be better off with it. The same is true of Rhodes, B-3's and many other vintage instruments. Of course, a Doors fanatic like yourself isn't going to want the VST, but most people would never notice the difference and be better off with it.
And no, of course I don't own one. But I've heard enough recordings to know what they sound like.
Is there a book of sheet music for Combo Organs pop/rock based?
my favorite settings are 3785 08 for light my fire
If that has wooden keys, it's NOT Italian! It would be UK or (later) Thomas Organ USA (Sepulveda, CA).
誰かガースハドソンの弾いていたローリーオルガンについて解説して下さい、宜しくお願いします
had one in 69 good vid 👍
Get a Fender/Rhodes bass piano!
Is this a threat?
How are you going to do a bit on the Vox Continental and not talk about Steve Nieve!!?
That thing is nothing compared to a Hammond with a Leslie.
no shit troglodyte thats not the point, its purpose was to serve as a portable organ for bands at the time
You guys are in Texas, and you don't even mention the legendary Augie Meyers? FAIL
Augie was great
Well played, Sir! The vintage Conny didn‘t basically sound that bad; what spoils its sound is the pathetic vibrato!
A Behringer Ultra-vibrato pedal will fix that!
@@morganfisherart Vibrato generally isn’t adequate for organs. I guess it was meant to replace a Leslie, but it doesn’t. Only exception: the V1 on Hammond/clonewheel organs.
i think it's a beautiful instrument, but the reality is that it was a clownish toy that only a keyboard nerd from back then could take seriously. And Thank God for that.
My ears hurt, this is awful noise compared to a throaty growling Hammond.
Very good !