Rare 1960s GEM Italian Combo ORGAN Vintage Keyboard MOD

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This is a vintage organ, made in Italy by (I believe) Gem. It just came out of an estate in San Francisco. The only name on it is “Professional Trainer” on the top panel behind the keys, and “Made in Italy” on the case. I’m calling it a “combo organ”, because it’s self-contained and portable, transistorized organ from the ‘60s, with contrasting-color lower register keys, like combo organs from Farfisa or Vox. But unlike those, the “Professional Trainer” has just one voice; no switches, tabs, drawbars or any other controls beyond a volume knob. I would describe that voice as a “mellow, reedy voice”, and it has a fixed vibrato. What they mean by “professional trainer”, I have no idea! The odd thing is that the contrasting-colored keys on the left seem to duplicate the keys on the right! T are two ¼” phono jacks on the right, labeled “earphone” and “cassette”. Of course, the “earphone” jack could be connected to an amp, but the organ has a built-in amp and speaker. The keys (2-1/2 octaves) are full-sized and have nice action to them. The case (with a hinged lid) is wood covered with blue and white “tolex” (textured cloth), with a handle on the top, two latches (one locking, and the key is included!), and feet on the bottom. I removed the keyboard assembly and looked at the circuitry. It’s very well constructed in t I believe that it uses divide-down synthesis, and the keys are polyphonic (you can press more than one at a time, and they all sound). The circuitry seems to be all discrete (separate transistors, resistors, capacitors, etc., rather than integrated circuits), and all of the labeling I can see is from Italian companies. The printed circuit boards are both marked “G.E.”, which I believe to mean “Generale Elettromusica”, a branch of the Italian manufacturer Galenti, best known for their “Gem” brand combo organs of the ‘60s and ‘70s. This is supported by the graphics on “Professional Trainer”, which look the same as the graphics for Gem’s “Riviera” (see the excellent website for pictures), as do the volume knob, power light and secondary graphics. The organ’s condition seems to be very good. T are areas of faint discoloration and/or soiling to the cloth on the outside of the case, and a couple of very small areas w the tolex has come unglued at the edge, but overall, the appearance is excellent. T is one accidental key that is pressed down and needs to be eased back up. None of the keys is damaged in any way, that I can see. The circuitry looks fine, with no signs of damage or repairs. T is none of the filter cap hum that so often afflicts old keyboards. The only thing I can find wrong is that the accidentals (the black keys) don’t sound, and the white keys need to be tuned. The 12 oscillators each have their own trimmer pot for tuning. My guess is that they should be either cleaned and tweaked, or just replaced (Mouser, DigiKey and other places have trimmer pots for less than $1 each, and they’re easy to solder in place). However, since this is a 40 year-old piece of electronic gear, please understand that you’re buying it as-is; I make no guarantee as to its performance, other than that it is not DOA; it plays notes and is otherwise as described.If you collect vintage keyboards – especially combo organs – this has to be a unique opportunity to pick up what’s probably the simplest, most compact version ever made. It would be a really fun addition to any lo-fi gear collection, and think of how impressed your friends would be, knowing that you own a “professional trainer”! (It’s up to you to make up what the profession is and what the training would be good for.) PAYMENT METHODS AND POLICIESPlease read all of the following before bidding on our auctions. If you have any questions, please ask them at least 24 hours before bidding closes, so that we will have time to read and respond to them. We will NEVER end an auction early to sell an item, so please don’t ask! We only accept PayPal. ... read more

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