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Mitch Towne

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Posts posted by Mitch Towne

    New organ trio - fun!

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    I"ve told the story a million times about how I learned to play LH bass. When I was starting out, Sal Azzarelli told me to 'sit on your right hand for six weeks and learn to walk an F blues. At the end of the six weeks, I want you to walk a bass line and tell me a joke at the same time.'

     

    Could have been the most valuable advice I"ve ever received.

    • Love 1

    Mag organ questions for Mitch Towne

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Hey, all!

     

    I appreciate all the questions about the MAG Organ line in the last couple weeks. There is definitely a website refresh in the works to make things much easier to understand! :)

     

    Regarding EU tax, Bjorn is correct - there is no EU tax price when buying from the United States. Thank you, Bjorn for answering that one.

     

    Each MAG Organ is custom built, which means that each user can have their MAG tailored to their needs. However, there is a standard MAG configuration and pricing for each model. The standard configuration includes options that most past customers have requested: the installed Mini-Ventilator, 11-pin output, walnut side panels, and the effects loop.

     

    The pricing for the standard configuration models are as follows:

     

    P-2 (Full organ setup with reverse preset keys and 4 sets of drawbars and 2 pedal drawbars) - 3,533

    C-2 (Four preset buttons instead of keys, two sets of drawbars and two pedal drawbars) - 2,941

    C-1 (Single manual, two sets of drawbars) - 2,516

     

    As I stated above, the MAG is customizable, so, for example, if you know you would never have need for a Leslie connection, you could remove that from the configuration and save 60. There are many additional add-ons including a half moon switch, Wi-Fi module for using the HX3 mobile editor, plexiglass music desk, gig bags, etc.

     

    The prices above are, obviously, in Euros, so the price in USD fluctuates slightly depending on the day.

     

    Currently, the only way to purchase a MAG is directly from Max at the factory. This is done by contacting him at max@magorgans and placing your order. Payment is made in two stages (down payment and then the remaining balance when the organ is ready) via wire transfer from your bank. Max makes that process as easy as possible and he is great to work with. (I purchased my MAG in this exact manner before I came on board with the company, so I speak from experience when I say how easy Max is to work with.)

     

    Regarding the question about service - Yes, there are plans for a US-based service provider! I have personally been working on that issue and it will hopefully come to fruition soon.

     

    Since I am an endorsing artist, you can take the rest of this with a grain of salt if you wish, but I really love this instrument. It is extremely well built and designed. It feels solid and sturdy but is very light and easily portable. The drawbars feel great and it's great to have actual tabs and knobs like the real thing. Also, and this is a total geek organ player thing, I love the fact that the on switch is just like the on switch on a real Hammond, and it even has an orange "on" light! As far as the sound goes, I have played every clone out there (even rarities like the Dexibel) and the HX3 sound engine is, in my opinion, at the top of the heap. It has a "hi-def" sound that I find lacking in the others. The work that Carsten Meyer has done over the last few years is stunning, and he keeps updating it regularly. All of these updates, of course, can be installed on the MAG. The combination of the realistic sound and the feel of the layout make for a very fun and inspiring playing experience. (Also, for those who asked in the other thread, the MAG uses the standard Fatar TP-8O waterfall keybed, and MAG offers the choice between the stock springs like the Viscount Legend uses, or the lighter springs like the Crumar Mojo and Numa 2 use. I am a big fan of the lighter springs. For me, it feels closer to the real thing.)

     

    Another thing that sets the MAG apart from the others are the extra exclusive features that Max has developed. Each MAG includes a special on-board reverb that is designed to imitate the classic Hammond reverb units, and he has implemented a Normal/Soft tab that mimics that feature on the original Hammond consoles. The onboard Ventilator can be used in conjunction with the 11-pin out, so you could send the Vent to the sound man and have the Leslie on stage for you. The Leslie switch controls them both.

     

    Hopefully, this addresses a lot of your questions. There will be more demos available soon. Please don't hesitate to ask me any questions either here for everyone to see, or directly at mitchtowneb3@gmail.com or on Facebook.

     

    Mitch

    Viscount Legend Live demo

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    Thanks for the inputs! The MAG organs look great, but I'm not totally convinced. Apart from the -ugh- BLUE-GREEN sides (and I thought the SK2's burgundy was awful!), they cost minimum 1000 more than the Legend (even more for customizations), and are a tiny boutique company with little-known track record, versus a major manufacturer like Viscount. Also, I'm in Italy so I guess that should any issue happen, support would be much better with Viscount.

     

     

    (Caveat: I am a MAG Organs endorser/ambassador, so apply however many grains of salt you feel are appropriate to my comments.)

     

    The blue side panels on the MAG organs are optional (but I do like them). You can choose more traditional colors.

     

    MAG is definitely a boutique company, but I have had my MAG for about a year and a half and have had exactly zero issues with it. Each one is hand built and they feel rock solid. Also, they are very customizable, so you can choose options you want or need and leave off those you don't (internal Ventilator, 11-pin, effects loop, etc.) I am an active member of many of the clonewheel forums, including ones dedicated to the MAG and the HX3 and I have not seen any complaints about the quality of MAG organs or about them breaking down.

     

    Regarding the feel of the keyboard, MAG offers you the option of the standard Fatar TP8O springs (which is what The Legend uses (to the best of my knowledge and playing experience with it - I did own one)) and the lighter springs that are used in the Crumar Mojo and the Numa 2. I definitely prefer the lighter action.

     

    Regarding the price, they are definitely more expensive than the Legend and Mojo, but they are less than the single manual XK5.

    New John Mayer Tune - Wait, are keyboards cool again????

    in The Keyboard Corner

    Posted

    The dude was doing Katy Perry at one time. He"s a legend.

     

     

    Why, in this video, is there a shot of a very attractive female photographer taking a picture of John then lowering her camera to stare at him lustily? Does he really need to burnish his image as a stud? I almost hit stop right there but kept going for the sake of science.

     

     

    Good times! (hypothetically)

     

    Because that"s the gag. 80s videos always had that kind of thing. He"s just sticking to the bit.

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