J. Dan Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Just watched the Fleetwood Mac performance on AXSTV?. On top the Hammond was a GEM keyboard that I'd guess by the looks to be late 80s era. Sounded pretty good. Never owned, played, or even seen one in person - but have seen them lots over the years on stage with pro acts. What's the story? Quote Dan Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB Dave Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I have never understood what was up with Generalmusic. Their keyboards and modules sounded great. In my humble opinion, their acoustic piano stuff was way ahead of what everyone else was doing, but the business & marketing side just didn't have it together, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillplaying Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Italian company. I'd the GEM S2Turbo. "Wow it's a poor man's Kurzweil" was one comment at a studio session from the engineer. They did ones with built in speakers, gigging instruments like the S2 and S3 (61 and 76 notes), a cracking one called the Equinox that I think someone on here has and the Promega series (very heavy digital pianos). I have a pasive sub and two 12" tops that they did. Sound amazing. Sub is very light. Now the company's gone, gone, gone, wo - oo - oo - oo - oo SoundOnSound have some GEM / Generalmusic gear reviews. There's a piano module that's still worth owning (if you use a piano module). Quote I'm the piano player "off of" Borrowed Books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 You probably can learn a lot by reading this thread. I think there's a lot of comments in there about the feelings for the company, their products, and what went down, IIRC. DaveMcM was/is a good source. Quote "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana. Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Just watched the Fleetwood Mac performance on AXSTV?. Is this something new with Christine or something old? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Italian company. I'd the GEM S2Turbo. "Wow it's a poor man's Kurzweil" was one comment at a studio session from the engineer. They did ones with built in speakers, gigging instruments like the S2 and S3 (61 and 76 notes), a cracking one called the Equinox that I think someone on here has and the Promega series (very heavy digital pianos). I have a pasive sub and two 12" tops that they did. Sound amazing. Sub is very light. Now the company's gone, gone, gone, wo - oo - oo - oo - oo SoundOnSound have some GEM / Generalmusic gear reviews. There's a piano module that's still worth owning (if you use a piano module). I'm sitting next to a S3 Turbo as I'm writing this. Polyphonic aftertouch. Yummm. Almost sold it to another forum member recently, but it didn't work out. I pretty much use it as a controller for VST's now. These things are built like tanks (pardon the cliche', but it's true). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Dan Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 Just watched the Fleetwood Mac performance on AXSTV?. Is this something new with Christine or something old? Newer....but she wasn't on there. Quote Dan Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Dan Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 Searching images on the internet, looks like it was a Pro Mega 3. http://www.generalmusic.us/images/promega3.jpg Which is newer than I thought. I saw 2-digit LED numerical displays and just figured in must be older. He was playing a pretty good piano sound on it. Found this review: SOS Quote Dan Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonglow Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Huge GEM fanboy here. They were doing the physical modeling thing before anyone. I still have a Pro-2 digital piano in my music room and an RP-X module, the latter of which I regularly used with my Nord Stage until Nord got their piano sounds together. I loved the sound of the Promega 3, but always thought it looked like a beached submarine, and probably weighed as much. The Promega 2 looked much more sleek: http://img.dooyoo.de/DE_DE/orig/1/0/7/6/4/1076453.jpg Quote "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Wright Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I was not familiar with GEM until I saw this concert .http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mBGx92Xe7g8/TIV-e8koJ6I/AAAAAAAAEDU/i_WsX-FiYek/s1600/2960_9.jpg Quote "I cried when I wrote this song Sue me if I play too long" Walter Becker Donald Fagan 1977 Deacon Blues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 GEMs biggest endorser for quite sometime. Quote "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I was not familiar with GEM until I saw this concert .http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mBGx92Xe7g8/TIV-e8koJ6I/AAAAAAAAEDU/i_WsX-FiYek/s1600/2960_9.jpg The keyboard in the piano is a GEM. The one on top is an Alesis QS8. dB Quote ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaware Dave Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I still use my Equinox keyboards. The piano on the Pro series was outstanding and still holds its own. Dual Midi in/out/thru, midi merge capability, multi zone setups, separate engines for the sequencer and the sound engine. 8 sliders controlling 16 independent functions, including hammond drawbar control. 14 years of heavy gigging. Downside, weighed 72 pounds (88 key version). Quote 57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn Delaware Dave Exit93band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammondDave Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Used the RPX piano module for years in my last band. Loved it. Quote '55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonglow Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 I was not familiar with GEM until I saw this concert .http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mBGx92Xe7g8/TIV-e8koJ6I/AAAAAAAAEDU/i_WsX-FiYek/s1600/2960_9.jpg The keyboard in the piano is a GEM. The one on top is an Alesis QS8. dB Yep, that's a Pro-2 piano in that piano shell. The first time I ever heard one was at an ELP concert in Chicago. I could not believe how good it sounded. Ordered one within a week. When I met Keith about 3-4 years ago, he told me he still had a Pro-2 in his music room. Quote "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voxpops Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 If mine hadn't crapped out on me, I'd still be gigging with a PRP800. I loved playing that thing, which I bought after using the RPX module for a while. In fact, I don't think I've had a DP that I liked as much in terms of sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridog6996 Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Some time ago, I played a Promega at shop on a few different occasions. From what I remember, it played great and sounded great. Unfortunate design though. I remember not digging the control panel and how the thing was shaped. I really haven't heard much of anything about GEM stuff in more recent times. They still in business? I found their website through Google, but it didn't really provide any evidence. edit: Just noticed the thread that Joe posted above. Quote My YouTube Channel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brettymike Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I've heard of GEM piano's and modules , but never seen any around live. They still sound GREAT!, would be awesome for band mix especially > Brett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicale Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I have the PRP800 sounds great. Have had a few electronic glitches with booting up that's completely random. Currently have one note out (probably a small issue with contact), so I'll see if I can fix it myself or if it needs somebody who knows the action. I think it's fatar. But an excellent heavy board generally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Havu Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I have a Pro-1 at my church, and I love it, but for some reason it freezes up on me from time to time, meaning I'll have to power it down then back on again. Not quite sure what the cause of this is, but the same thing happened with a Kurzweil Midiboard that I used to own. Quote Hardware Yamaha MODX7, DX7, PSR-530, MX61/Korg TR-Rack, 01/W Pro X, Trinity Pro X, Karma/Ensoniq ESQ-1 Behringer DeepMind12, Model D, Odyssey, 2600/Arturia Keylab MKII 61 Software Studio One/V Collection 9/Korg Collection 4/Cherry Audio/UVI SonicPass/EW Composer Cloud/Omnisphere, Stylus RMX, Trilian/IK Total Studio 3.5 MAX/Roland Cloud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveMcM Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Glad to see Generalmusic (GEM) being discussed. I was working in music retail when the S2/3 and SX2/3 were introduced. They had some great features that went beyond what other brands offered at the time. After a 5 year stint working for ENSONIQ in Pennsylvania I moved back to Cincinnati and nabbed a position at Baldwin in their digital piano division. Generalmusic in Italy manufactured the Pianovelle line for Baldwin. After Baldwin was taken over by Gibson I continued on with Generalmusic. If the marketing had been different in the US, and had the powers that be in Italy taken our suggestions, perhaps GEM would still be around today. It is very sad that such an innovative group of product designers and engineers are no longer creating new GEM products. The Genesys line was very, very cool. It was a pro level synth workstation with 32 sequencer tracks, internal hard drive, audio recording direct to hard drive, internal CD burner, 32 MIDI channel capability, mic/line inputs and 4 part vocal harmonizer, etc. And then there was the Promega line. Not until you sat down a played that instrument a while did you realize just how great is sounded (and still does for that matter) and how very useful the front panel layout is for live use. Quote Wm. David McMahan I Play, Therefore I Am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaware Dave Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 And speaking of GEM I have to give a shout out to the above poster, Dave McMahan. Several years ago I had a gig on a Friday night and for some unknown reason none of the pro pianos would load, so I had to go with the non-pro piano samples on the 88 Equinox (yuck). The next day (Saturday morning) I checked the keyboard and still could not understand why the pro pianos could not be found by the software. I fired off an email to support@generalmusic.com stating my problem and left a phone number. About 45 minutes later (still a Saturday morning) I receive a phone call from Dave McMahan. I couldn't believe that someone actually returned my call on a Saturday morning (I had another gig that Saturday night). After discussing with Dave he concluded that I needed to reseat a chip inside the Equinox. He took me through the process and in about 15 minutes the keyboard was up and running. Talk about outstanding customer service! Hats off Dave, I'll never forget that help .... Quote 57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn Delaware Dave Exit93band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveMcM Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 .... Talk about outstanding customer service! Hats off Dave, I'll never forget that help .... Stop, you're making me blush. But seriously, it was my pleasure to help out. And you just reminded me that I meant to mention the Equinox as well. What an instrument. Besides a powerful synth engine, and a special Drawbar Organ mode, you could assign separate sequenced phrases (called Grooves) to each key. These could be one shot or looped and the pitch bend wheel could be set to a mode that simulated turntable scratching. The unfortunate situation with that instrument was this. Someone at Generalmusic either in the US or Italy decided that it would be a great choice to have Peavey be the U.S. distributor of GEM pro keyboards. "If I had been around during that time and had any say in the matter...." Not to slight Peavey by any means. I have a lot of respect for the man and the company. But keyboards is not something that they should have ever got involved in, IMO. Anyway, Dave, I'm glad you still are getting use out of your Equinox collection. I would love to have a 76 note version. Quote Wm. David McMahan I Play, Therefore I Am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brettymike Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 ^^^Outstanding Service Award!^^^ I wish a guy like you could have clinched the GEM agency Dave. Through youtube , the piano sounds very expressive , and nice sounding sustain to it. Brett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonglow Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 And speaking of GEM I have to give a shout out to the above poster, Dave McMahan. Several years ago I had a gig on a Friday night and for some unknown reason none of the pro pianos would load, so I had to go with the non-pro piano samples on the 88 Equinox (yuck). The next day (Saturday morning) I checked the keyboard and still could not understand why the pro pianos could not be found by the software. I fired off an email to support@generalmusic.com stating my problem and left a phone number. About 45 minutes later (still a Saturday morning) I receive a phone call from Dave McMahon. I couldn't believe that someone actually returned my call on a Saturday morning (I had another gig that Saturday night). After discussing with Dave he concluded that I needed to reseat a chip inside the Equinox. He took me through the process and in about 15 minutes the keyboard was up and running. Talk about outstanding customer service! Hats off Dave, I'll never forget that help .... Similar experience here, as well. Great customer service, even greater person. Quote "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicale Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Yeah also met Dave at the GEM warehouse in Chicago near the airport. He demoed it for me I bought thr PRP right on the spot. Then he proceeded to provide support for a few years post even after leaving GEM. Still the best customer support experience I have endured ! Hello Dave Musicale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveMcM Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Hi guys! Quote Wm. David McMahan I Play, Therefore I Am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LX88 Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 An RP-X module just sold on Garage Sale. I was vaguely interested but it turns out that the price seemed to getting into collectable range. It's too bad that modules seem to be on the way out. It sure would make things easier than buying new keyboards. I got to hear the RP-X only a few times. It was close but I wasn't completely sold, short of being able to have more time with it to be really sure. I would love to have something to add EP sounds to a Numa organ.The GEM EP's seemed at the very least, interesting and somewhat usable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKeys Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Still use my RP-X on my second rig. And Dave was nice enough to help me dial the pianos into a better sound through my JBL EONs. We spent about 30 min on the phone and if I recall he was no longer their rep. Quote Jimmy Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho NEW BAND CHECK THEM OUT www.steveowensandsummertime.com www.jimmyweaver.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brettymike Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 .....I've been keeping an eye out for the RP-X module here in NZ for years , but nothing. Brett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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