Crumar Mojo 61 Review - (LONG)

[Brad Kaenel]

27 minutes ago, Jazzmammal said:

Brad, thanks for chiming in.  I believe you said the unit was updated to the time I got it from you meaning it should be above V1.1 correct?

Yes, that's my usual MO, to stay very current.  And I think I recall performing that upgrade.

[JazzJohn]

For Jazzmammal and others whose Mojo61 editor is not opening, this is how I worked through it.

 

I recently purchased a Mojo61 B series. I didn’t know how old it was or which version OS it had but it was pristine. The internal WiFi was fine and I could log onto it with my iPhone or any computer but the internal editor would not open. This was also true with the physical USB cable to the computer. The editor said to please plug in the Mojo61 but the Mojo was already plugged in and sending midi to a multitrack recorder.

 

I read to try old computers as the OS may be old. None of my “old” computers, some ancient, would open the editor. I wondered if the keyboard had had an internal crash, etc. 

 

Finally I read that the current Edge browser has a IE (Internet Explorer) mode which may open “old websites.” I tried this but the editor still did not open. The browser offered a “fix connection problems” troubleshoot option which I selected but still no help. However when I exited the troubleshooter the Mojo Editor appeared on my screen!

 

I was able to see I had OS version 1.31 which was about 5 years old. I also knew I wanted to upgrade the OS immediately as then the editor should log on better with current gear and, of course, I could edit the sounds. 

 

I had already downloaded and unzipped OS 1.51 and had it as the only item on a fat32 formatted thumb drive so inserted it in the Mojo. 

 

In the editor I selected update OS but it said “update file not found!” I tried four different thumb drives all formatted Fat32 as the update notes specify and only containing the unzipped OS 1.51 but no success. 

 

Finally I formatted one thumb drive Fat32 but limited the allocation size to 512 bytes. I added the upgrade file, put it in the Mojo61, hit upgrade in the editor and it finally worked! My board is now at 1.51. 

 

Now I easily edit the parameters using the internal WiFi and my IPhone. This is a great board and emotionally fun to play. It lives and seems more than a sample player.

 

I’m sorry I can’t sustain the organ sounds with the pedal though. I’d like to cheat sometimes in that way but I guess that limitation makes it more authentic. Hopefully, the novel I’ve written here will help someone. Blessings. 

 

 

[jpgxk3]

Thanks for that info, it will be useful for me and some others I trust. If you go to the Home page you can edit the assignment of the sustain pedal to include one or both organ manuals to achieve the effect you want. That may negate the use of controlling the sim speed, but like all trade offs, pick your fav. Joe

[ddexter]

can you hook a second keyboard to this?

[ddexter]

Can you switch from clavinet to piano live? Thanks

[CrossRhodes]

For anyone who ended up adding the additional lower manual with the Mojo 61, how does switching draw bars between manuals work exactly? Is this something you can easily do on the fly or is better to go for the double manual for someone wanting to get into the more traditional Jimmy Smith etc type playing styles?

[kenheeter]

It's quite easy to do but I have the D9X which plugs right into the Mojo61 and gives me a separate set of drawbars for the lower manual.  I just velcro it on top of the Mojo61.

[CrossRhodes]

Nice, thanks!

[jpgxk3]

You can also set up 2 presets for the Mojo LM; I set 838 and 8888. Also easy enough to hit the LM live button and then sculpt out anything you want for the LM. Have fun. 

[santellavision]

Can you still get the hidden Easter Egg DX sounds with firmware v1.52? I can't seem to get them to work.
 

[kpl1228]

Was excited about the new Hammond XK4, and now that it's out, I hate the XK4 price point. The Mojo 61 is $1000 cheaper than the XK4, but wondering how it compares to the XK4 for organ only. Mulling over my supplemental clonewheel options for weekend bar band work.

Also, does the Mojo 61 have a funky flimsy wall wart power cord? Noticed the odd power jack in the back when looking at online photos.

[HammondDave]

3 hours ago, kpl1228 said:

Was excited about the new Hammond XK4, and now that it's out, I hate the XK4 price point. The Mojo 61 is $1000 cheaper than the XK4, but wondering how it compares to the XK4 for organ only. Mulling over my supplemental clonewheel options for weekend bar band work.

Also, does the Mojo 61 have a funky flimsy wall wart power cord? Noticed the odd power jack in the back when looking at online photos.

I just looked at the photos on Sweetwater.  It looks as though it may now have an internal power supply.  The far right power port looks like a connector to a simple plug.  The specs say: Power Source:Standard IEC AC cable

[Delaware Dave]

I believe the newest mojo's have IEC connectors (no wall wart).

[ludo]

I have IEC on my Mojo.

Such a great keyboard, for me it’s already a classic.

 

[Tonekeeper]

Newbie here. 😊 For owners who have added the lower manual to the Mojo 61, do you find the action to be noticeably heavier than the upper? Fwiw, a couple of years back i had a Hammond SK-2 and the amount of effort to depress the keys was more than i wanted.

Also, on the Amp Simulator, can someone explain how the sound of the organ changes when you go from Fender Twin to Vox AC30 and if there are any limitations on usage?

[drawback]

I added the lower manual and found the action to be identical to the upper. I don’t recall the amp sim settings - I parted with my Mojo setup a few years ago.

[mate stubb]

Mojo got an improved lighter action a few years ago. Is it possible the lower manual is a few years old?

[HammondDave]

3 hours ago, drawback said:

I added the lower manual and found the action to be identical to the upper. I don’t recall the amp sim settings - I parted with my Mojo setup a few years ago.

Same here… Identicle keybeds. 

[jpgxk3]

Keys are same as indicated above. The amp sims are allocated to the electric piano edit page. The organ simulated Leslie sim is separate and parameters can be found in the edit page for VB3, can’t apply the piano amps to the organ. 

[kpl1228]

Do you Mojo guys use a Ventilator on the Mojo, or is the onboard Leslie sim a good one?

[mate stubb]

3 minutes ago, kpl1228 said:

Do you Mojo guys use a Ventilator on the Mojo, or is the onboard Leslie sim a good one?

 

Both. I got used to the Vent back when the native sim was close but not quite as good. Now they are pretty equivalent and I have had no hesitation going Vent-less when I travel light and don't drag my pedal board around.

 

BTW Vent overdrive plays nicely with the Mojo overdrive. Vent is set on medium warm OD, and Mojo knob used for when I want it heavier.

[Jon E]

Re lower manual(Mojo 61B) different from Mojo 61: Bought my lower manual a couple of months ago and the touch is significantly heavier than the my Mojo 61. Will try to check with gram weights to verify the difference.

[Jon E]

Test showed that my Mojo lower manual need about 12 grams more weight to activate the keys. Very significant and annoying when the manuals are so unbalanced.

[Dockeys]

Just wondering is this partly because your upper manual was already broken in from playing it and the lower manual is newer and may need time to adjust in a similar fashion? 🤷

[Jon E]

My previous experience with the Fatar TP8O include the Korg CX3, Nord C1, Nord C2, Nord Stage 3 Compact, Doepfer d3m, Viscount Legend Live and none of these have changed character over time. I can not exclude that the springs soften after being broken in but that effect must be really small. My Mojo 61 is from 2017 but very little used. Either the production of soft springs are really inconsistent or they must have put in the wrong version in my Mojo 61B I am afraid.

[Delaware Dave]

5 hours ago, Jon E said:

Test showed that my Mojo lower manual need about 12 grams more weight to activate the keys. Very significant and annoying when the manuals are so unbalanced.

 I would report this to Crumar, they might send you a replacement lower manual.  If they don't then they might be able to at least provide you the same springs that are in the Mojo61 that you can install.

[Danko83]

Hi, apologies if this question has already been answered in this forum, but I couldn’t find it if it has. 
 

has anyone had any luck assigning the tremolo speed to a knob on the mojo61? 
 

i figured I could assign it to a function that isn’t in use while playing the tine/Rhodes piano, like the click knob. 
 

however, when I assign it to that spot in the editor nothing happens. 
 

The  Rhodes sounds great, but i feel it would benefit a lot from being able to adjust the tremolo in real time while playing, just like the actual suitcase allowed. 

[kpl1228]

I got an older used Mojo 61 and LOVE it, however.......

Can I switch out the older power supply for the newer one, through Crumar or through a service center? That wall wart plug is FLIMSY.

[mate stubb]

51 minutes ago, kpl1228 said:

I got an older used Mojo 61 and LOVE it, however.......

Can I switch out the older power supply for the newer one, through Crumar or through a service center? That wall wart plug is FLIMSY.

 

It would require making a new hole in the metal chassis for the new plug (avoiding spraying metal fragments inside), mounting the power supply securely inside, and resoldering to the plug. Only you can judge if you could do it yourself. It's a mod I have considered doing myself, but I don't gig anymore and I'm lazy.

[kenheeter]

I did this to my Mojo 61 years ago and never regretted doing it. The toughest part was carefully cutting the hole.  I used a two pin power connection.