Crumar Mojo 61 Review - (LONG)

[rockinroller]

There's been a couple of resales of these Mojo 61's on this site and I've seen at least one other on another online site. I'd be curious to hear from any of you that have owned the 61 but got rid of it, as to why. Being such a new board and with apparently limited availability--at least in the States--it's a little disconcerting to see the quick resales. I'm really into the pure B3 and especially an authentic reproduction of the Leslie, and would really like to know if this is the best thing out there in one portable package, without buying an Electro 5D, Kurz PC3, the H-S SK or XK boards and a Neo Vent. Thanks!

[mate stubb]

Mojo beats the crap out of any of the boards you named IMO. I just got the 61 but have had a dual manual for years.

 

One guy is not gigging and needed the money. Not sure what else you may have seen.

 

The only nits I could pick are that it is not multitimbral, and it doesn't remember FX/amp sim per instrument instead of per category.

[Aussie_Chicago]

The only reason I gave it back after playing it for a week was I just lost my only gig and couldn't justify a new board or else I would have kept it. It feels and sounds great, if your looking for a single manual Hammond , I wouldn't go past it. Some things about it annoyed me , but there is no single board that is perfect in every way.

[Delaware Dave]

If I were going to purchase a new keyboard to get the classic rock voicings (piano,EP's, organs) I would probably consider the Electro 5 but honestly if you already have a Kurz and you would like to upgrade those same sounds that the Electro would provide you the Gemini module is the way to go. Plus, with last month's operating system update Guido added another dozen '90's synth' sounds to the already 25-30 base sounds. All sounds are top notch. You also get the Mojo organ that is built into the Gemini. The leslie is terrific. I have yet to even hookup the Vent to the Gemini as there is no need to. Plus the Gemini can be had for about $600-700 less than the Electro. I'd give the Gemini table top a serious look.

[mate stubb]

Well, I've been able to integrate the Mojo 61 into my stage setup almost immediately, so I got to just play it quite a bit in several sessions. So here's my Day 1 review:

 

This instrument is Fun! It is immediate to play and its metal and mahogany construction gives it a vintage instrument vibe. It feels like a real instrument. And the action is buttah.

 

It was dead easy to connect my iPad to deep edit. I haven't tweaked much beyond selecting my favorite tonewheel set yet.

 

Rhodes and Wurli are very nice, combo organs are very nice, pipe organ is nice (although I would prefer a more baroque stop set) and effects sound great (wish a delay was available.)

 

But having my favorite organ available in a single manual configuration is fantastic. The rest is gravy!

[1203]

Hello, can anybody tell me if it's possible to play the e-pianos of the Mojo61 from a second midi keyboard? I mean organ/upper manual on the Mojo and e-piano from a hammer action below via midi at the same time? Thanks!

[rockinroller]

Dave: You and I have dialogued a lot over the years and you know how I like to have two boards on stage--one to my right, at a right angle to the board in front of me. My consideration of the Mojo 61 purchase is based on having it be that 2nd board (to my right), so that all the Hammond stuff in the songs can be covered by simply getting my right hand over there on the keys, while the left hand chords, fifths, etc. are managed on the Kurz in front of me. In addition--with the Kurz splits I've created and saved, I am able to simply return with my right hand to the frontal board for string/horns/synth, etc parts, while still maintaining the left side split of piano (or in many cases in my situations: bass). Buying another board with a lot of "other" sounds, and probably compromising on the Hammond-only part of the formula--doesn't meet my objective.

[mate stubb]

Hello, can anybody tell me if it's possible to play the e-pianos of the Mojo61 from a second midi keyboard? I mean organ/upper manual on the Mojo and e-piano from a hammer action below via midi at the same time? Thanks!

 

Not at the same time. Mojo only plays 1 sound at a time.

[Delaware Dave]

Still why gemini makes sense. There are two DSP engines so one of the engines can always be setup for Mojo organ while the other engine can produce any of the other non organ sounds. You could also setup the two DSP's to be both non-organ. With the Kurz you can create simple setups with split calls to the Gemini (easy to do) and run from QA mode so that one quick button push pulls up the sounds straight from the Gemini. And the table top can sit directly on top of the PC3. If you just wanted it strictly for organ you can also do that and use the sliders and other controllers on the Kurz to control C/V, leslie on/off, drawbars, etc. and it is the least expensive alternative. My two cents.

[wd8dky]

I sold mine because my plan to use it along with a module or laptop for other sounds just wasn't feasible. I'm sticking with my Forte and picked up an HX3 module to cover my organ needs.

 

I play at Church, and am not going to schlep two boards for that short of a gig.

[rockinroller]

So do you think that a total of 76 keys (on the Kurz) is sufficient to manage a dedicated Hammond area, strings, horns, or even a piano, and a lower level of keys sufficient to reproduce reasonable sounding bass? I would guess three zones on a 76 note board would be pushing it. The LH bass alone requires at least 15-20 notes in my experiences, and that leaves 55 or so notes to allocate to two other sounds--many of which should not have to be limited to only 2 octaves or so.

 

Seems a lot to ask a single keyboard to do, and frankly I've had song situations in which all three of those compartments need to be up and running and as accessible as moving my hand (i.e. to a 2nd board).

 

Finally there's the economics (always a consideration for us pro musicians!): I've been offered a brand new Mojo 61 for $1299 shipped from a retailer. Assuming you buy the desktop version of the GSI Gemini, the price I found for that online was at B3Guys, at $1199 retail. Is that correct, or is there somewhere else out there that this can be purchased for substantially less?

[rockinroller]

I play at church and "schlep" two boards (each weighing around 30lbs), two scissors stands and a folding seat, plus gig bag of cords, etc. It takes me 20 minutes to get set up. It's a little more effort than bringing one board but I am always grateful for the 2nd one after I am set up and ready to play.

[wd8dky]

I have no struggles splitting the Forte's keys the way I want. Then again, I'm not trying to play eight parts at once.

 

Having no mod wheel, aftertouch, or a solid way to send patch changes from the Mojo to a module was too limiting. What I'm doing isn't optimal for all, obviously, but it works fine for my congregation.

 

To the guy who spends 20 mins setting up for Church, more power to you. When I get a complaint from someone in the Church, I might reconsider my personal approach.

[rockinroller]

"eight parts at once"? That'd require an octopus. The Mojo 61 was intended to be a Hammond with decent digital Leslie, first and foremost. It was designed to compete with Hammond's own SK1 and XK1 models. To expect it to provide Forte--or even Casio for that matter--extra sounds and features plus have the Hammond quality--at the price point it is being sold--would probably be unreasonable.

 

I think it comes down to whether someone wants to spend under $1500 for a very good (arguably the best current Hammond clonewheel) portable "organ" that has very little else, or sacrifice the quality of drawbar sounds and Leslie effect for a board that does different things pretty well, but compromises the Hammond-side of the equation.

[Delaware Dave]

I was assuming that you already had two keyboards and was looking to replace one of the keyboards as you wanted a dedicated hammond clone. Based on this assumption I figured the Gemini could act as that organ replacement without you having to swap out one your current keyboards. However, it now sounds as though you are down to one keyboard(?) and are looking to add a 2nd and that 2nd would be the Mojo. If this is the case then I'd say go for the Mojo. However, if you have two keyboards already you can dedicate one of them to be your hammond clone simply by purchasing the Gemini module. I won't reveal the price I paid for mine but can confirm the Gemini table top I purchased was less than the Mojo price you quoted above and, as a bonus, I get many more sounds than the Mojo alone will deliver. Also, the Gemini allows for two DSP engines to run at once, meaning the gemini supports two sounds played at once where the Mojo only allows 1 sound to be played at once (per what I read Moe to have written above).

 

The Mojo 61 was intended to be a Hammond with decent digital Leslie, first and foremost. It was designed to compete with Hammond's own SK1 and XK1 models. To expect it to provide Forte--or even Casio for that matter--extra sounds and features plus have the Hammond quality--at the price point it is being sold--would probably be unreasonable..."

I would say that the leslie is outstanding on the Mojo, for sure better than the XK1 and SK1 leslie. I haven't even hooked up the Vent to the Gemini; it is not necessary, the leslie on the Gemini is that good. As far as the extra sounds you mention, they are that good. The Rhodes, Wurli and Clav (you get every Clav registration combination i.e. brilliant, treble, medium soft, C/D A/B switches) are all physical modeled. They sound excellent. They definitely rival the keyboards you mention above.

 

At the end of the day either choice, Mojo or Gemini, is a 'good" choice.

[rockinroller]

Thanks Dave. I forgot to mention that I sold my (most recent) second board--the SK1 73, after being disappointed in the lack of "thickness" in the drawbar sounds coupled with an "OK but not quite there" Leslie effect.

 

Since there's no local retailers near me outside Detroit that stock the Mojo, I'm relying on YouTube and opinions such as those on this site before making the purchase, sight (and sound) unseen.

 

I'm ordering the 61 now and hope it's 75% IMHO as what everyone seems to saying about it. Thanks.

[Giancarlo Robles]

I was seriously considering spending the money on a Mojo 61. Two things stopped me: monotimbral and no extensive midi capabilities. For my uses in church it is easier to just get a DMC-122 with a Gemini and I can have 2 splits per manual (one from the DSP and a second one from an external source such as my ipad or a module) and have more versatility without having to carry 2 boards. I can just set it up in my single tier keyboard table stand and play. However I do appreciate the Mojo 61 enormously and for light gigs it would be amazing to have if you have a main board for everything else that's not organ. Multitimbrality of EP sounds with a second midi keyboard or another DP would have been excellent though.

[Piattica]

http://www.keyboardmag.com/gear/1183/review-crumar-mojo-61/60267

[phattbuzz]

Just put an order in for a DMC-122 with Gemini. I'll do a good review on it once I've worked with it for a bit. Not a lot of YouTube videos about it.

[ElmerJFudd]

There was one on the KC Garage Sale not too long ago,

https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/2796864/DMC_122_with_Gemini_expander_2#Post2796864

 

Should see if it's still available (if the continent is right).

[Giancarlo Robles]

Just put an order in for a DMC-122 with Gemini. I'll do a good review on it once I've worked with it for a bit. Not a lot of YouTube videos about it.

 

I would really appreciate a video review. I especially would like to hear all sounds the Gemini has since the YouTube videos I've seen tend to cover the most important sounds but not all of them.

[phattbuzz]

Just put an order in for a DMC-122 with Gemini. I'll do a good review on it once I've worked with it for a bit. Not a lot of YouTube videos about it.

 

I would really appreciate a video review. I especially would like to hear all sounds the Gemini has since the YouTube videos I've seen tend to cover the most important sounds but not all of them.

I agree. I think that the synth engine is quite powerful in the Gemini and I want to really cover that in a video.

 

[Delaware Dave]

I would really appreciate a video review. I especially would like to hear all sounds the Gemini has since the YouTube videos I've seen tend to cover the most important sounds but not all of them.

1) go here: http://www.gsidsp.com/

2) single click anywhere outside window message that pops up about "welcome to the interactive demo...." to make it disappear from the screen

3) click on the preset list

4) any preset that has the "speaker symbol" after the name has an audio demo link behind it

5) also, go to "select sound" (bottom of the screen) then click on the "sample player" (as well as the VA Synth). Guido has tucked many sounds under these two categories. You can't listen to them but it provides a breadth of the number of sounds that you get with the module.

 

Getting VB3-II alone is almost worth the money of the module but when you start to pile on the other high quality sounds it was a no brainer for me. There was an operating system update about 6 weeks ago that provided the 90's synth sounds (seen here: http://www.genuinesoundware.com/). The update took all of 5 seconds to do, an unlike the concerning update stories I've read about with the HX3 updates this couldn't have been any easier.

 

[rockinroller]

I unpacked the new Mojo 61 that arrived today fresh from the online retailer on the East Coast and deliberately and methodically removed packaging, styrofoam, plastic, etc, lifting the board out and on to my awaiting stand--all with great anticipation (and expectations). The board was clearly never used--no marks, etc on the keys, everything factory-packaged. I plugged in the AC adapter, two audio out lines into my mixer, my sustain pedal (for Leslie slow-fast function), all the while impressed that the board exhibited such a high level of construction and finish.

 

After depressing the rather small power "button" on the rear panel corner, to my amazement (and frankly, a self-fulfilling prophecy) the board failed to fire up--nothing, nada, no lights, nothing. I looked over at the adapter and its green illuminating light shown brightly. I wiggled the insert, pushed the cheap-feeling power button in, out, in, out--several times, but nothing changed. A beautifully looking DEAD board.

 

I had reservations about buying another Crumar product, having had issues with their Orchestrator board a few years ago, and generally having issues with Italian made keyboards (GEM in particular) as far as quality of the hardware. Researching Crumar's website revealed that there's only one factory authorized service center, it being on the West Coast (read: $50 one way shipping) further compromised my interest in taking the plunge. However having said all of that, I was drawn into the purchase from the heaps of praise that's posted here and on other sites online, and from the various demos I've watched on YouTube, etc. and figured I'd roll the dice with the statistically low perception I had for the company.

 

I am sorry to say that I did not even get the chance to hear what this board sounds like in person, despite paying a pretty good dollar for it and anticipating its delivery for several days. And unfortunately it's fortified my opinion about Italian musical equipment manufacturers--at least in my experiences with 5 keyboards made in Italy.

 

Anyway, repackaged and awaiting the RMA from the store as this is written. My inclination is to delay replacing it, instead taking my refund and awaiting the next latest-and-greatest to hit the market, hopefully from a different manufacturer.

 

Good luck to all of you that have bought this board and hope your enjoyment of it will not be infringed by having to get it serviced any time soon.

[drawback]

Sorry to hear of your experience. Man, that sucks. I haven't had any problems with mine, although I do notice there's movement in the chassis pin, and the power supply I received has a straight jack, not right-angled which would be better.

 

Just to address your service issues, I see you're in Detroit so I wonder why you didn't try calling Ken Hall up in Kingston. He's the service rep for Canada / North America so I'm sure he would have looked after you.

 

Cheers,

 

[Delaware Dave]

Why would anyone take a brand new keyboard that was just delivered that is DOA and send it to a repair station for repair? Is that really anyone's expectation? If it is DOA, send it back to the retailer and let them deal with the repair while a new replacement is sent from the retailer. That's how business should be done.

[drawback]

Right. Didn't say send it. Just call a service guy closer than California. Might be a quick fix or not, but at least that's worth a try (to me).

[JB Sherry]

I had reservations about buying another Crumar product, having had issues with their Orchestrator board a few years ago, [/Quote]

The Orchestrator was made in the late 70's so by "a few years ago", do you mean like 30? If you really mean a few years ago, then you had an experience with a vintage instrument, and they are what they are. Everyone should have tempered expectations with vintage stuff. The comparison isn't valid.

 

But, if you DO mean back when Orchestrators were new...

if I'm not mistaken, the company making the Mojo is in no way related to the old Crumar; the new company just thought Crumar would be a cool vintage name to associate with their product and they made it happen. So there's no connection between the 2 instruments on the design and production level either, and the comparison doesn't track ( unless you're just playing the Italian card by itself).

 

That said, your experience is definitely a bummer. We all expect a new product to work, and work well.

[rockinroller]

The GeneralMusic boards (the Equinox and its predecessor) were 1990s vintage. I bought three during the late 90s through early 2000s, brand new. The Equinox was cutting edge in its sounds and capabilities, however hardware and software stability issues plagued me.

 

I've owned 70+ year old Hammond organs that were more reliable than the two (now 3) Italian-based experiences.

 

Just sayin............

[Dave Bryce]

Why would anyone take a brand new keyboard that was just delivered that is DOA and send it to a repair station for repair? Is that really anyone's expectation? If it is DOA, send it back to the retailer and let them deal with the repair while a new replacement is sent from the retailer. That's how business should be done.

Absolutely.

 

dB