mound Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 Anybody know anything about this organ? My friend (who knows nothing about keyboards/organs) was telling me that his parents had an organ in their house that "they bought 20 or 30 years ago and is just taking up space, you want it?" - I was like "hmm.. maybe it's a hammond?" - he checked it out and told me it's a Lowery Genie 88. I have never heard of such a thing, have you? Even a google search turns up very little. I'm gonna go take a look at it anyway. -paul "You look hopefully for an idea and then you're humble when you find it and you wish your skills were better. To have even a half-baked touch of creativity is an honor." -- Ernie Stires, composer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT156 Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 The Lowry Genie was the biggest, overpriced, piece of junk on the organ market. I'm not surprised its just sitting taking up space. Don't give them any money for it, nice people or not. Musically, its a door stop. Mike T. Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DafDuc Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Shortly after getting my new church gig, A Genie 88 magically showed up in the choir room. I wish it hadn't. Daf I played in an 8 piece horn band. We would often get bored. So...three words: "Tower of Polka." - Calumet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karmadude Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Shortly after the Genie 88 series had its run, I joined the Lowrey Company as a rep. The only organ they made that was worth a damn was the MX-1; the rest were, as previously mentioned, crap. I am not really denigrating my career for that period, as it allowed me to make many connections within Norlin Industries, and the business in general. All the organs they made were for the 'blue-hairs', as we used to call our 'target market'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT156 Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 I was a KB salesman in those days, and we would steer "blue haired" target market to Yamaha organs, which were pretty nice for a home organ. The Lowry Genies were particle board, and if you ever saw what was inside them (not much) you'd puke. They retailed for a LOT of money for an empty particle board box. Rip off. I had no respect for the Lowry organ company for the scam they pulled on our senior citizens. I NEVER sold one to anyone. I didn't need the commission THAT bad. Mike T. Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve in KS Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Ooooh. Ick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksoper Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 I sold Lowery from 83 to 85. I agree that the MX-1 was decent and substantial, but there were some older models--the D-350 Holiday for one, that were pretty nice for what they were. I did a concert for the Home Organist convention on a Cotillion that wasn't terrible, and the Genius, with its programmed backgrounds on cartridges, was pretty cool. It had a touch rail underneath the keyboard that triggered drum fills, and programmable portamento activated by legato touch. I sold a bunch of those. But the Genie line...true garbage. k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksoper Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 double post... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffLearman Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 So it must have been an MX-1 that Garth Hudson of The Band played. I confess I never did understand is preference of Lowrey over Hammond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksoper Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Garth Hudson played a Lowery Festival through a Leslie. i couldn't find a picture of it, but i was pretty sure that The Band was pre-MX-1. The MX-1 was a $25k early to mid-80s monster (dealer cost, about half that) with two 48-note keyboards and a 13-note pedal board, with a bunch of pre-programmed backgrounds and decent amplification and furniture. It was good at big band, dixieland, and theatre organ styles. Not much else. Waaaaaaaay overpriced for what you got. k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88keys4me Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 On a recent visit to my aunt, whom I'd not seen in some years, I was surprised to find she owned an organ. Big and cumbersome, and evidently NOT a Hammond, I couldn't imagine what it was. So she rolled back the cover and bingo - it was a Lowrey Genie. She told me how the salesman had convinced her to trade in her old Hammond spinet and she still paid a lot of money for the Lowrey . She asked me to play it, which I did. What a piece of junk. Out of respect for my aunt, I didn't have the heart to tell her she'd been ripped off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT156 Posted December 29, 2004 Share Posted December 29, 2004 The Hammond Spinet probably brought the dealer even more money on that deal. There's a "salesman's" hell for people like that. Mike T. Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karmadude Posted December 29, 2004 Share Posted December 29, 2004 Ahh... The Lowrey Cotillion, MX-1, Holiday D-350 & D-375 and the Genius series. Lowrey was on the right track at the wrong time, as the whole industry was; when the portable keyboard market blew the home organ business all to Hell. Once the blue hairs figured out that they could plug a portable keyboard into their home stereos it was all over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT156 Posted December 29, 2004 Share Posted December 29, 2004 Karmadude: I don't buy that. Lowry was putting a retail price of just under $4000.00 on a particle board "organ" with a couple of rhythm patterns, cheezy tone generator and KB with dealer cost of about $1100.00. Typically, that equated to less than $400.00 worth of parts in the "organ" by the manufacturer, Lowry. If that's not a RIP OFF, I don't know what is. I can appreciate the fact that you worked for them and want to defend them as a company, but the Lowry Genie is not even close to anything you could justify as anything but that, a MAJOR RIP OFF. Everyone is entitled to a reasonable profit, but, I have some beach front property in Arizona......... Mike T. Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karmadude Posted December 29, 2004 Share Posted December 29, 2004 I am not defending the company or their practices, just reminicing as we all were before your diatribe. When you apply the analysis you afford Lowrey to any other keyboard made today (component parts level), they really stack up much the same, not to take into consideration the subjective listening skills of the purchaser, or the quality of their decision making processes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksoper Posted December 29, 2004 Share Posted December 29, 2004 None of us put a gun to anyone's head to buy a Lowrey. For me, organ sales was a "playing" gig during an otherwise dry spell in my area. We offered free lessons with purchase, and under the guidance of a rather gifted and patient teacher, some of those folks got pretty good. When they outplayed their instrument we were there with logical trade-ups. They could've spent their discretionary income on many other pasttimes, but chose music. Scant few actually bought anything from the Genie line. There were better choices, particularly in the used instrument department. They got more organ for the money and I got a spiff. I saw the Genie as an instrument to sell against. That said, I'm sure I'll spend some time in purgatory for one or two deals I was involved with. A man's gotta eat. k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karmadude Posted December 29, 2004 Share Posted December 29, 2004 Well said. Going to Hell anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT156 Posted December 29, 2004 Share Posted December 29, 2004 Yep, he's going. There IS no purgatory. Mike T. Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mound Posted December 29, 2004 Author Share Posted December 29, 2004 Wow! My friend will get a kick out of these responses.. he said his parents paid $3500 for it way back when.. I was intriqued when he told me that it had various rhythm patterns it could play.. I had no idea such a thing existed back then in an organ form.. I won't give him any money for it.. I don't even think I'll take it from them seeing these responses! -Paul "You look hopefully for an idea and then you're humble when you find it and you wish your skills were better. To have even a half-baked touch of creativity is an honor." -- Ernie Stires, composer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT156 Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Paul, now don't go getting all impressed by the fact that it had a few variations of different drums. Its not like it was made 50 years ago. Mike T. Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
organist2 Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 I just joined this forum after reading this thread. As to the original question, it depends on which "Genie 88" it is. There were two versions of it. The first "Genie 88" was little more than a "Genie 44" with three pitches of flutes for the Upper Manual (16', 8' and 4'). The later version was a bit more substantial, and musically was really not that bad an instrument. The only problem now might be getting parts for it if it needs servicing. That issue will exist with virtually all instruments of the vintage of that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDragonSoun Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 Double, nothing to read here, please move on. Begin the day with a friendly voice A companion, unobtrusive - Rush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDragonSoun Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 My first keyboard in our house. My parents bought one and since I showed interest I got piano lessons at 8 years old so in a sense I owe it some thanks. I use to play the melodies while it acted like an arranger. It was easy to play but very cheesy and sounded like crap. Even the girls I tried to impress playing it got bored and they were easy I will admit I loved to mess around with the Auto Wah sound. Begin the day with a friendly voice A companion, unobtrusive - Rush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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