Mag organ questions for Mitch Towne

[Pa Gherkin]

Hi Mitch. Congratulations on becoming a U.S. ambassador for Mag organs. Looking at the C1 single manual Mag on the Mag website. It states a price of 2396 euros for the basic version plus a Eu. export tax of 1980 euros. This translates to roughly $5211 in U.S. dollars for this single manual clone wheel without any options added on. Have I interpreted this correctly? Also,are there plans for a dealer and service network in the U.S.? I"m sure I"m not alone in lusting after one of these but info has been a little scarce. Thanks for any knowledge you can impart.

[bjosko]

I can answer on the price. If you are living outside EU, your price would be 1980 Euro.

That is becaues we dont pay taxes to our own country when we trade between country inside EU, and therefore have to pay the typical 20-25 % Tax when we are buying it to the country it are coming from ( if both countries are inside EU) .

 

So, if you are living inside EU, the price will be 2396 Euro

If you are living outside EU, the price will be 1980 Euro ( export price), and then you have to deal with your own customs.

I guess both prices will be plus freight.

 

I can"t answer on the rest of the questions, but I want one if ( hopefully not) my Mojo dies.

[Pa Gherkin]

Thank you bjosko. That sounds much better. I guess I just didn"t understand the pricing on the website. I"d love to have the full blown top of the line Mag but it just isn"t practical for me right now.

[Spider76]

It states a price of 2396 euros for the basic version plus a Eu. export tax of 1980 euros.

 

Yes it's EITHER 2396 or 1980, depending if you're in the EU (price includes VAT) or not.

We were talking about the MAGs in a Viscount Legend opic, I also had very little info about them (and their website isn't very informative really), and now I'm starting to be seriously interested! Being in the EU, boutique offerings like MAG, Crumar or UHL (and also Viscount, although it's not boutique) are probably leasier to get and less of a concern in case support is needed.

[Delaware Dave]

" ..boutique offerings like MAG, Crumar or UHL (and also Viscount, although it's not boutique) ..... less of a concern in case support is needed.

Yes and no. I find boutique offerings typically do a better job of service (Crumar, controversially being the exception based on my experience) as long as they remain viable. Once the viability is gone, typically so is the service. Case in point, Voce (no parts, no service); Barbetta (try getting their amps fixed); Motion Sound (before they revived themselves); Speakeasy, etc.. If they stay in business you're fine; but being small boutique companies without continual sales they tend to go out of business and then parts/service/schematics become a nightmare and you end up with a giant paperweight for an instrument when it needs servicing. IMHO of course.

[Mitch Towne]

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

[Pa Gherkin]

Thanks Mitch.

[Pa Gherkin]

Yeah Dave, I've been burned a couple of times by boutique gear. It looks like the Mag organs are very impressive instruments. I really want to see them enjoy great success. I want one badly and am having a tough time restraining myself. At least I have a couple of Hammond Suzukis and Vents to tide me over.

[Spider76]

Thanks Mitch. Look forward to a more informative site, right now they say "custom" organs but it's really not clear what the customization options are, and I'd love to see a detailed list of all the possibilities with photos, prices etc.

Still a very promising company, wish them all the best!