This is a Nomad "Model 61" combo organ, also marketed as the Teisco Teischord G, made in Japan in the late 1960s. This is a great-sounding, well-made organ that is actually a lot more portable than many other contemporary organs. It has a narrow body and probably weighs only around 40 lbs., and comes with its case / lid but no legs. The key mechanism is encased by an acrylic tube that protects it from getting dirty or damaged, lending it additional reliability where many organs would be prone to malfunction. It's an organ that's pretty well suited to taking out to performances. You can just stick it on a regular keyboard stand.
THE SOUND
The Nomad has a generally warm and sweet sound in the upper sections, with a relatively subtle vibrato with a speed control that does give it the ability to get unusually fast. One of the best things about this organ is that it can make distinctly growly bass sounds that really cut through the mix, much more so than many organs. The bass section is polyphonic and there is also an "accompaniment" section (grey keys) with a separate set of tone (filter) options.
Each section has its own volume knob to control its level in the mix.
Here's an explanation of the controls, as they can be a bit confusing at first glance. On the left of the panel, you will see a knob switch whose options are BASS + SOLO, ACC + SOLO and SOLO. Here's how it works:
BASS + SOLO selected - bass section sounds are selected by the bass section filter switches; accompaniment section and normal white ("solo") section sounds are selected by the solo section filter switches. ACC + SOLO selected - bass and accompaniment section sounds are both determined by what is selected in the accompaniment filter switch section; solo section sounds are selected in the solo filter switches. SOLO - solo section filter switches apply to the whole keyboard.
CONDITION
The professionals at Bell Tone Synth Works have replaced all electrolytic capacitors on this organ, cleaned the switches and section level controls, and replaced a few transistors to get all of the circuitry working great. However, there is still a slight ringing hum in the background of the sound output. The organ was originally designed to have its upper and lower sections go out into two amps and have a foot-pedal control that controls the relative volume of the sections. Because we don't have the pedal and they are difficult to find, we have installed a pedal bypass toggle switch on the back near the jacks that allows all signals to be output through the jack labeled SOLO/ACC/BASS. Another amp can then optionally be used to strengthen the lower sections. If you were to acquire the required pedal, you could still use it as intended just by turning the switch to the opposite position. As we mentioned earlier, the handle is missing, and one hinge on the case is broken. There is a tear in the tolex (maybe 2" long) on the left side (shown in close-up photo) and a little area on the left front corner where a thin (1/4") strip of wood is exposed just as a result of the tolex shrinking away. The panel, keys and switches all look great with just some VERY light scratches on the panel. The organ does not come with legs or a sheet music stand.
