Whitehall

6640

Controls: Knobs: Bass volume, Brilliance, Vibrato Depth, Volume. Tabs: Flute, Diapason, Oboe, Horn, Violin, Vibrato

I've been told by the owner of one of these that the colored panels above the tabs do indeed light up when the tab is pressed. Cool!

Picture courtesy of the Audio Playground Synthesizer Museum

Grand Prix

This used to be one of the "Mystery Organs" on the old "Combo Organ Hell" web site.  I actually wound up buying a couple of organs (not the Whitehall, though) from the fellows who took the pictures on the left (it wasn't their web site, though).  After I found the Grand Prix Duo (below), I surmised that this must be the "Grand Prix".  Sure enough, I found it in a 1969 Montgomery Wards catalog (pic on the right).

Controls:

• Off/On tab with built-in pilot light, Knob (Volume?, Bass Volume?)

• Voice Tabs: Bass Clarinet 16', Diapason 16', Trumpet 16', English Horn 8', Violin 8', Oboe 8', Flute 8', 4', 2', 2-2/3',

• Knee Lever ("Differential") Tabs: 16', 8', 4', 2', 2-2/3',

• Effects Tabs: Reverber(?), Vibrato, Percussion Long, Medium, Short, Repeat

• Knobs: Vibrato Speed, Repeat Speed

Picture courtesy of Doug Ferguson	Picture from 1969 Wards Spring & Summer Catalog
Another of the "Mystery" organ, courtesy of Steve Peglar

1969 Montgomery Wards Price:  $549

Grand Prix Duo, Model #5002

This used to be my "Mystery Organ #2", but I found one recently, and while it's not blue, it does look like it's probably the same organ.

Controls:

• Off/On tab with built-in pilot light

• Lower Manual Tabs: Bass 16'/16'-8', 16', 8', 4'

• Upper Manual Tabs: Bass Clarinet 16', Diapason 16', Trumpet 16', English Horn 8', Violin 8', Oboe 8', Flute 8', 4', 2', 2-2/3',

• Knee Lever ("Differential") Tabs: 16', 8', 4', 2', 2-2/3',

• Effects Tabs: Reverber(?), Vibrato, Percussion Long, Medium, Short, Repeat

• Knobs: Vibrato Speed, Repeat Speed (right end of front panel), Bass Volume, Manual Balance (left of upper manual)

The "Differential" tabs add the selected voices incrementally as the knee lever is pushed to the right. Don't pick a regular voice tab and a Differential tab of the same rank (see story below)!

It has a clear plastic music rack with "Whitehall" lettering on it. Rotates forward/backward on stand, like a Fender Contempo.

(This one is from the 1969 Wards Christmas catalog)

1969 Montgomery Wards Price: $749  On sale in the '69 Christmas catalog for $549.

Back around 1970, my best friend got one of these for Christmas (The blue one, on sale for $549).  It sounded excellent! It didn't come with a power cord, so he whittled down a coffeepot cord to fit. The instruction manual said NOT to select a regular stop and a knee lever stop of the same footage at the same time. Well, he just had to try it. He played an "E", and immediately all the E's went out. They took it back to Wards and got their money back (went and bought a Yamaha YC-20 instead!). Several months later, Wards called to say that the organ had been repaired and did they want it back. Combo organs? Think "Montgomery Wards" - smart organists always do!