keyboards galore

So, after the last update I was thrilled to announce that I'd got the swell pedals to work as they should. I was a very happy bunny. I had a couple of days worth of playing the instrument which was marvellous. I'm saying lots of nice things about it and building it up aren't I? I bet you're expecting me to bring it crashing down with a comment about it all going pear-shaped after blowing up or something. Well, sorry to disappoint but it was still fine.

We had a couple of good friends over for dinner a couple of nights ago. As these friends are such good company (that is, they like to get plastered too) I dismantled the organ to take it out of the bedroom (that's what the room is in all honesty) so I could pull out the sofa bed in case they ended up with too much booze in their systems that they'd need to stay over... they did!

Oh, already I miss it. The poor little thing comes apart in several very large pieces. Two lots of two manuals, two touchscreen monitors, the desk the bench and the pedalboard. Not really difficult to dismantle but when you're still trying to get your hand strengthened after a carpal tunnel operation it's not quite so easy. I managed to get pretty much all of it out to the garage and it is now strewn across the grand piano in there.

There is some VERY exciting news about the organ though... I've actually bought the Hauptwerk software at last. HURRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hauptwerk are doing a very good special offer over the Christmas period which is a bit late for any of you to benefit from now. The version 3.3 has been reduced by about 20% with a free upgrade to the version 4.0 which is due out in a month or so. God knows how long it'll take for the product to arrive as it is winging its way from Canada I believe. I'm also certain that I'll be stung by the VAT increase from 17.5% to 20% in the next few days. We've got to get the national debt down somehow I suppose... those of us who've still got jobs that is! C'est la vie. I think that in total it'll cost me £420 or somewhere in that region. I'm not even putting that money into the British economy anyway if it's coming from Canada... Hmm, didn't think of that!

The organ will have to stay in the garage for a little while now which is really killing me. I start to build up the strength in my hand and start playing a bit more confidently with not a lot of trouble, I buy the software I've been coveting for months and then get an appointment for my second operation for the 4th January. That means at least the beginning of February before I can consider playing again. BUGGER! What irony is that for you?

I was rooting around on Ebay again tonight. I've seen another couple of keyboards that would be great to convert. We'll see... I've already got 6 now. Did I mention the wooden ones I bought a few months ago? They're very nice although I might have to re-list them. They cost me £90 which was a good price but it'll cost me about £500 for the necessary hardware to convert them. I might let them sit in the garage for a few months to see if anything comes up. Ideally they'll be part of the main organ for the home instrument. I'd rather add them and take the keyboards off the top off the current stack of four as the colour doesn't match (as shown on the picture in the first posting).

I'm still not happy with the organ though. The thumb pistons don't work at present. They're all wired up correctly; that I know as I did have them working a while ago but then had to dismantle it and then forgot how I'd configured it when I put it back together!

Do you know what thumb pistons are? Well, here, have a butcher's;-

Now you know what they look like I'd best explain what they do and where they are. To be honest,they're simply pre-programmed combinations. The easiest way to explain it is to compare it to your car radio. You have your favourite stations tuned in already so that you just push a button and there they are. These do exactly the same job - except you don't get 'The Archers' if you press number 4! They pull combinations of different stops out all at once instead of having to pull them out individually. The pistons are easily reached as they're positioned directly beneath the keys on each keyboard. If you closely look on the picture you'll see the black notes of the keyboard below and the underside of the keys above.

That's it for now. You know when you're sure there's something you've forgotten to say? Why am I getting that feeling very strongly at present?

Oh, and one other thing... While I've been writing this the clock has ticked past midnight. That means that we're into the very last day of 2010. I'm sure that my next post will be in 2011 so with that in mind HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hope it's a good 'un.