Farfisa is a brand name for a series of electronic organs and later multitimbral keyboards, made in Ancona in the Marche region of Italy. The organs were marketed for years in the United States by the Chicago Musical Instrument Company. The classic Hammond electronic organ, invented in the 1930s and popular for decades thereafter. ... Often used in the realm of digital keyboard synthesisers, an instrument that is multitimbral is one which allows you to combine several voices or timbres at the same time. ... A synthesizer (or synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument designed to produce electronically generated sound, using techniques such as additive, subtractive, FM, physical modelling synthesis, phase distortion, or Scanned synthesis. ... Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche, a region of central Italy, population 101,909 (2005). ... // The Marche (plural, originally le marche de Ancona = the Marches of Ancona) are a region of Central Italy, bordering Emilia-Romagna north, Tuscany to the north-west, Umbria to west, Abruzzo and Latium to the south and the Adriatic Sea to the east. ...

With several compact, easily-portable, and inexpensive models available, and their distinctive "cheesy" sound, Farfisa organs became popular among rock bands and other combos during the 1960s. Many listeners first heard a Farfisa on 1966's "Talk Talk" by Sean Bonniwell and The Music Machine. The instrument was integral to the sound of Pink Floyd's early albums, from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn through Dark Side of the Moon. Clint Boon of Madchester band Inspiral Carpets was also famous for using a Farfisa, giving the band its signature sound. (Though often claimed as Farfisa pioneers, ? and the Mysterians actually used a Vox organ on "96 Tears", their best-known work.) Rod Argent of The Zombies was pictured using a Farfisa on stage during the band's later years (although it seems the Farfisa never made it onto any Zombies recordings). John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin used a Farfisa on Dancing Days from Houses of the Holy, as well as occasionally using a VIP-255 or a professional model onstage. Rock band (or rock group) is a generic name to describe a group of musicians specializing in a particular form of electronically amplified music. ... Sean Bonniwell (born August 16, 1940, San Jose, CA), guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, is most famous as the main creative force behind the late-1960s garage rock band, The Music Machine. ... The Music Machine (1965 - 1969) was an American garage rock and psychedelic (sometimes referred to as garage punk) band from the late 1960s, headed by singer-songwriter Sean Bonniwell and based in Los Angeles. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their avant-garde progressive rock music. ... The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is Pink Floyds debut album and the only one made under Syd Barretts leadership, although he made some contributions to the follow-up, A Saucerful of Secrets. ... This article is about the Pink Floyd album. ... Clint Boon (b. ... An NME Originals issue covering the Madchester movement. ... The Inspiral Carpets is an alternative rock band from Oldham in Greater Manchester, England formed by Graham Lambert in 1986. ... Other languages FAQs | Table free Welcome to Wikipedia, a free-content encyclopedia that anyone can edit. ... Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer formerly based in Britain, and now owned by Japanese electronics giants Korg, which is most famous for making the AC30 guitar amplifier and the Vox organ. ... 96 Tears is the name of a popular song recorded by ? & the Mysterians in 1966. ... Image:Rod Argent. ... The Zombies, formed in 1961 in St Albans, were an English pop-rock band. ... John Baldwin (born January 3, 1946 in Sidcup, London), better known by his stage name John Paul Jones, is an English musician and was the bassist and the keyboardist for Led Zeppelin from its inception until the bands breakup following the death of John Bonham in 1980. ... For the bands 1969 self-titled debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... A Song Infobox has been requested for this article. ... Houses of the Holy is an album by English rock band Led Zeppelin released by Atlantic Records on March 28, 1973 (see 1973 in music). ...

With the advent of synthesizers, organs such as the classic Farfisa seemed to be headed for obsolescence, but time proved otherwise. In the late 1970s, with older models going cheap, numerous punk rock and New Wave bands, such as Blondie, The B-52s, Suicide, and the Talking Heads embraced Farfisas as substitutes for more sophisticated keyboards. Their classic sound, in turn, became a staple on multitimbral instruments, first synthesized, then sampled from the originals. A synthesizer (or synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument designed to produce electronically generated sound, using techniques such as additive, subtractive, FM, physical modelling synthesis, phase distortion, or Scanned synthesis. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... New Wave is a term that has been used to describe many developments in music, but is most commonly associated with a movement in Western popular music, in the late 1970s and early 1980s inspired by the punk rock movement. ... The following are uses of the word Blondie: Blondie (band) - a band based in New York City, active in the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s Blondie (comic strip) - a long-running newspaper comic strip Blondie (movie) - Blondie is a 1938 movie based on the comic strip Blondie was also: the... The B-52s are a rock band from Athens, Georgia, the first of many from the college town that has become one of the most important centers in alternative rock. ... It has been suggested that The Pros of suicide be merged into this article or section. ... Talking Heads was an American rock band existing between 1974 and 1991, composed of David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, and Jerry Harrison. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

The Farfisa sound is today used to impart a stereotypically kitschy, 1960s-retro essence to music, and has appeared recently on albums by artists such as Electrelane, Green Day, The Blood Brothers, Smash Mouth, Stereolab, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The American Analog Set, Cadallaca, Tom Waits,Yo La Tengo and Neptune Towers. The Farfisa brand name, meanwhile, continues to appear on contemporary MIDI keyboards. Retro is a term used to describe the culture of the past. ... Electrelane are a band from Brighton, England. ... Green Day is an American rock band band comprising three core members: Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, lead vocals), Mike Dirnt (bass, backing vocals) and Tré Cool (drums). ... The Blood Brothers is an experimental post-hardcore/art punk band formed in the Eastside suburbs of Seattle, Washington, USA in 1997. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Stereolab are an English-based band whose style, mixing 1950s-1960s pop and lounge music with the motorik beat of krautrock, was one of the first to which the term post-rock was applied. ... The Brian Jonestown Massacre (frequently abbreviated as BJM or The BJM) is a psychedelic rock band founded in San Francisco, California in the early 1990s, led by Anton Newcombe. ... The American Analog Set or The AmAnSet is an Austin, Texas based United States indie-post-rock pop band. ... The band pictured on the cover of their first album. ... Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. ... Yo La Tengo is an American indie rock band, based in Hoboken, New Jersey. ... Fenriz Neptune Towers is a Avantgarde Astral Alien Synth side-project formed in 1993 by Fenriz of Darkthrone. ... Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is a system designed to transmit information between electronic musical instruments. ...

Series

Compact Series (1965 - 1969)

The Compact series had four models. On the Compact Duo, dual manual organs tone and volume were regulated by controls on the F/AR combination pre-amp reverb and power supply unit. On most other models the tone controls and a bass section volume were located on an indented panel on the rear of the keyboard. Underneath the keyboards a knee-high lever could be actuated for the tone boost feature, turned on by rocker levers on the console. All models had reverb except of the mini-compact. Optional feature: 13-note bass pedals (not for the mini-compact). Elton John made particular use of this on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

MINI-COMPACT

Smallest of the Compact Series. Only four octaves, no bass on early models. Later version had a selector switch to choose bass or acute sound in the lowest octave; these models had grey naturals with white sharps in the bass octave. Some of these extended bass models have only 3 voices while transitioning to the later models which had 6 voices.

• Tan/Black Tolex
• Early model (Mini Compact, Mini Deluxe Compact) Three tone switches: Dolce, Principale, Strings
• Late model (Mini Deluxe I Compact): 16' Bass; 8' Flute, Oboe, String; 4' Flute and Strings
• Three footages: 16', 8', 4'
• Multi-tone Booster with knee trigger (also served as expression control).
• 1/4" Headphone output
• Swell (expression) pedal (optional)
• Removable legs which stored inside bottom cover (all other models have foldable/pivoting non-removable legs)
• Solid State Preamp

Used by Mike Mills (REM) and by Steve Reich in his piece Four Organs. Michael Edward Mills (born December 17, 1958 in Orange County, California) is the bass player of the band R.E.M. As a young boy, he moved with his family to Macon, Georgia in the early 60s. ... R.E.M. is an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in early 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and vocalist Michael Stipe. ... Stephen Michael Reich (born October 3, 1936) is an American composer. ... Four Organs is a work for four electric organs (hence the name) by Steve Reich. ...

Early COMPACT (COMBO COMPACT)

Features:

• Red/Black or Grey/Black Tolex
• One octave of bass with inverse key colors.
• 16' Bass, Strings
• 8' Flute, Oboe, Trumpet, Strings
• 4' Flute, Piccolo, Strings
• 4 vibrato settings
• 3 reverb settings
• 3 rockers for bass volume
• Multi-Tone Booster
• Swell (expression) pedal
• 1/4" Headphone Output
• Tube preamp (2 12AX7s) and real spring reverb
• 1/4" bass optional output
• Independent Bass and Treble 1/4" outputs
• Back panel adjustments for treble and bass tone as well as bass output volume.

Late COMPACT (COMBO COMPACT I)

Features:

• Same as Early Combo Compact except:
• Two inferior octaves (one black/white, one grey/white) on the left-hand side of the keyboard; one set of octaves were switch-controllable for choice of a bass or acute sound with bass note sustain and controllable bass percussion.
• Volume balance control between bass and treble on the front panel (trim pot as opposed to rockers of the earlier version)
• Sharp and Soft sound for the manual bass
• Only backpanel adjustment is for bass output.

COMPACT DELUXE

Features:

• Tan/Black tolex
• Two inferior octaves (one black/white, one grey/white) on the left-hand side of the keyboard; one set of octaves were switch-controllable for choice of a bass or acute sound.
• Bass note sustain and soft/sharp controls.
• Independent controllable percussion for both bass and treble manuals.
• 16' Bass, Strings
• 8' Flute, Oboe, Trumpet, Strings
• 4' Flute, Piccolo, Strings
• 2-2/3' with independent brilliant tab
• 4 vibrato settings
• Tube preamp (2 12AX7s) and real spring reverb
• 3 reverb settings
• Multi-Tone Booster
• Swell (expression) pedal + knee control for Multi-Tone Booster
• Independent Bass and Treble 1/4" outputs
• 1/4" Headphone Output
• Late models (Combo Deluxe Compact I) also includes a Rhythm Section of Brush Cymbal and Drum

COMPACT DUO

Most renowned of the Compact Series, having been used by Al Kooper (Blues Project), Mick McNeil (Simple Minds), Rick Wright of Pink Floyd, and Clint Boon of the Inspiral Carpets. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Blues Project was a short-lived rock and roll band from the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City that was formed in 1965 and split up in 1967. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Simple Minds is a rock band from Scotland, which had its greatest worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early-1990s. ... Richard Wright, also known as Rick Wright (born July 28, 1945), is the keyboard player of Pink Floyd. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their avant-garde progressive rock music. ... Clint Boon (b. ... The Inspiral Carpets is an alternative rock band from Oldham in Greater Manchester, England formed by Graham Lambert in 1986. ...

Features:

• Grey/Black Tolex
• Four-octave upper keyboard with 9 selectors: 16' Bass, Strings; 8' Flute, Oboe, Trumpet, Strings; 4' Flute, Strings; 2-2/3' (Flute), Brilliance
• Four-octave lower keyboard with three selectors: Dolce, Principale, Ottavo.
• Two inferior octaves on the left-hand side of the lower keyboard; one set of octaves were switch-controllable for choice of a bass or acute sound.
• 4 vibrato settings
• 3 reverb settings
• Multi-Tone Booster
• Swell (expression) pedal + knee control for Multi-Tone Booster
• Bass note volume control, sustain, sharp, and percussion.
• 1/4" Bass output
• Lower manual volume control
• Brilliance control which only works with the 2-2/3 (Flute) Tab.
• Later models also incorporate tremelo, percussion and repeat functions for both the upper and lower treble manuals independently.
• Unlike other Compact series organs, the Compat Duo models require a separate power supply/solid-state preamp/real spring reverb unit (called the Farfisa F/AR) to operate. The organ connects to the F/AR via a multi-lead cable. The cable on the American version used a 7-pin Amphenol connector, while European models used a Preh multipin. Treble output is only available via the F/AR. The Compact Duos could also operate directly (without the F/AR) with Farfisa Amplifier Models BR80 or Twin 80, which accept the 7-pin connector and provide the organ with power. The organs reverb switches activate the reverb in these two amplifier models.

Amphenol Corporation is one of the worlds leading producers of electronic and fiber optic connectors, cable and interconnect systems. ...

FAST Series

The FAST (Farfisa All Silicon Transistor) Series models had a metal cabinet covered with a washable skin plate and plastic edges, chrome folding legs, retractable carrying handles, and a removable music rack. This model of Farfisa was used by Phillip Glass on some of his early recordings Philip Glass looks upon sheet music in a portrait taken by Annie Leibovitz. ...

FAST 3

Features:

• Keyboard: 49 notes (C to C)
• Manual Bass: 12 notes (C to B)
• Voice Stops (7): Bass, Clarinet, Flute (8"), Oboe, Trumpet, Strings, Flute (4")
• Vibrato Stops: On/off, Fast/slow
• Manual Bass Selector: Bass/treble, Piano/forte
• Swell pedal: Optional

FAST 4

Features:

• Keyboard: 61 notes
• Voice Stops (8): Bass, Bass Clarinet, Flute (8"), Oboe, Trumpet, Flue, Oboe, Trumpet, Strings, Flute (4"), Piccolo
• Mixture Stops (2)
• Vibrato Stops (3): On/off, Slow/Fast, Light/Heavy
• Percussion Stops (5): Manual bass on/off, Treble on/off, Long/short, Mixture on/off, Mixture soft/sharp
• Manual Bass Selector: Bass/treble
• Pedal and Manual Bass Sound: Soft/Sharp
• FAST 4 has been used by Philip Glass

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

FAST 5

Features, same as FAST 4, plus:

• Sustain Stops (3): Celesta, Clavicord, Kinura

Artists:

• FAST 5 used by Ronnie Rancifer (Jackson 5).

Ronnie Rancifer is an African American musician and songwriter, noted for being the original keyboardist for The Jackson 5 from their early Gary, Indiana days until the end of their famed career at Motown. ... The cover to the Jackson 5s first LP, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, released on Motown Records in 1969. ...

Professional Series (1968 - 1972)

• Professional (PP/222 and PP/221) used by Sylvester Stewart of (Sly and the Family Stone). Also by Sun Ra, Tangerine Dream, Jean Michel Jarre, and Art Neville.
• Professional DUO - Double keyboard version with bass pedal option.
• Professional Piano - used by Ralf Hutter of (Kraftwerk)

Sly Stone, as depicted on the cover of the 1981 greatest hits compilation Sly & the Family Stone Anthology. ... Sly & the Family Stone were an American rock band from San Francisco, California. ... Sun Ra (Born Herman Poole Blount; legal name Le Sonyr Ra [1]; born May 22, 1914 in Birmingham, Alabama, died May 30, 1993 in Birmingham, Alabama) was an innovative jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, who came to be known as much for his cosmic philosophy as for... Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. ... Jean-Michel André Jarre (born August 24, 1948 in Lyon, France) is a French composer, performer and music producer. ... Art Neville is an American singer and keyboardist from New Orleans. ... Kraftwerk (pronounced [], German for power station) is a German musical group which has made significant contributions to the development of experimental and electronic music. ...

VIP Series

• VIP 200
• VIP 202
• VIP 233
• VIP 255 used by John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin).
• VIP 345 used by Susan Dey (in role as Laurie Partridge, The Partridge Family).
• VIP 370
• VIP 400
• VIP 500
• VIP 600 used by Michael McNeil (Simple Minds).

John Baldwin (born January 3, 1946 in Sidcup, London), better known by his stage name John Paul Jones, is an English musician and was the bassist and the keyboardist for Led Zeppelin from its inception until the bands breakup following the death of John Bonham in 1980. ... For the bands 1969 self-titled debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... Susan Hallock Dey (born December 10, 1952 in Pekin, Illinois) is an American actress. ... The Partridge Family was an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children, living in San Pueblo, a small fictional town in Northern California. ... Simple Minds is a rock band from Scotland, which had its greatest worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early-1990s. ...

Matador

The Farfisa Matador was produced in the Early to mid 1970s. It is a Compact Organ with a built in speaker, and amplifier. Several models of Matador were produced.

Synthorchestra

• In the mid seventies Farfisa produced the "Stereo Synthorchestra". It has a three octave keyboard, and a "Mono", and "Poli" tone generator section. The "poli" section has four timbres, "Trombone", "Trumpet", "Piano", and "Viola". The Mono section is the "synth" part of the machine. It has nine timbres, Tuba, Trombone, Trumpet, Bari Sax, Alto Sax, Bass Flute, Flute, Piccolo, and Violin. This section is monophonic, with a highest note priority. The mono section can be modified by two envelope controls, and a "Wha-Wha", there is also a variable portamento. Only one timbre, from each section, can be used at a time. each section has a "Brilliance" control, which adds more top end to the sound, and a variable speed Vibrato, which has a delay function, for delayed vibrato effects.

The Synthorchestra also has separate outputs for each of its two sections, giving it the name "StereoSynthorchestra"

Transicord

• The "Transicord" was an electronic accordion. It was designed to be used in conjunction with Farfisa's Amplifiers, and had a multi-pin cable that connected the controls of the accordion, with the controls of the amplifier, or the F/AR Reverb preamp power supply unit.

The Transicord came in two models, a standard model and a "DeLuxe" model. The standard model has one row of tab-stops similar to those found on a Combo Compact organ, and is reported to have a similar sound. The color scheme was grey with light blue and green. The DeLuxe model has two rows of tab-stops and is black in color. When sound is produced in an enclosed space multiple reflections build up and blend together creating reverberation or reverb. ...

Opening and closing the bellows reportedly engages an effect similar to the "tone boost" on Combo Compact model organs. The Transicord can also be equipped with the same volume pedal used for many other Farfisa organs.

See also

• Vox organ
• Hammond organ

Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer formerly based in Britain, and now owned by Japanese electronics giants Korg, which is most famous for making the AC30 guitar amplifier and the Vox organ. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

External links

• Farfisa.org
• KTopits: Farfisa Professional
• Combo Organ Heaven
• The Farfisa Organ Page