Farfisa Find.

For enthusiasts of synths, pianos, organs or keyboard instruments of any sort.

Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by Hugh Robjohns »

Arpangel wrote: Sun Apr 21, 2024 8:59 am ...the amp by the way is a valve one, by all accounts.

Not by the accounts I've explored... and I highly doubt it.

From my research, the original Matador is the model 611. I can't find any online schematics for that but, according to the Farfisa Heaven website, the Matador-R is identical other than the latter having a 1970s rhythm unit built in.

There are several sources for the Matador-R schematics online... and they show no valves! The Matador was an early1970s design, by which time silicon transistors and 74-series logic chops were standard. The schematics show a simple small transistor amp for the internal speakers/headphones.

The line-out comes direct from the preamp, from the same point that feeds the power amp. Since the latter clearly works it must be something pretty trivial that is stopping the line out from working.

There are 12 multivibe oscillators for each note in the top octave, with logic dividers for the other octaves. It looks like the organ combines multiple octave notes onto the keys across the middle of the keyboard, so the different perceived levels across octaves might be intentional.
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by Arpangel »

Hi Hugh, yes, it is a 611. I found this, which confirms it's a solid sate amp, as you say.

https://dainaccio.wordpress.com/2013/01 ... an-repair/

I've had a look inside, it's weird, how the drawbars work.
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by Hugh Robjohns »

The drawbars are just sliding switches with the terminals picking up different taps in a potential divider that adjust the attenuation from each tone filter.

Here's one source of the -R schematic.

https://www.audioservicemanuals.com/f/f ... -matador-r
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by Arpangel »

Hugh Robjohns wrote: Sun Apr 21, 2024 10:31 am The drawbars are just sliding switches with the terminals picking up different taps in a potential divider that adjust the attenuation from each tone filter.

Here's one source of the -R schematic.

https://www.audioservicemanuals.com/f/f ... -matador-r

Thanks for the link, it does seem very fragile though, it’s a wonder it works at all, and it's lasted all these years.
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by Hugh Robjohns »

Let's just hope it's not "totally beyond" economical repair....
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by Folderol »

Very interesting drawings. Only a few specialist chips, the rest are pretty standard. I would hope it will be mostly a matter of copious switch cleaner and cap changes to get it tickety-boo.

Tony, can you print off a copy of that PDF? My printer seems to be having a bit of a 'sleep' :(
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by Arpangel »

Folderol wrote: Sun Apr 21, 2024 12:12 pm Very interesting drawings. Only a few specialist chips, the rest are pretty standard. I would hope it will be mostly a matter of copious switch cleaner and cap changes to get it tickety-boo.

Tony, can you print off a copy of that PDF? My printer seems to be having a bit of a 'sleep' :(

I'll print it Will, no prob's.
I did try switch cleaner on one drawbar, ant it didn’t make any difference, in fact it felt worse, I think the design of them isn’t suited to switch cleaner, but you can have a look.
As for being beyond repair, thats not an issue, firstly, it’s actually working in a fashion, good enough for my music! secondly, it was only €65!
But hopefully the dynamic duo will be able to sort it out, even if my job is only to pass the screwdriver.

:D
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by Folderol »

Not so sure about the 'dynamic' bit :lol:
I'll prolly be along between 9 and 10 - to avoid the rush hour traffic.
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by Arpangel »

Folderol wrote: Mon Apr 22, 2024 8:50 am Not so sure about the 'dynamic' bit :lol:
I'll prolly be along between 9 and 10 - to avoid the rush hour traffic.

Does the world actually exist between 9 and 10? :D
Dont worry, I'll be up and staggering around, sort of.
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by Arpangel »

Good day yesterday, Will had a good look around, and we decided to adjourn to a later date, he worked out what needed doing, and taking this thing apart is quite a job.
Capacitors were easily located in the PSU and those need to be replaced, but to get at the oscillators and dividers we need to take the whole keyboard out.
The volume pedal is optical, and the LED isn’t working.
Not sure if this is going to be repairable, might just replace the LED with a normal pot, and disconnect the DC feed.
Will is great, a true gent, and many thanks to him for helping me with this.
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by Folderol »

It's definitely proving to be an interesting project! In the industrial world the Italians were well known for taking a 'different' approach to everyone else, and it seems they carried this over to music kit! Internally nothing at all is plugged. It's all hard wired with a central laced wiring loom.

The LDR is almost certainly the old ORP12 and these were known for slowly going permanently high resistance. It may be practical to swap this for a more modern (smaller) one. In any case I'd be inclined to suggest using a plug and socket so it's not permanently attached, and anything else could be fitted instead. We've also got a missing voice on a couple of keys, so that looks like oscilloscope time.

As mentioned there are a few caps that need changing, but all considered it's actually in pretty good condition.
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by Hugh Robjohns »

Folderol wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2024 3:09 pmInternally nothing at all is plugged. It's all hard wired with a central laced wiring loom.

In my experience of 1970s electronic organs (which involved rummaging around in a lot!) that is quite normal.

The LDR is almost certainly the old ORP12 and these were known for slowly going permanently high resistance.

I remember a lot of those. Very common design, again.

In any case I'd be inclined to suggest using a plug and socket so it's not permanently attached...

The reviews and manuals I've seen talk of a 3-pin DIN socket to connect the expression pedal.

We've also got a missing voice on a couple of keys, so that looks like oscilloscope time.

Most likely dirty/bent/broken key contacts, or wiring issues.

... all considered it's actually in pretty good condition.

Amazing how well these things stand up. Lots of metal and wood, rather than plastic....
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by DGL. »

Luckily it would seem later organs did use plugged interconnects, my HS8 had a good few if them.
Related there is what must be an 80's farfisa organ in a charity shop in Weymouth.
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by Folderol »

Hugh Robjohns wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2024 3:26 pm
In any case I'd be inclined to suggest using a plug and socket so it's not permanently attached...

The reviews and manuals I've seen talk of a 3-pin DIN socket to connect the expression pedal.

This one has a 4 core captive cable. The lamp ground doesn't share the signal ground.
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by Hugh Robjohns »

Fairy snuff...
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by ManFromGlass »

The neighbour scored a B3 with Leslie for the price of getting it out of the owners place. Even though in working condition it needed a few hundred dollars work and some kind of mod.
Major score! He had the space for it and it sounds great!
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by The Elf »

I literally couldn't give my Hammond away. It went to a house clearance business and I hope they found it a home. :cry:
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by Hugh Robjohns »

There are Hammonds and Hammonds....

There'll always be a long queue with deep pockets to buy the big console valve and tonewheel organs: the B3/C3/A100 models. Many of their forebears (B2, BC, etc) are also snapped up and upgraded to B3 status, too.

The smaller and later L and M series are far less popular — still tonewheel and part valve with a recognisable sound, but not a B3.

I think the T series was the last with tonewheels, but solid state and no collector's value at all, despite being a well specified instrument. And all the rest are just scrappage now.

The marketplaces are awash with electronic organs 'free to take away' dating back to the 60s/70s/80s — Yamahas, Farfisas, Roland's, Eminents, Rogers, Wurlirzers, Lowreys, Thomas' .... dozens of 'em — many impressive in their day, but pretty much unserviceable now due to bespoke LSI chips.

Some of the 60s and 70s stage combo organs are having a small resurgence on popularity, but I dont think the retro nostalgia will last or bolster prices significantly.
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by Arpangel »

Hugh Robjohns wrote: Fri Apr 26, 2024 10:15 am There are Hammonds and Hammonds....

There'll always be a long queue with deep pockets to buy the big console valve and tonewheel organs: the B3/C3/A100 models. Many of their forebears (B2, BC, etc) are also snapped up and upgraded to B3 status, too.

The smaller and later L and M series are far less popular — still tonewheel and part valve with a recognisable sound, but not a B3.

I think the T series was the last with tonewheels, but solid state and no collector's value at all, despite being a well specified instrument. And all the rest are just scrappage now.

The marketplaces are awash with electronic organs 'free to take away' dating back to the 60s/70s/80s — Yamahas, Farfisas, Roland's, Eminents, Rogers, Wurlirzers, Lowreys, Thomas' .... dozens of 'em — many impressive in their day, but pretty much unserviceable now due to bespoke LSI chips.

Some of the 60s and 70s stage combo organs are having a small resurgence on popularity, but I dont think the retro nostalgia will last or bolster prices significantly.

There is definitely a resurgence of interest in organs, our local charity shops always used to have a couple in at any time, but not now.
Most people don’t want them because they take up so much space, but they’ve become trendy in certain circles.
I just like the sound of some of them, I'd love a Hammond, but my Farfisa is beautiful, it's got a really sweet sound, plus, we’ve got loads of space, if I see anything else ill get it.
The reed tab on mine, with a little slow vibrato, instant Robert Wyatt, fantastic.
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by tea for two »

British Heart Foundation 3years earlier had an Organ two tiered keybeds, bass pedal, Kawai.
DX90 if I recall from 1982.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kSvT2Z_5bRY
1min30sec demo starts.
Was cheap as chips. Wanted it mostly because of bass pedal. Didn't have any space to fit it.

So I got a 1989 Casio DM100 two tiered keybeds home keyboard.
https://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/casi ... oard/10887
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HcwefVORISw
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Re: Farfisa Find.

Post by sonics »

I can't help but look around occasionally. In the UK I had a three-manual Conn. Cost me nothing, and gave it away when I moved.

Here I've two organs in a storage shed awaiting refurbishment. It might never happen, but once again, the cost was just that of transporting them, and they were local.
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