I fixed a ground issue that was causing a hum with every note played. I swapped all 12 of the tone generator boards, because I knew my “old” boards were stable and tuned well. I swapped orange lids to use the better of the two. I swapped pilot lamps to replace one that flickered with one that glowed steadily. I removed the modern IEC power receptacle and replaced it with an original round Bulgin power connector and power cord. I installed original Mains and Vibrato switches. I installed a drawbar assembly to have one in better cosmetic shape. So, I got to work with the goal of making this organ as perfect as I could by substituting parts. It even had the rarely seen black clips on the back of the orange lid to hold the screws that keep the lid on. And, for the compulsive collectors among us, it appeared that virtually all the screws were original, inside and out. The power supply and the pre-amp had been re-built with new capacitors. On many Italian models, the vinyl was typically cut away behind the badge so the plate could be more securely glued to the bare wood.) (On the US-built version of the Continental, the badge was secured with screws along its perimeter. And in fact, many are completely gone: Vox glued them to the Rexine vinyl, which resulted in many of them falling off over the years. On the early UK models, the paint scratched off very easily from the plastic plates, so most of the surviving ones are missing most – and sometimes all – of the paint. The original audience-side Vox Continental badge looked almost like new. The gray cabinet had only minor bumps and bruises, rather than the usual large areas of ripped vinyl and bare wood. You don’t see either of these very often. (Especially since he needed to sell it quickly before moving across the country.) In the end, he sold it to me for a very fair price.įirst the good stuff: It came with a shiny, original UK stand and an original UK stand case that was in pretty good shape. But being an optimist, I contacted him, and patiently explained that his price was far beyond the organ’s value. There was only one problem: The owner was asking nearly $4,000 for it. And all three organs were ’65 models, made in the same plant in Dartford, Kent, so all the parts are the proper, original ones for each of the organs.) In moving parts between organs, I’ve still left all of them fully functional. (Just for the record, I’ve not been tempting bad vintage keys karma by parting-out Vox organs. By swapping the best parts I had gathered from two other ’65 UK Continentals I had owned, this one had the potential to be an amazingly original and good-looking Continental. But it had what a real estate agent would call “good bones.” Most of the organ was in great – and original – condition. The original Mains and Vibrato switches and the original power connector had been replaced. The drawbars didn’t work properly and the markings were well-worn. It had some significant flaws: A host of small electronic issues. In October 2018, I found a 1965 UK Continental for sale near me.
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