There’s some Optigan® chit-chat on the latest Sonic Talk episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRBWArSsnTI Many thanks for the kind words from Dave Spiers & company! To answer a couple of the q
Use Of Our Original Optigan/Orchestron Disc Titles
Since we’ve been authoring new disc titles for the Optigan®, our feeling all along has been that these discs (at least the ones with significant musical content in the form of original arrangments and
What are the weights and dimensions of the Optigan® models?
Here’s a list of the weights and dimensions of the various Optigan® models (minus the 37003, which I don’t have info for), to aid in estimating shipping costs. Note that these figures are for just the
The “A Major” and “E Major” buttons on my Optigan® sound wrong. Are they?
Yes and no. From a musical standpoint, they’re very very wrong. But nothing is actually wrong with your Optigan. In order to fit enough stuff onto the discs, they had to cut corners a bit. There wasn’
Other than discs, what kinds of Optigan® accessories were there?
There were several different models of benches made to match the different cabinet designs. If you bought your Optigan® at Sears, though, chances are you received a generic Sears organ bench. These ar
Will Talentmaker Discs play in an Optigan® and vice-versa?
Again, yes and no. The center hole diameter is slightly different between the two types of discs. It’s a very small difference, but one that results in more crosstalk when you try to play a disc on th
Will Orchestron Discs play in an Optigan® and vice-versa?
Yes and no. First of all, the Orchestron was not an “organ” and thus did not have an chord buttons- only a 37 note keyboard. Second, the actual track layout of the Orchestron discs differs from the th
What are some other instruments similar to the Optigan?
Information on the Vako Orchestron and Chilton Talentmaker can be found on this page.
Were there ever any Optigan® Promotional Demo Tapes?
Yes, and you’re in luck because all of the known Optigan® promotional audio material is now on a single CD, available for purchase from this website!! You can hear most of the contents of this CD in t
Were there ever any Optigan® TV commercials?
Yes- two in fact. The original was produced under Mattel and was hailed as one of the first TV commercials for a musical instrument. From what I’ve heard, this commercial’s theme was “Make Your Own Ki