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Electronic Organ Builder Links

Updated 30 April 2007

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Phoenix Organs
build digital sample based organs to order. Their installations include a number of churches including Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.  After careful review of systems available in the UK, I chose to buy a Phoenix Organ - I think their instruments offer excellent sound quality, feel just like a pipe organ to play and represent very good value for money.  Their web site includes examples of work. The Phoenix System is used by a number of other companies including Phoenix Organs in Canada.   There is also a site for Phoenix Organs  in California.
Copeman Hart
build instruments using the Musicom real-time sound synthesis system.   They have a reputation for providing excellent instruments (including some in large churches and cathedrals) and are highly recommended through testimonials from their current customers. I understand that they are at the more expensive end of the market.
Wyvern
has traditionally used the Bradford synthesis systems in its instruments and these are housed in fine consoles which are very comfortable to play.  Their roots go back to Livingston-Burge: I remember demonstrating a two manual organ with two sets of analogue generators (the second set  produced the mutations and the second rank of the celeste) at a trade show in London in the early 1970s.  Their current range includes  standard models which can be customised and they will custom-build instruments of any size. They also sell a range of lower cost instruments which are developed by Content
Content
are a Dutch company who build instruments which use their own custom-built sound chip to generate the organ's voices from sampled data held within the instrument.  They offer an extensive range of instruments: some organs in their  range are quite inexpensive.  In the UK they are available through Classical Organs (Cornwall) and Wyvern though details can be obtained directly though their web site.
Viscount
sell a large range of digitally sampled organs.  They are made in Italy by Intercontinental Electronics  and exported throughout the world.  Intercontinental Electronics was formed by one of  Galantii brothers (from a well-known Italian musical  instrument manufacturing family) whilst the other went off and formed Generalmusic who produce Ahlborn organs.  The bottom end of the Viscount Prestige range are more to my taste than their other  instruments: their Jubilate organs are comparatively inexpensive and it was the availability of these which started me thinking of "going electronic" at home.
Ahlborn
are a part of Generalmusic and first built organs in the late 1970s.  They have a wide range of organs available which produce their sounds using the digital sample replay technique: their  Organum II instrument boast a very large sample memory (384MB) for 44 speaking stops.
Digital Church Organs (Compton)
sell reconditioned / restored John Compton Electronic Organs (sold in the late 1960s as I remember)   with their fine well constructed consoles - probably the lowest cost instrument available with a real organ console.  They sell new custom-built organs (using digital synthesis) and  are also agents for Viscount: their web site includes full details of the Viscount range.
 
Cantor
are a Dutch firm who use sound synthesis technology (the Musicom system) to produce their organ sounds. They offer a range of standard instruments as well as providing  custom-built organs.  This is a US web-site run by the same company who host the Eminent site in the US.  I did get some printed literature from them, with UK prices, and a contact point within the UK.

Eminent 
produce a nice range of classical organs using their own sound synthesis system. I very much like the sound of these instruments, they feel comfortable to play and represent good value; the DC range can be customised.  They are manufactured in the Netherlands (like many other electronic organs).  The web site is for a US agent - the UK representative is Cathedral Organs.
Allen
claim to be the world's largest organ builder:  they have manufactured a huge range of electronic organs over a period of sixty years or so.  Allen organs use digital sample playback as the basis for producing their sound. This web site is in the US site and it includes a virtual factory tour showing their production lines.  The site includes information about their range of organs (including theatre instruments) and their custom-built instruments: it does not include some of the small two manual  organs Allen are  currently offering in the UK.
Norwich Organs
manufacture custom-built digital organs that use

the  ADE (Advanced Digital Environment) sound generation (synthesis) system from Musicom (I think) voiced by an ex-pipe organ voicer.  The web site describes their standard range of instruments which I understand are the basis for their customisation.  The company's origins are in the Miller / Norwich organs I remember being advertised in the 1960s: "the technology has progressed from the early valve oscillator, through solid state electronics and now to instruments incorporating the latest advanced digital environment technology."
Makin
took over the electronic side of the famous John Compton Company and have built electronic organs since 1970.  Their instruments have undergone a number of technology changes since those early days and now make use of  digital sampling technology.  They have strong links with Johannus (including some sharing of technology and joint manufacturing facilities) and are the agents for Johannus in the UK.
Johannus
are a major supplier of electronic organs that use digital sample replay technology. Founded more than thirty years ago  - their first instruments had a dramatic effect showing what could be achieved at relatively modest costs.  They are based in Holland and sell a large range of standard instruments and will custom-build organs too.  Their two manual OPUS organs  represents good value for money.  Their web site contains full information about all their organs.
The Organ Workshop (Hugh Banton)
specialise in custom-built instruments and in electronic additions to pipe organs.  They make use of both sample and synthesis technologies according to the requirement of each job. They also sell (and install) Viscount organs and sell hymn accompaniment in midi format for use when an organist (or keyboard player) is not available.
Rogers
are another major international manufacturer of electronic organs and part of the Roland group.  Their organs have been installed in large churches and cathedrals (including Gloucester and Blackburn) during the rebuild of the pipe organ) and permanently.  This UK site links to the USA site.

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