Three-Manual Model 688 Organ Completes Allegiant Line
December 19, 2008
Rodgers Instruments will introduce a three-manual organ with tab controls at the Winter NAMM Show that completes its innovative Allegiant line of moderately priced, highly flexible classical organs.
The Model 688 is the tab version of the best-selling drawknob console, the Allegiant Model 698. Both organs have 184 organ stops, 50 internal orchestral sounds, and a complete combination action with 30 general and divisional pistons.
The Allegiant series now comprises two-manual and three-manual consoles in both tab and drawknob versions. All four of the consoles can be customized with a variety of wood color finishes and trim options.
Like all models in the Allegiant line, the new instrument also gives organists an easy, piston-operated record-and-playback system, four built-in specifications, double expression and crescendo pedals, high-quality Roland orchestral sounds, and a USB memory stick to save registrations and recordings. Each console is capable of being interfaced to play winded pipes as well as digital voices.
Duane Kuhn, Vice President for Sales & Marketing, called the Allegiant series "the most competitive products ever seen in this part of the organ market" and a significant step forward toward Rodgers' goal of supporting worship with the best products available for churches of every size.
"These organs make it possible for a congregation to sing its song of praise in any church setting and in any desired worship style," Mr. Kuhn said. "The tremendous flexibility in the product truly provides support for ‘worship without limits.'"
"When we redesigned the Allegiant organs, we wanted to give the organist much greater tonal resources while increasing the realism of pipe sound quality at the same time," said Product Manager Dan Miller. "We did it by bringing together the Dimensional Sound Modeling technology from Masterpiece organs with the flexibility of four voice choices for every stop, with the ability to use all the sounds in any combination."
The Model 688 is scheduled to begin shipping in March 2009. The organ will be demonstrated for retail dealers at the NAMM Show, to be held January 15-18, 2009 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.
Rodgers is the world's largest builder of stereo imaged church organs and pipe/digital organs. Rodgers is a member of the Roland Group, headed by Roland Corporation, a world leader in electronic musical instrument technologies and electronic musical instrument sales and manufacturing.
