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Description
Step into a world of rich, retro sound with the Farfisa Compact Duo, a classic organ that has captivated musicians for decades. Known for its distinctive timbre, the Compact Duo has been a staple in the music industry since the 1960s, offering a unique blend of rock, jazz, and psychedelic tones. With its dual manual keyboards, this organ provides a versatile playing experience that accommodates both novice players and seasoned professionals. The Farfisa Compact Duo is not just an instrument; it’s a portal to an era where music was all about exploration and innovation.
This organ features a built-in vibrato and reverb, allowing you to craft lush, atmospheric sounds with ease. The tone control sliders provide a straightforward interface to modify your sound on the fly, making it ideal for live performances. Its iconic sound has been embraced by legendary bands and continues to influence modern music production. Whether you're in the studio working on your next hit or performing live, the Farfisa Compact Duo delivers a vintage vibe that resonates with audiences of all ages.
Key Features:
- Dual manual keyboards for versatile performance
- Built-in vibrato and reverb effects
- Classic tone control sliders for easy sound customization
- Iconic sound known for its use in rock, jazz, and psychedelic music
- Favored by legendary musicians and bands
Product specs
| Brand | Farfisa |
| Model | Compact Duo 49-Key Dual Keyboard Organ |
| Finish | Gray with Black-White / Gray-White / White-Black Keys |
| Year | 1964 - 1968 |
| Made In | Italy |
| Categories | Organs |
| Analog / Digital | Analog |
| Key Size | Full Size |
| Keyboard Action | Synth Action |
| Number of Keys | 49 Keys |
FAQs
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What are the main sound characteristics of the Farfisa Compact Duo?
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The Farfisa Compact Duo is known for its bright, raspy tone, which is ideal for genres like rock and psychedelic music. Its analog circuitry provides a unique sound that stands out from other combo organs.
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How many keys does the Farfisa Compact Duo have?
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The Farfisa Compact Duo features dual 49-key manuals, offering a wide range of notes for versatile playing.
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Is the Farfisa Compact Duo suitable for live performances?
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Yes, the Farfisa Compact Duo is popular for live performances due to its distinctive sound and portability, despite its weight of 90 pounds.
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What type of keyboard action does the Farfisa Compact Duo have?
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The Farfisa Compact Duo has a synth action, providing a smooth and responsive feel suitable for fast playing styles.
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How does the Farfisa Compact Duo compare to the Vox Continental?
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While the Vox Continental offers a Hammond-like sine wave sound, the Farfisa Compact Duo is known for its aggressive, raspy tones, making it a favorite for rock and psychedelic music.
Videos
nickhirst999
A Saucerful Of Secrets - Pink Floyd - Richard Wright - Farfisa Compact Duo Organ Part
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Farfisa Compact Duo.
Setup and maintenance
Features and functionality
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Organ uses 12 or 13 tunable oscillators for the top octave, with divide-by-2 circuits for lower octaves.
Source
5.0 out of 5
Based on 0 Reviews and 4 Ratings
Artist usage
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In this transcript of an interview from Electronic Soundmaker & Computer Music in October 1984 by Chris Everard, Eno reveals that he didn't at the time own many instruments. One, however, was "an old, old Farfisa organ - it used to belong to Pink Floyd."
More detail is provided in this interview with John Kavanaugh who purchased the instrument from Eno. He provides much more detail about its history, including the name of the model:
"Earlier on John told me about his fondness for vintage gear and old mics, but the best piece in his collection is a Farfisa Compact Duo organ which was once owned by the Pink Floyd. 'It came to me when it was being sold on the Internet by Brian Eno,' John explains. 'Brian Eno got it from a guy called Bill Kelsey who's now sadly dead, but his son Marlon still works for Eno. Bill was the Pink Floyd's sort of gadget boffin and he would make up bits of effects and bits of stuff for their live sets in the late '60s and early '70s. When he went to work for Eno, he took the organ with him. I've actually got a film of it with the Pink Floyd in the Syd-era, I've also got a couple of photos of it on stage. Most Farfisa organs were pale grey with a black band around the middle, but this one is charcoal grey, it's a sort of early model of the organ and it's quite distinctive for that reason. Eno used it on two of his albums, on tracks on "Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy" and "Another Green World". The organ comes with a certificate from Eno which says where it came from and now it has been restored and it works... The interesting thing is that the guy who fixed it found a plectrum inside. Syd wasn't much of a plectrum guy and Eno doesn't strike me as much of a plectrum guy. I can only assume that it may have come from David Gilmour. I also found on the front panel of the organ, on the little metal panel at the side of the lower manual, "accord to progression" written in pencil marks. I played that progression on another organ and thought it was "Saucerful of Secrets," the title for the second Pink Floyd album, but it was actually the prototype version of "The Massed Gadgets Of Hercules" and this was the organ part for the end of it which must have been penciled down there by Rick Wright when they were rehearsing the track in the first place. I remember I was home because I had lost my voice and wasn't feeling very well when I discovered this, but I felt like phoning everybody to tell them what I had found!'"
In the early days of the band, Wright dabbled with brass before settling on Farfisa electric organs as his main instrument onstage. He originally owned a single-manual Combo Compact model
Ray Manzarek played a Farfisa Compact Duo at the Fantasy Faire rock festival in Los Angeles on July 15, 1967. At this time, he was still using a Vox Continental as his primary organ (he would later switch to a Gibson G-101 around Sept/Oct 1967). It’s likely that Ray only used this Farfisa for one show. Manzarek has stated that Vox’s quality went downhill around this time, so it’s possible he borrowed this organ from another band after his Continental experienced difficulties.
From a December 1983 in Electronics & Music Maker interview with Philip Glass:
Glass' first recorded work, Music In Similar Motion, was released in 1969 on his own Chatham Square label, and bears a strong resemblance to Terry Riley's A Rainbow In Curved Air, while the music's sheer minimalism has hints of John Cage or Stockhausen. Until recently, Glass' ensemble began every concert with an excerpt from Music In Similar Motion, and it's a work that's still dear to him as a composer.
'It's got a few nice little compositional tricks in it. For instance there's a bit near the end where it adds and subtracts in the same figure, and that makes the piece interesting arithmetically. Of course, that isn't all there is to it because it's also got a tremendous emotional impact, because it's so repetitive, so monotonous. The reason we always played it first was that people either loved it or hated it. Quite a few people used to walk out after the first twenty minutes. It was a way of finding out which members of the audience were really interested in my music.
'The instrumentation we had in '69 was very basic. Most of the LP was recorded on an old Farfisa organ, a dual-manual one. I got quite attached to it, but eventually I think it just fell apart. Fortunately I succeeded in finding a similar sort of sound on the Prophet 5 a couple of years back, so I've stored that in memory which means I've got access to that organ sound at any time.'
"But I soon graduated to a Farfisa Compact Duo and then eventually bought my first Hammond when I was 16, a J122."
A Farfisa Compact Duo is among the items auctioned from David Stewart's studio.
Album Usage
The Farfisa Compact Duo has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Farfisa Compact Duo, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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