Crumar Musical Instruments User Group.

Hi Jason, Wondering how the ELKA turned out? Also,
I've been working on my performer and getting the
right linear Pots in it and it still doesn't work
right! Then, I checked old messages on egroups and
noticed that you had the same problem: when you unplug
the bottom circuit board there is no change in sounds
available, and all the volume pots have no effect
either. Only the signal out seems to work as well. Can
you tell me what these voltage regulators and tantalum
capacitors look like? Describe them?.. I would really
appreciate it, and anything I can do for you just let
me know! I'm so frustrated that I'm thinking about
bidding on the current ebay performer going now for
$200. THANKS-Todd


--- Jason Zastrow <bonovox9@...> wrote:
> I recently realized that I have an unusual fetish
> for "unwanted" Italian
> synthesizers/organs/pianos. Many people laugh at
> crumar keyboards and think
> that they are worthless and this and that, I
> however, disagree. During my
> never ending search for Crumar information, I kept
> hearing about a company
> named Elka, and that they were in Italy, as well. I
> decided to search E-Bay
> for Elka and I found the Rhapsody and one of their
> pianos, If you look on
> E-Bay right now, there is another Rhapsody on there,
> and I'm not bidding on
> it, hehe. I haven't gotten my Rhapsody yet, and I
> kind of excited about it,
> and I hope it works. So far, nearly every single
> keyboard I have purchased
> from E-Bay was not in working order and I have had
> to repair them myself so
> that they do play. I just bought a Roland TR-77 and
> it doesn't work, and I
> am fixing it right at this moment.
> 
> As far as the Elka, I was reading a review of the
> Elka Rhapsody 490 (the
> model I bid on) and people said the sound was like
> "bees swarming in a jar".
> I don't know if this is a good thing, or a bad
> thing. They also said that it
> didn't sound as good as the crumar performer, I hope
> it just has a different
> sound.  When I get it, I will play some stuff and
> record it and I could send
> you a sample via e-mail, if you want.
> 
> Did your friend say that all Elka Rhapsody's were
> poor man's mellotrons, or
> just a certain model? The model that is on e-bay
> right now sort of reminds
> me of a crumar orchestrator. I see it has piano and
> strings, and I think
> brass. But, it looks much different.
> 
> If I were you, i'd try to pick up a crumar
> orchestrator, and make sure it
> has the brass filter and volume swell pedals. With
> the brass filter pedal,
> you can do filter sweeps with your foot and it
> sounds like a wah wah synth.
> I used that on a few songs and it's quite
> impressive. I think the piano
> sound on the Orchestrator is much better than the
> piano sound on the Road
> runner II. I have the road runner II, and I like the
> keyboard's action, but,
> the sounds aren't too good. The bass on the road
> runner is better than the
> bass on the orchestrator, though.
> 
> My next Crumar desire is a Crumar DS-2. I really
> want one of those.
> 
> Thanks for not out bidding me. That was kind of you.
> There are an awful lot
> of people who do that bid sniping thing. It's
> vicious. If you have any
> questions about crumar stuff, or cheesy keyboards, I
> might be able to help
> you out.
> 
> jason
> 
> 
> Message: 7
>    Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000 01:44:57 -0000
>    From: toddhomer@...
> Subject: HEY  THERE JAYZON  yeah you
> 
> I happen to have been told recently by a sax-player
> friend that the
> ELKA Rapsody was indeed the poor man's Melotron. So
> OFCOARSE I notice
> the next day your on a bay auction for one! I
> thought about bid
> snipping you, but decided it cheaper to be a
> gentelman and ask you
> how it really sounds.. And compared ofcoarse to the
> Holy Performer...
>  Please let me know after you get it! -Homer
> 
>