Gulbransen
exhibited at Museum of Making Music
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electronic home organ
Gulbransen Company was an American manufacturer of pianos, including player pianos; and reed and home organs in Chicago, Illinois. Established in 1904 by Axel Gulbransen as Gulbransen Piano Company, it introduced several innovations in the field.[1][2]
Gulbransen introduced several innovations. In its early years, Gulbransen made the first upright piano with a player piano mechanism in the same case. In the 1920s, thousands of player pianos were manufactured by the firm under the Gulbransen and Dickinson name.[1] In the electronic organ era, Gulbransen pioneered several innovations in the production of home electronic organs that became industry standards:[2]
- Use of transistor circuitry
- Built-in Leslie speaker system
- Chime stop and piano stop
- "Automatic Rhythm" (built-in drum machine)
- "Automatic Walking Bass" (bass accompaniment)
In 1957, Gulbransen released the first transistorized electric organ: "Gulbransen Model B" (Model 1100),[2] Its use of transistors was limited to the tone generators; the power amplifier was driven by vacuum tubes. (The first fully transistorized organ for churches was later built by Rodgers Instruments.)[citation needed]
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In the 1960s, Gulbransen and Seeburg Corporation released one of the earliest transistorized rhythm machines: "Seeburg/Gulbransen Select-A-Rhythm".[4][5] Seeburg would invent a fully transistorized rhythm machine in 1964 and receive a patent three years later.[6]
Around 1950, the company was sold to CBS. In 1964, it merged with Seeburg Corporation. Production ceased in 1969.[1]
In 1985, Mission Bay Investments acquired the brand and produced Elka organs under the Gulbransen name.[2] In 2002 or 2003,[7] QRS Music Technologies acquired the brand; pianos were made by Samick.[1]
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). Includes 1957 brochures of "Gulbransen Model B organ".
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). Rhythm patterns were electronically generated by a 48-step binary counter using 6-stage flip-flops.
- ^
US patent 3,358,068, Richard H. Campbell, Jr., Gilford, N.H. (assigned to Seeburg Corporation), "Musical Instruments", issued Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
— related patents filed at the same time were: Automatic Rhythm Device, Automatic Repetitive Rhythm Instrument Timing Circuitry, and sound circuits of Snare Drum Instrument and Cow Bell Instrument. - ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]
- www.qrsmusic.com — Gulbransen history at QRS Music Technologies, Inc.
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