Inside a Compton electrone organ model 357

A look inside a Compton electronic organ (electrone) model 357. The organ seen here is installed at Marton United Reformed Church in Blackpool and my thanks goes to organist David Windle for taking the back off enabling these views.

The Compton electrone organ works using an electrostatic method of tone production by means of 12 rotating generators all driven by a belt. The principal dates back to the 1920s when a gentleman called Leslie Bourne was appointed by the John Compton Organ Company Ltd to develop a 'pipeless' method of tone production. From this, the 'melotone' was developed and was attached to most of the cinema organs produced by Compton between 1935 and 1939. Towards the end of the 1930s, a complete pipeless organ was produced. The cinema model was called the 'theatrone' and the church model called the 'electrone'. At first the generators and amplifiers were contained in a seperate cabinet but after the second world war, a whole new range of models were introduced with all workings contained within the console such as the one seen here - the 357.

After the demise of Compton in 1970, Makin organs (who took over the remains of the company) continued to use this method of tone production for a time before developing their own solid-state systems until they went digital in the late 1980s using sampled sounds.

For more information on the John Compton Organ Company Ltd and to see me play other Compton organs, please click on the following link for my site dedicated to the John Compton Organ Company Ltd:

http://comptonorgans.yolasite.com/

REQUEST: I am always on the lookout for Compton organs to play - particularly electrones - so if you know of any churches which still have these then please do let me know. I will happily give a donation or pay any applicable room hire charge.

If you have an interest in Compton organs then I invite you to join my facebook group at:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/comptonorgans/