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HOFFRICHTER Orgel GmbH to be dissolved: no organ for me :-(
Barbara Hoffrichter, CEO of HOFFRICHTER Orgel GmbH since her husband Manfred died 3 months ago, told us they are planning to continue building digital and hybrid organs for another 2 years, after which she will dissolve the business and retire.
Sadly enough she decided not to build me my 4-man. portable MIDI organ, as her husband's designs and other documentation of his 2.5 years of research for this project could not be found and they don't have the necessary expertise or the time to finish it, so she told me. My down payment was refunded in full as I decided to return their old worn 3-man. portable that they had lent me for 2 years and which wasn't a suitable organ for me really. We swapped it against the six metal Klann swell shoes (five for on the organ and one as a reserve) plus the two 27" touch screens that I had payed for myself.
I still have my 3-man. Rodgers 945 in the studio behind our house, but I need my computer inside the house for other jobs and there's no way we can shove the Rodgers through a window, let alone up the stairs. Haven't decided on whom next I'll ask to build me a new one either. Hoffrichter wasn't even the first one I asked. The first builder had a burnout shortly after he had accepted the job.
The worst thing is: I'll have to start at the back of the line again. Starts feeling like a jinx...
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by Aida (Ida as in Idaho) Dec 28, 2019 10:31 AM
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Replies (19) |
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RE: HOFFRICHTER Orgel GmbH to be dissolved: no organ for me :-(
*payed = paid (from the verb pay)
it actually looked completely right when I wrote it -- my eyes must be jinxed as well
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by Aida (Ida as in Idaho) Dec 28, 2019 05:57 PM
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RE: HOFFRICHTER Orgel GmbH to be dissolved: no organ for me :-(
Geen firma in NL die het kan doen?
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by adri Dec 29, 2019 03:11 AM
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RE: HOFFRICHTER Orgel GmbH to be dissolved: no organ for me :-(
Very sorry to hear this... Such a shame too. Their floating consoles (on the metal stands) really had a pleasing aesthetic too.
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by Romanos401 Dec 29, 2019 10:47 PM
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RE: HOFFRICHTER Orgel GmbH to be dissolved: no organ for me :-(
adri wrote:
Geen firma in NL die het kan doen? Hey A3,
Ja, ik heb wel 4 adressen gevonden waar ze custom opdrachten aannemen, maar ik ben nog wat huiverig: ik wil niet weer 3 jaar voor nop moeten wachten.
Maar wie weet leest er iemand mee...
------
I found 4 addresses in NL, but I don't want to wait for another 3 years...
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by Aida (Ida as in Idaho) Dec 30, 2019 12:42 AM
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RE: HOFFRICHTER Orgel GmbH to be dissolved: no organ for me :-(
Romanos401 wrote:
Very sorry to hear this... Such a shame too. Their floating consoles (on the metal stands) really had a pleasing aesthetic too. Thanks. Yes it really is a shame. They were so affordable too.
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by Aida (Ida as in Idaho) Dec 30, 2019 12:51 AM
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RE: HOFFRICHTER Orgel GmbH to be dissolved: no organ for me :-(
I'm so sorry to hear this news Aida, I know how much you were looking forward to the new orgel. We put a 4th keyboard on my Rogers when I converted it to MIDI. It was not easy due to the voltage differences between the old days and now, but it can be done.
I miss your contributions so much.
I hope your New Year is a good one and you can have your 4 manual portable.
Yours' Sincerely
Thom.
Tschuss
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by voixceleste Dec 30, 2019 03:47 AM
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RE: HOFFRICHTER Orgel GmbH to be dissolved: no organ for me :-(
voixceleste wrote:
I'm so sorry to hear this news Aida, I know how much you were looking forward to the new orgel. We put a 4th keyboard on my Rogers when I converted it to MIDI. It was not easy due to the voltage differences between the old days and now, but it can be done.
I miss your contributions so much.
I hope your New Year is a good one and you can have your 4 manual portable.
Yours' Sincerely
Thom.
Tschuss Hey sweetie!
Good to hear you got your Hauptwerk organ now! Glad you managed to have it done.
My Rodgers Oxford 945 is from 1992 and has always been a MIDI instrument, but adding a fourth manual doesn't sound like something I would go for. It would still only have two swell shoes and a GenCresc -- I really need the four shoes plus one GenCresc for my level of expression control (I had three swell shoes plus one GC on my borrowed Hoffrichter 3-manual, so I can tell I need the extra manual plus shoe). Also the shoes I've been using were the US$70 plastic long throw MIDI expression pedals that Hoffrichter uses on their organs -- they don't offer that much control and they are very squeaky and noisy! That's why I ordered the US$210 metal Klann shoes from the states. For me the shoes are the most important parts of a console by far.
Best wishes for yourself and your hubby too!
Viele liebe Grüße aus dem Harz!
Aida
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by Aida (Ida as in Idaho) Dec 30, 2019 05:29 AM
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RE: HOFFRICHTER Orgel GmbH to be dissolved: no organ for me :-(
Worrying news as I was just getting my heart set on getting a 3 or 4 manual console from Hoffrichter. But the cost involved means I wouldn't be able to get my order in until 2021-ish :(
I am very satisfied with the pedal board and bench Hoffrichter made me a few years ago, so it was by far the most logical solution to consider them as my first go-to option.
Sounds like I may need to have a look around again and find alternatives if they are no longer going to be able to accept my order when I have the funds together.
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by Marek M Jan 1, 2020 01:06 PM
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RE: HOFFRICHTER Orgel GmbH to be dissolved: no organ for me :-(
Aida (Ida as in Idaho) wrote:
Hey sweetie!
Good to hear you got your Hauptwerk organ now! Glad you managed to have it done.
My Rodgers Oxford 945 is from 1992 and has always been a MIDI instrument, but adding a fourth manual doesn't sound like something I would go for. It would still only have two swell shoes and a GenCresc -- I really need the four shoes plus one GenCresc for my level of expression control (I had three swell shoes plus one GC on my borrowed Hoffrichter 3-manual, so I can tell I need the extra manual plus shoe). Also the shoes I've been using were the US$70 plastic long throw MIDI expression pedals that Hoffrichter uses on their organs -- they don't offer that much control and they are very squeaky and noisy! That's why I ordered the US$210 metal Klann shoes from the states. For me the shoes are the most important parts of a console by far.
Best wishes for yourself and your hubby too!
Viele liebe Grüße aus dem Harz!
Aida I have a 3-manual Rodgers that was expanded with a 4th manual from another Rodgers, but it meant a little extra internal carpentry on top, as well as cutting down on the roll-desk closing part, which I actually never use to close the console. See the photo in my profile.
Although the original manuals are with wooden cores, and the extra one is plastic (now manual III), and I am not totally happy with the toucher with any of them, as I find them just a tad too light. But my total costs were only around $1700 US. A friend of mine enjoyed doing the MIDI conversion for me for free.
I am planning to upgrade 2 keyboards and replace the AGO with a European pedalboard.
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by adri Jan 1, 2020 01:50 PM
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RE: HOFFRICHTER Orgel GmbH to be dissolved: no organ for me :-(
This is news to me - I never heard it until tonight. If true, it is very sad.
I have been Hoffrichter’s representative in the English-speaking world for nearly 14 years.
I saw him in his office a few days before he died; I was at his funeral in Salzwedel, and was very pleased to hear the good news the following week that Mrs Hoffrichter and the staff had a company meeting wanted to continue with the business.
Only last month I was there again to collect 4 more new organs. Hopefully I shall be there again soon to get more.
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by doug-hm Jan 1, 2020 04:53 PM
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