Electone


Electone is the trademark used for electronic organs produced by Yamaha. With the exception of the top end performance models, most Electones are based on the design on the spinet electronic organ. Current models are completely digital and contain a variety of sounds, effects, and accompaniments, on top of the ability to store programming data onto memory devices.

History

After Hammond pioneered the electronic organ in the 1930s, other manufacturers began to market their own versions of the instrument. By the end of the 1950s, familiar brand names of home organs in addition to Hammond included Conn, Kimball, Lowrey, and others, while companies such as Allen and Rodgers manufactured large electronic organs designed for church and other public settings.
The Yamaha Electone series debuted in 1959 with the D-1, a home instrument. By 1980, with the market waning sharply, and some manufacturers ceasing production, the Electone line embraced digital technology. This allowed Electone’s survival as the traditional home electronic organ market dried up.
By the 1980s, many of the most famous names had ceased home production, but the Electone successfully transitioned to the modern world of digital synthesizers, now competing with such new electronic products as Moog Music, Wersi, and later Kurzweil. Electones were to be found not only in homes, especially in Japan and elsewhere in the East Asia, but also in bands and other solo and group public performances.

Notable former models

Yamaha began exporting Electones to the United States, starting with the D-2B in 1967.
; 1968 — EX-21 prototype
; 1970 — EX-42
; 1974 — Designing of Electones around synthesisers, instead of organs
; 1974 — CSY-1
; 1975 — GX-1
; 1977 — E-70
; 1983 to 1986 — FC/FE/FS/FX series
; 1987 — HS/HX series
; 1991 — EL series
; 1996 — AR series
; 1998 — EL900

Glossary of common Electone terms

; ABC
; Advanced Wave Memory
; Frequency Modulation
; Keyboard Percussion
; Lead Voice
; Lower Keyboard Voice
; Music Data Recorder
; Melody On Chord
; Pedal Voice
; Registration
; Rhythm
; Rhythm Sequence Program
; Rhythm Pattern Program
; Upper Keyboard Voice
; Virtual Acoustic
; Voices

STAGEA series

In 2004, Yamaha launched the STAGEA series. This series uses all AWM voices and features over 180 digital effects, built-in registration menus, VA voices, and a Style-File compatible expanded rhythm and accompaniment section. AWM is the proprietary sound sampling technology of Yamaha.
Models in this series are:
ELS-01: The standard model
ELS-01C: The custom model, carrying the ability to use the VA voices, Pitch and Tempo Bends, After touch on the pedal keyboard, horizontal touch and after pitch, along with other features, and lastly,
ELS-01X: The professional model - taking the ELS-01C, it adds 61-note keyboards, a 25-note pedal board and XLR external audio jacks.
The STAGEA ELS-01 series was officially distributed only in Asian countries.In 2006, Yamaha added the ELB-01 model to the lineup. This is a students' model, with 245 AWM voices and 133 accompaniment rhythms, but without voice or rhythm editing capabilities.
In 2008, Yamaha added The D-Deck, which is the portable version of the ELS-01 with a more compact body, 61 keys on the lower keyboard and an optional pedalboard. The D-Deck comes with all the features of the ELS-01, with the additions also of Organ Flute voices and a second expression pedal.
In 2009, the STAGEA typeU series was launched, with only hardware differences between them and their original counterparts. The typeU version omitted the floppy drive UD-FD01 and the Smart-Media card slot.
In April 2014, Yamaha launched the STAGEA ELS-02 series. This series features Super Articulation voices, on top of over 900 AWM sounds, 96 VA voices, pedalboard polyphony, effects, and 566 accompaniment rhythms. The ELS-01, ELS-01C and ELS-01X can also be upgraded to the current series by the use of a "Vitalize" unit.
The STAGEA ELS-02 series currently has three models:
ELS-02: The standard model, with 506 AWM voices including Super Articulation voices, 506 accompaniment rhythms, and hundreds of audio effects.
ELS-02C: The custom model. Other than all the features of the ELS-02, it has an additional 60 AWM voices, VA voices, Organ Flutes voices, a second expression pedal, horizontal keyboard touch, and pedal board aftertouch.
ELS-02X: The professional model, which contains all the features of the ELS-02C but with both keyboards expanded to 61 keys and the pedalboard expanded to 25 full pedals.
Unlike the first STAGEA series, the STAGEA ELS-02 series is distributed in both Asia and Mexico.
In May 2016, the ELB-02 model was launched as a revamp of the ELB-01 model with more voices and rhythms added as well as the "after touch" feature on the upper and lower keyboards.
ELC-02: In 2016, Yamaha launched the STAGEA ELC-02. This model is a replacement for the STAGEA D-Deck, this model contains most of the features of the ELS-02 such as Super Articulation voices. Unlike the previous D-Deck model, the ELC-02 does not contain a 61 note lower keyboard instead a standard 49 note keyboard resides in its place. Existing owners of the D-Deck can upgrade the main unit to the ELC-02 and use their current stand, expression pedals and speakers as is.
In 2018, the Electone STAGEA series was discontinued in Mexico.

International Electone Festival / International Electone Concours

The International Electone Festival / International Electone Concours was a worldwide Electone Organ competition organized by Yamaha back in the early 1970s. The competition featured both the performer and the Electone instrument itself. The IEF finals from its early concept were held in Japan every year until 1984 when it was held in Los Angeles. Afterwards Yamaha began holding subsequent IEF finals in other cities around the world including Hamburg, Toronto, Paris, Hong Kong, Mexico and Singapore before returning to its home in Japan.
Notable musicians who were invited to be part of the adjudication panel included film composer Jerry Goldsmith and Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Participants in the IEF finals had to be at least 16 years of age and competed for medal awards and cash prizes. On almost every occasion, there was one "Grand Prize" recipient who would receive a gold medal and cash prize which in its last years totalled $10,000US. Before 1982, a selection of participants were also presented with special Winner's prizes and the number of recipients of this award varied from year to year. After 1982, "Most Outstanding Performance" awards were presented to two participants who would receive a silver medal and cash prize, and "Outstanding Performance" awards were usually presented to three participants who would receive a bronze medal and cash prize. On rare occasions at IEF finals, a special President's award may also have been presented to one performer. Known as the "Kawakami Prize" it was named after renowned Yamaha Music Corporation President Genichi Kawakami and consisted of a special bronze medal and cash prize very similar to the "Outstanding Performance" award. In the early 1990s Yamaha ceased to sponsor the event. It became too expensive to produce and electronic organ sales declined.
International Electone Festival/Concours Finals:
AnniversaryYearCity, CountryVenue, Instrument modelGrand Prix awardMost Outstanding & Outstanding awardsKawakami awardSpecial Jury awardFinalist - Selection
9th1972Nemu-no-sato, JapanEX-42, E-3, E-5*Claude Dupras - Raindrops, *Rocco Ferrante Jr - Yesterday and Night, *Tomoyo Miyama - Rhapsody*Akira Matsuda - The Closed World, *Mutsuko Okumura - In Berlin, *唯井 明代 Shibahara - C Sharp Minor Waltz, *Sebastian Cacabelos Soutullo - Garcia Rhapsody, *Georges Fleury - - Love YouN/A*芝原 くるみ - Theme from Ironside,*Greg Moeser - Jesus Christ Superstar, *Gordon Griffiths - Beatles Medley, *Henk Balijon - Love You, *Billy Tsong - Wind Whisper, *Andy Alley Ono - Beatles Medley, *Carmen Tamés Mejiá - Son de la Negra, *Francisco Fuentes - From Bach to Bacharach, *Ludolff Smuts Wium - Black Orpheus, *Teresa Filmer - Jesus Christ Superstar, *Inn Shien Huang - Mr Lucky, *M.L.Pratintip Devakula - Trish Trash Polka, *Lyman E. Strong - Bacharach Medley, *Michael Schau - Love You, *照井 栞 - Wife and Girlfriend, *Reiko Kashiwagi - Pictures at an Exhibition,.-
10th1973Nemu-no sato, JapanEX-42, E-5*Bobby Lyle - Dance of Love and Peace, *Akira Matsuda - Mysterious Dimension, *唯井 明代 Shibahara - Eruption*Yoshi Osamu Nakagawa - Alice caught in the Looking Glass, *Maritess Salientes - Passacaglia in C Minor, *Raimund Pranschke - Borikuito, *Hendra Widjaja - Days of Wine and Roses*Martha Patricia Morales Barrera - UapangoN/A*Dirk Leonard - George Gershwin Medley, *Julio Camargo Carone - Bebe, *Rodger Niznik - Goldfinger, *Robert Jansen - Burt Bacharach Medley, *Leandro Bautista - Lullaby of Birdland, *Hoon Kim Huat - Wan Chu Chin, *Ove Hetland - Dry Leaves, *Theuns Van Rensburg - Work Song, *Cheng Tau Sin - Valley of the Evening Twilight, *Jose Villacanas - People, *Huang Ming Cheng - Cabaret, *Raht Ketusingha - PROMISES! PROMISES! PROMISES!', *James Friemark - Wizard of Oz, *Jose Garcia Guinot - My System.-
11th1974Nemu-no Sato, JapanEX-42, E-5*Socorro De Castro - Theme from The Mod Squad, *Reiko Kashiwagi - Prelude*Kenriyou Yoshimoto - Freedom Jazz Dance, *Hiromi Sato - Invitation to the 21st Century, *Yayoi Yoshida - Apple Pie, *Claude Lander - Cathedral, *Alvin Kwok - Abrupt End*James Levesque - George Gershwin Medley,N/A*Russell Finch - One Note Samba, *Jacqueline Reggio - Mojave, *Fabio Valente - A Espera, *Relly Coloma - I Got Rhythm, *Hugo Alvarado - La Malaguena, *Carolyn Kleiner - Taghoy ng Lupa, *Dorothy Shaw - Dawn,.-
12th1975Nemu-no Sato, JapanGX-1*Yayoi Hirabe - Rhapsody on GX*Manuel Panta - Bach/Tchaikovsky Medley, *Summer Kei Horiba - Sinfonia, *Width 滋美 - Police Woman, *Tamam Hoesein - Es Lilin, *Tito Enriquez - Fantasia Latin AmericaN/AN/A*Julie-Ann Hanlon - Wind Blues "Pictures at an Exhibition" *Günter Schwarz - September, *Nilson Zago - Bruno de Jekibau Baranso, *Antonio Macedo - Samba Samba Samba, *Darcy Naife - Eleanor Rigby, *Louis Tortora - Soleado, *Gilbert Lo - Motion Pictures, *Larry Keenan - Space, *John Modrowsky - Beatles Medley.-
13th1976Nemu-no Sato, JapanGX-1*Yumiko Tanaka - Divertimento*Ito 由実子 - Autumn in Sofia, *Sensho Hayashi - Waves Of Light, *Raht Ketusingha - Australia, *David Smith - 1812 Overture, *Gilbert Lo - Fantasy on GX, *Bupha Dhamabuttr - Ashanji*Hiromi Sato - Meditation on 25 O'ClockN/A*Guy Tassé - All You, *Ruud Jansen - Love Confessions, *Luis Carlos González - Latin Dawn, *Omar Guzmán - Tarkus, *Miriam Uyboco - Music Moments, *Frank Loch - Chopin Impressions, *Paul Doerrfeld - An American in Paris, *Luis Jose Arias - Concerto for Voice.-
14th1977Nemu-no sato, JapanGX-1*Oshima Michiru - Gloria*Width 滋美 - Dancing "18", *南部 昌江 - Sunrise, *Danny Baker - Christine's Samba, *Rodger William Niznik - Manipulation, *Louie J. Ocampo - Moods of Tina*Jenny Tjahjono - SunsetN/A*Bryan William Roberts - Impressions of the Ionosphere, *Cèlio Balona Passos - Kantika, *Raul Castaño Escobar - Latin Landscapes, *José Alberto González - Diary of a Computer, *Louis Tortora - Revolution, *Skip Van Rooy - Nature *Leong Wai Meng - August 2nd, *Kumiko Kodera - Tip-Top-Fly.-
15th1978Nemu-no sato, JapanGX-1*Skip Van Rooy - Relationships*Rosy Chua - Elite, *Michael Gundlach - Final Four Times, *Masashi Huzita - Symphonic Rhapsody, *Yumiko Santon - Airship Marshmallows, *Ito Yumiko - Steps of September*Jeannette G.R.Casuga - Neptune's ChamberN/A*Fernando Cruz - Toreador Banquet, *Fu-Mei Ma - The Sea of Happiness, *Raimund Pranschke - Love Dance, *Isaac S. Rosenthal - Portrait of America, *Cheryl M.Smith - Voyage to Peace, *Julia H.P.Wee - Piper Dreams, *Yasuo Miyauti - Hamlet Overture, *大野 三知代 - Let's Dance a Waltz.-
16th1979Nemu-no-sato, JapanGX-1*Nozomi Moroi - Windward Passage*Hiroko Kawata - Musica?, *Sensho Hayashi - Eternal Sea, *Michael Behymer - Two Variations of One Theme, *Eileen Ng Ai Ling - Reflection of You, Yumi Nakata - Bright FutureN/AN/A*Phillip K. Keveren - Portrait, *Paul August Li - The Grey Shadow, *Tzer-Shiun Lin - Mental Anguish, *Mark D.Matthews - Corroboree on a Summer Day, *Maria Corazon Perez - Lost In A Dream.-
17th1980Nemu-no-sato, JapanGX-1*Yasuyuki Kasori - Grand Sinfonia No.2*Hiroko Kawata - Cosmic Rhapsody, *Akira Kobayashi - Fiesta: One Two, *Yoshiko Doi - Summer Dreaming '80, *Michael Gundlach - WorkshopN/AN/A*Juan Carlos de Martini - El Maltrecho, *Lynda Hulford - Tracy, *Mervin Mauthe - Oceanic Suite, *Yongyos Saengphaibul - New Breath of the New City, *Roberto Fuentes - Imagenes de Montevideo, *Phillip Keveren - Cascade Suite, *Eleonora Paolino - En Busca de una Esperanza, .-
18th1981Nemu-no-sato, JapanGX-1*Reiko Matsumoto - Daiwa Maharoba, *Natsue Enda - Fantasia Alpha*Tatsuko Torii - Pure, *Noriaki Rin - Autumn Door*Eduardo Tadeu Montoro - Soldier BoyN/ALuis Fernando Luna Guarneros - Maniixni, *Yung Man Leng - Horizon, *Staffan Hedman - Aiolos, *Dan Rodowicz - Comme Le Jour-
19th1982Tokyo, JapanGX-1/EX-1/D-85Yasuo Miyauchi - 荒城の月変奏曲*Kiyoko Koyama - The Sphinx, *Yukie Tsunokuma - Quincy Quincy,*Piergiorgio Marotti - Model F, *Tomoko Yoshida - Appassionata, *Tohru Yoshizawa - African Symphony, *Walter Stowasser - The Barber of SevilleN/A*Deanna MacDonald - Armageddon, *Ian Sell - Transition, *Miho Kodama - Dark Eyes, *Enrique Ordoñez Martinez - Barada Mehikana, *Alberto Vicente Santos - Ulilang Bituin, *Stanley Koyama - Cheek to Cheek/I've Got Rhythm, *Sandra Aparecida Ribeiro - Sintonia, *Soh Wee Tee - Forgotten Empire-
20th1983Tokyo, JapanKan'i Hoken Hall/FX-1Keiko Tanimura - Come Glorious Light Again *John Teare Corlett - Switched on Sonatas, *Lupita Romero Ponce - Flight of the Bumblebee, *Mizuno Yoshiko - Phoenix, *Katsuse Truth - Creation,*Lennart Palm - Endless Pain,, *Yuki Huzihara - Pioneer Pulse, *Ishizaki Miyuki - Hymn Republic, *Hiroko Muta - Departure,N/A*Lennie Campbell - Eurasia, *Carlton Liu - Variations in C Major, *Didier Montellier - Hallelujah, *Hidebrand Brasil Bordi - Railroad, *Norman Adviento Agatep - Likha, *Marcel Josef Himbert - Sinfonia, *Edward M. Goldfarb - Excerpts from the Suite for Violin and Jazz Piano,.-
21st1984Los Angeles, U.S./FX-1Tatsuko Torii - The Skyscraper *Thomas Folenta - Tomarbar, *Toshinori Suzuki - Eternal Sea*Luis Estrella - Rhapsody In Blue, *Ya-Hui Wang - Toccata, *Hanson Tan - Bursting OutN/A*Joan Misako Nakanmoto - Tarkus, *Greg Norrod - Journey To Perfection, - Gasto Alberto Marsanich - Toccata, *Mark Wyer - War Of The Worlds, *Hector Manuel Islas Licona - Luzarkana, * Ronald H.Van Barele - Musica Esperanto, *Erik Holsten - Progressive Tension.-
22nd1985Hamburg Germany/FX-1Toshio Mori - 流火*Sueko Tsunoda - Bright Times, *Ya-Hui Wang - Eternal Sea*Jan Veenje - Symphony Historique, *Mei-Li Pai - Tropical Isle Emerald, *Gregory Brian Mackintosh - Baroque, Be-Bop, Ballad, BrassN/A*Andrew Leonard Campbell - Scenescape, *Stela Jizar Orfano Caldeira - Baiao Brásil, *Stefan Flemmerer - Ever Changing Moods, *Bruno Yamasaki Matsumoto - La Fuerza de los Imperios, *Ferruccio Premici - Il Vole del Calabrene, *Nicklas Sivelöw - Finding the Way, *Deone Lee Wilson - Creation, the Sixth Day,-
23rd1986Toronto, Canada/FX-1Chihiro Yamashita - 華麗なるファンタジー*Louis Tortora - Variations from Suspiria, *Norikazu Kawano - 時経*Mary Ueda Ritsuko - Petrouchka, *Stephen Kurniawan Tamadji - Sunset In Bali, *Stefan Flemmerer - BarockN/A*John Gregory Matas Aquias - Likha, *John Donald Bates - Touch, *Paul Joseph Doerrfeld - Chorale and Fantasy on "Simple Gifts, *George Charles Heldt - Riches to Rage, *Shane Michael Parker - Scheherazade, *Nicklas Lars Sivelöw - Into a New World, *Jorge Raul Suarez - Juana Azurduy, *Ricardo Uma - Carmina Burana.-
24th1987Tokyo, JapanKan'i Hoken Hall/FX-1Yukio Nakamura - Somewhere In The Night *Risa Funaki - Rise Of Spring, *Arturo Sánchez Guzzi - Grados Indigenas*Jason Nyberg - Strike It Up, *Warwick Dunham - Excerpts from Bernstein's 'Mass', *Racquel Ayeras Rañola - Silver Screen.*Risa Funaki - Rise of Spring*Kaon Koo - Rain Walk, *Terence Swee-Seng Teo - Olympia, *Roberto Cedeño Laya - Sonata Venezolana, *Lena Sannerstig - Die Fledermaus Overture, *Martin Harris - Contrasts, *Rainer Georg Dittrich - The Eternal Stream, *Gabriel Huynh - Si, C'etait Demain,.-
25th1988Paris, France/HX-1Jason Geh - Hallucination *Tatsuki Watanabe Atsushi - And The Sun Shines!, *Mia Soetanto - Evening In Bali*Valérie Boggio - La Confession d'Uranus, *Paul Wei Chung Liang - Festive Overture , *Adelmo Listorti - City MovementsN/A*Hector Islas - Centuria, *Linda Eckert - Jupiter from The Planets, *Jason Klein - Conversations, *Marcelo Maranghello - Mosaico Latino, *Lena Sannerstig - Overture from "Pastoral Suite" Op.19, *Rodney Pooley - American Patrol, *Fabrizio Brezzo - La Forza del Destino - Overture, *Anthony Kenney - A Fairytale Relived, *Mayumi Takane - Au Coin De Montmatre.-
26th1989Hong KongHong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre/HX-1Saori Iwauchi - Symphonic Rhapsody No.2 *Ng Chai Li - GEM, *Enrique Arturo Escalante Lujan - Raices*Hitoshi Kotani - Hibari-Twilight Scenery, *Stéphane Criado - Comme Dans Un Songe, *Ferdinand Marsa - Panji SemirangN/ASandy DiGirolamo - On The Waterfront, *Ruth Bernardine Varney - Xenophobia, *Robert Messier - Powerful People, *Jaana Marja Peltonen - From Dream To Reality, *Alex Wong Wai Chung - Silhouette, *Smith Bandithaya - Living Float, *Stephen John Selwood - A Woodpecker's Anecdote*José L. Souto C - "Fantasia Criolla".-
27th1990Mexico City, MexicoThe City Theater/HX-1Chinami Taki - Humpty Dumpty *Bruno Yamasaki Matsumoto - El Niño Colibrí, *Joachim Wolf - El Avispa*Goh Chee Seng - Midnight Dream, *Hiromi Suzuki - Rhapsody Espagnole, *Teh- Chiang Yuang Time Passing.N/A*Philip George Newns - Rhapsody in Blue, *Tony Matthew Austin - Squib Cakes, *Omar Arroyo Garcia - Danza del Sable, *Debra Fleming - West Side Story, *Sirpa Ojala - Take Five, *Syilvia Dewi Estiningrum - Sunset In Bali, *Gaston Marsonich - Toccata, *Miriam Teresa González Hernández - Herencia IndeÏgena, *Kerry Jayne Stanton - Fantasy,.-
28th1991Tokyo, JapanKan'i Hoken Hall/HX-1Chinami Kawasaki - A Scene - Time For Sowing *Yuki Toda - Rhapsody, *Carsten Jarocki - Fairytale*Stephen Tromans - Great Expectations, *Raussel Renata Cedeño Laya - Orinoquia, *Danny Lim Teong Chin - Kingdom Of Black Panther*Tanya Hulbert - Tianenmen, June 4th, 1989*Roberto Mistichelli - War from Rocky IV, *Arnaud Fabien Fourniguet The Sorcerer's Apprentice, *Albert Lawrence Villaruz - War from Rocky IV, *Clarice Marie Weathers - Ballet Mechanique, *Rene Monterosa Sanchez - Final Night, *Chun Chun Yang - Moments Musicaux, *Ching I Lu - Fantastic Festival.-
29th1992Kyoto, JapanKyoto Kaikan Hall/ELX-1, EL-90, HX-1Kaon Koo - Alice In Shanghai *Kaoru Ono - Sensitivity, *Emi Saiki - Voyage to the Far East,*Ohta Mayumi - Symphonic Dances, *Ken Lee Ming Yi - Joy Of Spring, *Ruben Martorell Y Bayon - William Tell Overture.N/A*Chiemi Colleen Middleton - Sleeping Beauty Waltz, *Darren Grech - Arion, *Anabel Rosales Casco - Dreams, *Jose Luis Souto - Taurepana, *Thio Kah Shiu Ernest Zhang - Promised Land, *Gianluca Bertolo - Mirror, *Robin Yann - Anastasia, *Dominicus Levi Gunardi - スミランの旗.-
30th1993SingaporeWorld Trade Centre, Harbour Pavilion/ELX-1, EL-90Daiju Kurasawa - Well You Needn't *Hitoshi Utsumi Hazime - Piano Concerto in F, *Eric Leong - Feline, *Elver Sohrab C. Perez - Talinhaga*Tricia Ann S. Villareal - Seascapes, *Yani Danuwidjaya - Seven-EighthN/A*Leigh Robert Harrold - Little Man Tate, *Jeff James Blake - Back To The Future, *Brent William Mills - Festive Overture, *Carlos Alberto Gonzáles - Alma De Milonga, *Celso Gusben Marfil Simon - En La Ciudad De Los Dioses, *Anna Gerasi - Auforderung Zum Tanz, *Andrea Gorini - Impressions in the Park, *David Claire - Dead Zone, *Paul Dingle - Joyrider,.-
31st1994Tokyo, JapanKan'i Hoken Hall/ELX-1*Jun'ichi Matsumoto, *Thomas Karcher,*Carlton Liu N/A*Stephane Eliot ??
32nd1996Tokyo, JapanKan'i Hoken Hall/ELX-1*Yoshihiro Andoh *Zhu Lei *Linda Harjono *Joachim Wolf Roberto Marasciuolo

In popular culture

The Electone HX model appears briefly in the 1987 science fiction film The Running Man. When Ben Richards is in Amber's apartment, he chases her around the Electone. Two scenes later, Richards, while standing over it, asks her what it is. Amber calls it her "synthesizer setup" and reveals that she wrote the ICS network jingle.