Rodgers Topper User manual

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Owners Guide,
TOPPEIt
RODGE:RS ORGP\N ,CON\PP\NY, HILLSBORO, OREGON U.S.A.

TOPPER
OWNER'S MANUAL
Rodgers Organ Company
1300 N.E. 25th Avenue
Hillsboro, Oregon 97123

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
ORGAN VOICES
Diapasons
Flutes
Strings
Reeds
Color Code
PITCH INDICATIONS
DIVISIONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Solo Division
Accompaniment Division
Pedal Division
TREMULANTS
GENERAL CONTROLS
PRESETS
RHYTHMAKER
TRANSPOSER
REGISTRATION SUGGESTIONS
WARRANTY INFORMATION
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TOPPER OWNER'S MANUAL
This manual is a guide to help you understand and
play the most advanced home organ available, the "TOPPER,"
by Rodgers. Its handsome console will blend with any
furniture style and its unique "Tone Array Panel" provides
renowned Rodgers organ sounds at the touch, of a finger.

The layout of your "TOPPER" conforms to the standard
two manual home organ concept.
The top manual (keyboard) is called the Solo Manual.
The Solo Manual contains stops having solo qualities
(color and brilliance) as well as ensemble voices (voices
that blend together).
The bottom manual (keyboard) is called the Accompani-
ment Manual. The Accompaniment Manual provides voices that
give suitable accompaniment to the solo and ensemble voices
of the Solo Manual.
The keyboards have 61 keys with a complete range from
bottom 16' to the top of the 2'. There is no doubling back
on any stop.
The Pedal Clavier (so named because it is the keyboard
for the feet) has 25. pedals and provides the bass tones for
the undergirth of the total organ.
The switches that turn the voices of an organ on and
off are called Stops. The "TOPPER" is unique in that it
requires no physical movement to turn stops on and off,
but rather uses a light touch on the conveniently located
touch switches.
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The following photo shows the "'TONE ARRAY PANEL" with
indications of the location of the following divisions:
Solo Voices, Solo Percussions, Accompaniment Voices, Pedal
Voices, General Controls, Trernulants, and Transposer controls.
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Notice the layout of ·the "Tone Array Panel." The ·"Tone
Array Panel" will hereafter be abbreviated TAP. Your first
step is to turn the organ "on". Look in the upper right
hand corner of the TAP and turn the switch marked "Power"
down to the "on" position. Next, double check the position
of the switch labeled "Console Speakers". This switch must
be in the "on" position to allow the organ to ~ound thrqugh
~ts self-contained speaker system (likewise the "External
Speaker" swi tch must .be in the 11 on" posi tion if there are
external tone cabinets that you wish to sound).
Now your "TOPPER" is ready to play. You will notice
that the stop name is constantly illuminated and there is
a small transluscent square located directly above each
stop. If this small square is lit, the stop directly below
is on; if the light is off, the stop is off.
--NOTE: The only time these small lights will not respond
to the TAP is when any of the five presets are engaged and
the STOPRAIL ON piston is not illuminated. (See section on
Presets.)
There are gold colored pads on the top and bottom of
each stop. These are the ~asily activat~d stop switches.
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Simply touch the pad with a gentle, but firm, touch.
There is no need to "poke" or "stab" the switch, as it
responds to a very small amount of pressure.
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ORGAN VOICES
The organ has many different voices of various tonal
qualities. There are four main classifications of organ
voices.
DIAPASONS
This voice family is the backbone of classic (church) organ
tone. It is unique to the organ, not being imitative of
any orchestral voice. The Diapasons are at the 16', 8',
and 4' pitch level on the Solo Manual; 8' and 4' on the
Accompaniment Manual, and 16' on the Pedal. The Diapasons
(DI-A-PA-SON) are best used as ensemble voices (blending
voices) rather than a solo voice.
FLUTES
The Flute voices are imitative of orchestral flutes.
(Play the 4' Flute on the Solo Manual--upper keyboard--
to simulate an orchestral flute.) They are most commonly
used and heard with a wide and rapid tremulant (Leslie
Tremulant) which began as an important characteristic o·f
the theatre organ. (Try 16' and 4' Flutes on theSo10
Manual with the Leslie Tremulant in fast mode.) The Flutes
are on the Solo Manual from 16' through l' and on the
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Accompaniment Manua1_ at 8', 4', and 2', and on the Pedal
at 16' and 8'. Loud Flutes are often called Tibia:s, which
was the characteristic "weeping" Flute stop on theatre pipe
organs.
STRINGS
These voices are imitative of the string family such as
the Violin, Cello, and String Bass. These can be either
solo voices (SOLO VIOLIN) or ensemble voices (blending
voices) such as the Cello on the Accompaniment Manual.
REEDS
These voices are so named because in a pipe organ they are
produced by a reed hitting a block of metal. and the vibra-
tions carried up a tube called a resonator. Such voices
as the Trumpet, Clarinet, Saxophone, French Horn, Vox
Humana,
etc., are reed voices. The Vox Humana is best
use'd as an ensemble (blending) voice most commonly combined
with the Flute voices of the same pitch. All other reed
voices are best classified as solo voices.
--NOTE: All the Flute voices of each division are grouped
together for easier identification.
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