The top of the line Vox Riviera 400 organ made its initial and only catalog appearance in the August 1970 Vox Sound Limited product catalog and price list. It replaced the Riviera 1 and Riviera 2 organs offered by Vox between 1967 and 1969.
Tone Generator Redesign
Prior to 1970, all Vox "drawbar" organs were equipped with the tone generator circuitry originally conceived for the 1962 Vox Continental organ. This design utilized twelve solid-state tone generator circuit cards, one for each of the twelve semitones in an octave.
Every card included 14 germanium transistors. Two of these transistors powered the master oscillator circuit, generating the organ's highest pitches. The other twelve transistors were used in a frequency divider circuit that converted the high pitched output from the master oscillator into the six lower octaves of tones required for proper operation.
Throughout the 1960s, many solid-state devices, including the Vox Continental organ, were based on circuitry utilizing germanium transistors. However, germanium transistors were notoriously unstable. They were fragile, susceptible to drifting out of calibration, and prone to heat related failures. A typical Continental organ contained up to 175 germanium transistors. The failure of even one transistor could significantly affect the proper operation of the organ. Further, a bias potentiometer was required on each tone generator card to adjust for occasional drift in the transistors of the frequency divider network.
The introduction of more robust silicon transistors in the mid-1960s offered a solution to these problems. However, Vox continued production of the germanium powered Continental organ circuit until 1970 when the Continental 300 and the Riviera 400 were introduced.
Based on the design of the original Continental, the Continental 300 and Riviera 400 also utilized twelve solid-state tone generator cards, each with its own master oscillator and frequency divider circuit. However, a key change was made to the tone generator circuit: the elimination of the problematic germanium transistors.
The master oscillator was now powered by a pair of BC183L silicon transistors. More notably, its frequency divider incorporated a TMS3802LA silicon integrated circuit (IC), a relatively new invention in 1970. This single device replaced the twelve individual transistors of the original frequency divider circuit, streamlining the design considerably. Thanks to the stability of these newly designed silicon tone generators, bias potentiometers were no longer required to correct for drift in the divider network.
Drawbars
Like the Riviera 2 model that preceded it, the Vox Riviera 400 organ was equipped with a dual set of eight harmonic drawbars (16', 8', 5-1/3', 4', 2-2/3', 2', 1-3/5', and 1') for pitch blend, a feature inspired by Hammond organs. This offered far more flexibility than the four drawbars of the single manual Vox Continental (16', 8', 4' and IV rank) or the five drawbars of the Continental II's upper manual (16', 8', 4', II rank and III rank).
A notable difference between the Vox Riviera 400 and the Hammond organ was the Riviera 400's omission of the 1-1/3' drawbar voice, resulting in the Riviera 400 having eight drawbars per manual compared to the Hammond's nine.
Beyond the harmonic drawbars that adjusted pitch blend, the Vox Riviera 400 also included three pairs of tone drawbars. Labeled ∿ (Foundation) and M (Reed), these controlled the organ's tonal quality. The Foundation tone was mellow and flute-like while the Reed tone was bright. Each of the organ's sections (upper keyboard, lower keyboard and bass) had its own set of these tone drawbars.
Electronic Gyrotone Effect
In 1969, Vox included a Gyrotone 2 rotary speaker in the retail price of the Riviera 1 organ and a Gyrotone 3 rotary speaker with the Riviera 2 organ.
However, the Riviera 400 did not include a Gyrotone speaker in it's £739 retail price. Rather, it featured an internal "Electronic Gyrotone Effect" designed to electronically simulate the sound of a rotary speaker. This effect was delivered through two 12-inch speakers and a 100 watt RMS amplifier mounted inside the base of the organ. A musician could, however, link an actual Gyrotone speaker into the Riviera 400 using an included extension socket if desired. Connecting an external Gyrotone speaker to the Riviera 400 automatically muted the internal speakers.
Cabinet
While the Vox Riviera 1 and 2 organ cabinets (1967-1969) offered a choice between a durable vinyl covering or an elegant polished wood veneer finish, the Riviera 400 had a particle board cabinet with a simulated wood grain melamine finish.
Despite this change in materials, the Riviera 400 kept the same two-piece cabinet design as the earlier models. This feature allowed the upper keyboard section to be separated from the lower speaker section for ease in transport.
A matching wood grain stool was also included.
Bass Pedals
The Riviera 400 was equipped with a one octave, 13 note bass pedal board, similar to the Riviera 1 that preceded it.
Preset Voicings and Sustain
The upper keyboard of the Riviera 400 offered various preset voicings including piano, harpsichord, and vibes. These could be selected using a series of tabs located to the left of the drawbars. Also included were sustained voicings which could be used independently or in conjunction with the upper manual keyboard.
Percussion
The Riviera 400 featured an effect in the upper manual called "Percussion" (also known as "Harmonic Percussion"), innovated by Hammond Organ in 1954. This effect boosted the initial attack of a note by creating a short, rapidly fading harmonic overtone while allowing the underlying fundamental tones to sustain.
Price
The August 16, 1970 Vox price list offered the VOX Riviera 400 for a retail price of £739 which would convert to about $1775 USD in 1970. Adjusting these 1970 prices for 50+ years of inflation, the Riviera 400 would retail today for £11,125 or $14,750 USD. |
