Published on Nov 17, 2012 by LemuriaAuxillary
"This is a demo of the Hammond Innovex Condor GSM, currently for sale at my site Phase II EFX (http://phaseiiefx.tumblr.com/#23518666868).
This demo is rather rough, unfortunately, as I used the camera mic for the sound in the effect demo. The higher quality sound in the first minute of the demo was recorded through my console into computer."
via this auction
"The Innovex Hammond Condor GSM is a rare bird, indeed, and this specimen, in particular, is beauty. The set includes the Innovex Hammond GSM effects unit, Condor hollowbody Guitar (manufactured by Ovation), original cable, case, manual, hangtags, and case slipcover. I have never seen another Condor as complete as this one.
A rather sophisticated octave divider (triggered by a special hex pickup) lies at the heart of the Condor GSM. The Condor guitar’s hex pickup connects to the Condor effects unit, allowing each string to trigger selected effects or settings that mimic other instruments. In essence, the Condor becomes a polyphonic effect, unlike a lot of similar effects units from the period, like the Maestro Soundsystem for Woodwinds, which uses monophonic triggering. With the polyphony of the Condor, you can get an incredible range of sublime octave dividing effects triggered by each individual string. A set of dials on the Condor effects unit allow the user to dial in the sensitivity/triggering for each string.
The effects are arranged in three color-coded categories: red—vibrato, tremolo, blue—bass, yellow-higher voices. Tabs mounted on the front activate an effect, while the sliders on the top of the unit give control over rate, and intensity, and bass volume/tone, and yellow voice volume/tone.
Effects include(from left to right):
red: repeat, tremolo/vibrato
blue: two string bass guitar, two string bass, bass guitar, string bass, bassoon, organ;
yellow: fuzz, mellow, horn, oboe, sitar, natural amplified, harpsichord, soprano.
The sounds conjured from the Condor are really quite incredible, in fact the condor can be run in stereo with blue effects (bass) to one side, and yellow effects to the other. This is useful for bass especially as you can send the blue voice to bass rig for massive sound. You can also select multiple settings at once for incredibly twisted combinations. The yellow voices are the most sublime, especially the sitar (rather convincing), and an unreal harpsichord sound that is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.
The hex pickup on the Condor connects to the effects unit; however, the Condor guitar also has a regular 1/4 in. output, so you can have another set of effects or amp routing if you really want to get crazy, and I believe YOU DO!
The Condor guitar was in fact a rebranded Ovation Tornado, a 3/4 scale hollowbody, with bridge and neck pickups, in addition to the hex pickup used to control the GSM. Ovation electrics were incredibly well-built guitars, with fine detailing and unique designs. Check the specs on the Tornado.
The Condor is rumored to have been used by Jimi Hendrix, and it’s not hard to believe. The sonic possibilities, especially for this era, are unreal. I imagine the market would have been rather small for the expensive Condor GSM, relegating it to rich experimenters, session pros and studios. I have never seen another complete set for sale. This is truly a rare opportunity to own an esoteric guitar effect classic."
Original price and info documentation below.
We had this unit but unfortunately the midi which became obsolete and didn't work anymore. Rest us the Hammond Condor guitar, also as Ovation tornado.
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