Lark Combo Organ
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There were two models of the Lark produced: the 37-note, and the 49-note. The 37-note model was introduced in early 1967, and the 49-note model introduced in late 1967. Both models were produced in a plywood case, some painted all black, while the majority where produced painted black on the lower part and orange on the top. The case of the instrument differed from the other RMI models in that it had a low profile design. The case was only about six inches thick and had black folding legs. The 49-note model had an additional octave of bass notes. A later 49-note model was manufactured using the standard RMI case design, and was painted black on the bottom and orange on the top. The sides of this later model had a tiger stripe design in orange and black.
These instruments were designed using the shared oscillator principle. This meant that two notes were using the same oscillator, for example C1 and C#1 used the same oscillator circuit, with C1 having priority over C#1.
The retail cost of the 37-note model was $289, while the 49-note retail cost was $389 for the earlier version and $425 for the later version. Both models were produced in 1967 and 1968.
[written by Tom Emerick, Allen Organ Company]
