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"The ONE is a little package that belies the truly authentic and mighty organ sounds that it is capable of delivering"

We would like to share this beautiful testimonial of a loyal customer from England with you.

Being no longer prepared to practice mid-week during the long winter months in an often cold chapel and with a piano already in the lounge, I recently converted my daughter’s erstwhile bedroom into an organ studio and purchased the Johannus ONE.

I am used to playing the Johannus Opus 220, the analogue forerunner of the modern digital organ and did not know quite what to expect from a state-of-the-art portable digital keyboard apart from what I had seen and heard on the website videos. I needn’t have worried - the ONE is a (relatively) little package that belies the truly authentic and mighty organ sounds that it is capable of delivering. Additionally, the unexpected ‘Choir’ button is a delight and reminded me of Debussy’s ‘Sirens’ when I first heard it.

For example, selecting the German organ full registration (trumpet & posaune tabs ‘off’) and using maximum reverberation and depth, plugging in hi fi headphones (a ‘must’) and turning the volume up to as comfortable level as possible then balancing the organ and choir outputs with the Expression pedal (a ‘must’), play Stainer’s magnificent hymn tune ‘Cross of Jesus’ and one could be listening in one of our great cathedrals. At the other end of the scale, Karg-Elert’s opus 65 quieter pieces played with soft voices from the French or English registrations produces equisite results. The ONE is equally at home with sparkling Bach keyboard Minuets and Gavottes and strings arrangements of Beethoven Romances. With the addition of a MIDI pedalboard I have no doubt the ONE is fully capable of satisfactorily rendering major organ works.

I also love the funky organ option with its xylophone-like tones for change-of-mood music such as ‘The Shadow of Your Smile’ and similar popular standards using the piano sustain pedal (another ‘must’).

The ONE requires a certain level of organ management to fully avail oneself with all its features and options and to optimise personal preferences but this is a magnificent instrument capable of downloading extra registrations to the existing registration options and is ideal for the home organist.    

John Hayman

United Kingdom