Guitorgan

Overview

The Guitorgan is a hybrid instrument that combines a conventional electric guitar with a built-in electronic organ triggered by fret contacts. When a player fingers a note, the fret closes an electrical contact that sounds the corresponding pitch on an internal organ circuit, while the magnetic pickups simultaneously amplify the vibrating string. The result is a single instrument that can sound like a guitar, like a small organ, or like both layered together.

Origin & History

The Guitorgan was developed in the United States by Bob Murrell in the late 1960s, with production models appearing in the early 1970s. Murrell’s company MusiConics International built the instrument around standard semi-hollow guitars — most often Univox and Ibanez 335-style bodies — into which a custom circuit board, keyed frets, and organ electronics were retrofitted. Divided frets split each string’s length into segmented metal sections wired to oscillators, and a small mixer section let the player balance guitar signal against organ signal. Several variants (B-35, B-300) followed through the 1970s and 1980s.

How It’s Played

A Guitorgan is played like a normal electric guitar — the left hand frets notes, the right hand picks or strums — while a foot switch or panel control activates the organ voice. A short delay between string contact and organ triggering is part of the instrument’s characteristic feel. Chord voicings translate directly to organ chords, allowing a single guitarist to deliver pad-like backing textures without a second musician. A sustain control and basic tone shaping adjust the organ voice independently.

Cultural Significance

The Guitorgan is a significant early experiment in guitar-triggered synthesis, predating commercial guitar synthesisers like the Roland GR series. It is remembered as a curiosity of the 1970s country and session-music worlds, with notable users including the Louisiana Hayride studio players and country session guitarists who used it to supply organ pads during recording.

Related Instruments

• SynthAxe – a later MIDI guitar controller
• Stylophone – another compact hybrid electronic instrument
• Semi-acoustic guitar – the body platform used for most Guitorgans
• Variophone – a contemporary optical-synthesis experiment
• Access Virus – a modern synthesiser often paired with guitar controllers

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Guitorgan still made?
No. Small runs were produced into the 1990s, but the Guitorgan is now a collector’s instrument.

Does the organ voice follow string bending?
No — the organ pitch is determined by fret contact, so bends only affect the guitar signal.

Who invented it?
American engineer Bob Murrell, working through his company MusiConics International.