The Baron and The Baroness

After years of searching, I have finally managed to acquire a copy of the Electro-Voice brochure for their short-lived and mostly forgotten 6200/6210 Electronic Organs titled respectively "The Baron" and "The Baroness", designed by Paul McCobb in 1960.


Form No. EV-530131-50M
1960 Electro-Voice brochure showing their Model 6200 "The Baron" electronic organ


Looking back through my research I see that I initially learned of Paul McCobb's work for Electro-Voice in 2009 from a UPI syndicated article published in the July 6, 1960 issue of the Tyrone, Pennsylvania Daily Herald. The article is an interview of Paul McCobb by Joyce Schuller in which McCobb talks about the new organ he designed for Electro-Voice and the best ways to present it in the home. This was not the earliest mention of the organ in the press but it was the first mention which I managed to find, which pointed me in the direction of further McCobb organ research.


"By JOYCE SCHULLER Chicago (UPI) -There's a place in today's small home for a piano or organ, but it should be a special place, furniture designer Paul McCobb says. McCobb recently designed two compact electric organs (for Electro-Voice, Inc.). Each Is only three feet two inches by one foot six inches. small enough for even a city apartment. But the designer advises against squeezing them Into any space smaller than nine by four feet. He recommends the extra space for gathering around to sing in old-fashioned style. Because even this small an organ is basically an important piece of furniture, McCobb suggested giving it a corner of its own or at least half of a large wall. Make an organ or spinet the center of attraction in the room, he advised, or let it share the spotlight with only one other important item, say the fireplace. The sound or a spinet or organ is, of course, even more, important than its looks. McCobb, therefore, cautions against placing it in front or heavy draperies, which, along with carpeting, tend to absorb sound. In most cases. the instrument will sound best when placed against a wall or other firm surface."
The earliest mention of the Electro-Voice Organs in the press is a February 29, 1960 article in Billboard titled "Dealers to Get E-V Organ Franchises" which talks in detail about the upcoming organ, the technology and design behind the organ, the article also mentions Paul McCobb's involvement in the project and available franchise opportunities for the new products.

Dealers to Get E-V Organ Franchises
Images of the organ in the press do not surface until October 10, 1960, as best I can determine, in the Chicago Daily Tribune. 




A full-page advertisement from Allied High Fidelity stores with images cribbed directly from the Electro-Voice brochure. 



From the very scant information in the press we never really get a good look at the 6210 organ, "The Baroness", it is seen on the last page of the brochure (above right), but only in a small vignette. The image below is taken from Paul McCobb surviving personal papers.

Electro-Voice Model 6210 electronic organ "The Baroness" - Press Photo



Sadly, less than a year after the Organs' introduction Electro-Voice discontinues production and the remainder of the inventory is sold off as seen in this July 30, 1961 advertisement from Keys to Music in the Valley News.



Comments

  1. Hi Jonathan, love you blog. Quick random question: have you ever seen a single advertisement for the shovel chair? I know it's Planner and Winchendon, but how is it that there is so little information on the chair?

    ReplyDelete
  2. There was a fair amount of advertising for the shovel chair when it was first introduced. I certainly have a fair bit in my research archive but the shovel chair was just one of many new designs and did not take up a lot of the public attention at the time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the info. I was looking for some early advertisements for it but couldn't find any. I did see it on a sort of sheet with drawings of everything for the Planner line. I was always curious which table they were designed to go with. Thanks again

    ReplyDelete

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