Electro-Harmonix B9 Organ Machine review

Organise your guitar sound

  • £165
  • €198
  • $293
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Nine presets are provided via a rotary switch, covering a range of classic organ sounds

MusicRadar Verdict

Being able to play organ from a guitar? We are gobsmacked! Now we can all play Green Onions.

Pros

  • +

    Adapt your playing and it really works! Nine presets to play with.

Cons

  • -

    Not a lot.

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The ever-prolific Electro-Harmonix is constantly expanding its range. Here, we focus on the B9, designed to make your guitar sound like an organ.

"If you adapt your technique and think like an organist, it can sound eerily authentic"

Two knobs set the level of dry and emulated organ sound at the main output, while the Dry output can deliver unprocessed signal to an additional amp. Nine presets are provided via a rotary switch, covering a range of classic organ sounds.

Two knobs adjust parameters: for the presets that reproduce Hammond organ sounds, they add chorus (for rotary speaker simulation) and key click; and for the Vox Continental sound they control realistic vibrato. There's also tremolo for a cathedral organ and an electric piano/ organ hybrid.

Sounds

Although the B9's modulation effects work well, routing the sound through a dedicated rotary speaker simulator really opens things up.

Tracking is fast enough for stage use; you get out what you play in, but with an organ sound.

If you adapt your technique and think like an organist, it can sound eerily authentic, although not all organ techniques are possible, of course.

The pedal has a decent sustained note length, but it won't sustain forever like holding down a key, and shifting between chords isn't as smooth.

There is a whole new sonic area to explore, though, through mixing dry guitar and organ.

Trevor Curwen

Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.