The instrument
The small company Elka, known for its Panther organs, launched the monstrous Artist 707 and X-707 in 1975, a mixture of organ and synthesiser. They were soon marketed as the 705 and X-705. Elka wanted to keep the Japanese competition at bay, such as Yamaha with the flagship EX-42 from 1972. The Elka models were identical, but the 705 with wooden case appealed to a traditional audience, while the X-705 with case on metal frame was a portable stage instrument for the pop and rock scene. 2500 copies were sold until 1982.
Details
The X-705 is a jack-of-all-trades in which Elka incorporated all of its equipment developed in the mid-1970s and also sold individually: two Rhapsody 620 synthesizers, a Soloist 490 synthesizer, two Hammond-clone-style organs, the Wilgamat 1 rhythm unit, and a bass pedal that was supplied as an option. The X 705 has the following sections for varying the sound: super-automatic for bass, chords and rhythms; volume for the manuals and the pedal; solo variations for octave, envelope and effects; sinus-flutes drawbars for the upper and lower manuals; registers for the bass pedal, strings and piano for the lower manual, percussion as well as strings and piano for the upper manual; presets for organ, brass and solo (synthesizer); Leslie; vibrato.