How many Electrones were made?

[Lucien Nunes]

A really important piece of information we don't have is total sales of each of the standard models.

347's I'm fairly confident didn't go above about 200, the highest serial amongst fourteen 347's I've seen is our No. 188, although I'm not sure whether the numbers included 348s or whether they had a separate series of numbers. Highest 348 seen so far is our No. 156. I know of only one in use in a church (Hanger Hill) against thirteen retired or re-purposed and five thought to have been scrapped, that would suggest perhaps ten still in service, although with very low statistical confidence as we have such limited info to work on.

357s and 363s one could use the amplifier serial numbers as a rough guide although other console models will contribute to the total amplifier numbers. Assuming that all organs found with Fred Allen green amps were originally valve, it seems likely that valve versions originally outnumbered transistor ones by about two or three to one. If one also discounts all the earlier PA352 amps as accounted for by other models (primarily the Melotone) then the total of 357s and 363s together would be no more than 1.5 x 410 = 615 organs built, since 410 is the highest serial number of PA661 amplifiers seen so far.

CH/2s have the A20 amplifier on which serial numbers go over 1000, however I am unsure whether they are consecutively numbered as this seems rather high compared to e.g. the 357. If it's correct, because surviving CH/2s vastly outnumber the other models that used this amp, there might have been 800 built with valve amps. Again fewer with transistor amps from new, although the relative numbers I wouldn't like to guess at yet. Say it's the same proportions as the 357 and call it 1200.

So for a first approximation, total production of the popular three could be around 2000. My hunch is that this is too high, especially the CH/2s. 1000-2000 perhaps? Slowly we build up a picture....

Lucien