Getting organized

In the past month I have done some basic research on reed organs. Turns out that there are a lot of resources out there and a lot of individuals willing to share their knowledge. There is a guy who is putting up a series of instructional videos on You tube, starting with how to pedal. There is another video there showing how to do the rebuild. I don't now how thorough it is, but it looks like there will be some good ideas in it when I have time to view the whole thing.


I have been playing the organ and trying to get an advance feel for what will need to be done. Since I have just started a master's degree program and I have replacement hatch cover to make for my sailbaot, I really don't expect to take the organ apart until late this spring, at the earliest.



As you can tell from this video [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzrH6DeoEXo ], there are clearly some issues. The keys are very loud, and I assume that whatever felt or cushioning was laid underneath them has long since lost its effectiveness. Another significant issue is that when I stop pedaling the sound almost immediately ceases. According to what I have seen on YouTube, the bellows, being full of somewhat compressed air, should expel that air after you stop pedaling over a period of maybe five seconds. That would hold the sound at a reasonable level for nearly that long. Also, although the stops work, I thnk that there are some mechanical issues, especially with what I call the 'doubling' stops. As far as intonation, my ear isn't up to that, but I would get or build an electronic tool to tune the instrument when I get it to that point of repair.


While making the video I had enough light to find and read the production label inside the cabinet. The organ is serial number #76598 which, according to the Estey Organ Museum website, definitely dates it's manufacture to 1878.


The first thing that I am going to do is to make the bench. All of the organs came with a bench to sit on while playing, and most of them have disappeared by now. In my reference book, "The American Reed Organ," Mr Gellerman provided a picture of a typical bench. The interesting thing about the bench is that the seat is angled slight downward, which provides an easier angle for the organist't legs to facilitate pumping the bellows. I am surprised that pipe organ benches weren't designed that same way to allow for pedalling. Here is a picture of the bench that I will be building - the proportions a little off to my eye, so I will make it not quite so wide. I have a piece of wood that was given to me by the father of a friend when he decommissioned his wood shop. It is a rough cut plank a foot wide, eight feet long and over an inch thick, probably cherry. I am sure that this will ultimately be a beautiful piece of furniture.