Organ Update - June 2024

This month a shelf was made for the new curtain valve reservoir in the closet to feed the bottles and future tone chute bourdon, which will be used for a resultant effect (very low notes that simulate a 32’ stop). All trems were placed in the organ minus the post horn trem that needed to be rebuilt. An 18/2 cable was run from the spreader board between the two shade frames and each trem. The Clarinet/Diapason, Strings & Flute, Vox and Tuba trems were all winded. Pin addresses for the trems were programmed into Uniflex so now the organ is starting to come to life when a piston is pushed!

After laying out some pipes, it was determined that I was missing a G# in the Tuba Horn. I was also missing some sleigh bells that had been cracked, missing or really out of tune. At the same time, Terry Kleven and Bob Swaney of Century Pipe Organ in Minneapolis had a Uniflex issue in the Heights Theatre up by them. A deal was made for me to fix the Uniflex issue in Minneapolis in exchange for the bells and Tuba pipe I was missing. Word of this got out and add to the mix two chests that needed to come down to the Organ Piper and a bunch of diaphone pipes for John Cornue… now the trip included a 16’ Penske truck that was split three ways! Zach Frame and I hit the road and spent two days moving organ parts and making the Heights organ happy again. Upon unloading at the organ piper, we happened to spot a dirty looking pipe in the corner of the garage. Upon further inspection, it turned out to be… a Wurtlizer Tuba pipe… you guessed it… G#. God has a sense of humor.

Another day this month was spent at the organ piper for some pipe swapping. First the post horn. My post horn was not original to the El Capitan organ, but was a newer moeller post horn voiced on 10”. The restaurant post horn was the same thing… except it was mitered to fit under a small ceiling and mine wasn’t mitered at all. Since the restaurant has ceiling height and my basement does not, it was a like for like trade to avoid cutting up a set of pipes to make them fit. Once they were racked and tuned, it was determined that the pipes actually sounded better in the restaurant as the bottom notes actually were able to get out over the rest of the pipes in front of the post horn. Next time you are eating pizza and listening… see if you can tell! The second swap was a few notes of the tuba. Not the reeds/boots, just the resonators, which again, were mitered on the restaurant’s organ whereas mine were not. While the pipes were removed, proper racking for a tuba was installed, whereas the restaurant previously had Style D Trumpet racking holding up the Tuba, which kind of worked, but wasn’t the proper racking for the application. The proper racking fits the tuba much better and looks correct. Finally, with Derek at Organ Piper doing some spring cleaning ahead of a garage remodeling project, spare parts were reviewed. At the end of the day, I was able to get a spare organ ladder, which will be used in the back corner of the chamber to get up onto the percussion shelf/platform.

Finally, the organ now has a video system installed so that an image of what is going on in the music room can be displayed on the TV in the living room and basement for overflow seating and so that everyone can see things moving in the chamber. Right now the system only has two cameras, but more will be added later.