Hi
I've finally started work on my house organ. Most of the parts I'll be making myself, but I cannot imagine the work involved in making the keyboards and pedalboard (although I do have some rough drawings done!). If anyone has any kicking around and wants to see them used please get in touch.
Regards,
Matt.
Hi
Try asking around your local organ builders - they may well have something. I've got a single manual 54-note keyboard here if that's any use - I'm not sure yet if I can dispose of the 30 note straight, flat pedalboard that went with it though.
The manual was on a tracker job, so is centre-pivoted.
every Blessing
Tony
Hi!
I gave a double manual clavier to Jonathan Lane and might even have given him a pedalboard too, but it was a couple of years ago so don't remember. He was going to give me a pedalboard with electric contacts and he's probably forgotten that too!
So it's worth asking him for a start on your quest.
Good luck!
Best wishes
David P
I have got two, believed ex Gray and Davison, manuals - 56 note I think, and the pedalboard which goes with them - 30 note I think in Eastbourne East Sussex if that's of any interest.
Hi
Thanks for your replies.
Tony: The grand plan is to have two small manual divisions so although the 54 note manual would save making about half a dozen tiny pipes I think it might make problems finding another one to go with it (I would be interested to know where it came from though).
Victor: These sound interesting, but I'm quite some distance from Eastbourne (High Peak in Derbyshire), so would have to give some thought as to the logistics.
I only recently re-kindled my interest in Organ playing, so unfortunately don't have a lot of local organ builder contacts (since the only organ I play often is an Allen). Will have to have a look around.
Regards,
Matt.
Hi
The organ the keyboard came from is reputed to be by Bishop - probably late 1800's, but I can't be sure on that. As you say, finding a matching manual might be a problem. The info I have is on NPOR - survey no. N08775 (the church that I acquired it from). I also have the reservoir if you should need one. If I ever do anything with the pipes, I'll probably go for a constant pressure blower.
As to organ builders, the IBO website has a listing of all their members. http://www.ibo.co.uk/IBO2005/register/questions/regSearch.asp
You could also find out who tunes any pipe organs in your area and ask them.
Every Blessing
Tony
Hi Tony,
How big is the reservoir? I haven't really given much serious thought to that part of the organ, except that I want the two manual divisions to be blown independently so I can experiment with different tremulant designs. I know a lot of new instruments have some sort of pressure regulator on the windchest, with the blowers feeding directly to them. I also suspect that an organ fed by an electric blower would not need anything like as big a reservoir as one which is hand blown.
I can see more research coming on...
Regards,
Matt
Hi
The reservoir is pretty well inaccessable at present, but it's around 4ft long & 2ft+ wide - standard double-rise. I can't vouch for the state of the leather, as I never got as far as that in rebuilding the organ before I discovered major problems with the windchest and abandoned the project.
The organ it came from was 3 stops, 8, 8TC, 4 plus pedal pulldowns - I would guess though that the reservoir could handle a couple more ranks.
Every Blessing
Tony