I'm a bit of an organ fanatic. Not a lot of talent, but a lot of enthusiasm.
I was lucky to hear of a small organ on offer here in New Zealand that I have managed to pick up and install in my garage. It is a temporary home for the organ until I purchase a new house sometime in the next year or so.
I'm very lucky in that my fiancee disapproves so heartily of the organ she has given me permission to build my own organ 'room' when we get a new place. We'll be paying that off for ages, but I won't say no!
Anyway, my organ is an eight rank extension organ.
Two manuals plus pedals.
- SubBass 16 (Extended from Bourdon 8)
- Bourdon 8
- Open Diapason 8
- Gambe 8 (bottom octave pinched from Bourdon)
- Violetta 4
- Principal 4 (independent from diapason)
- Flute 4
- Piccolo 2
- Faggotto 16 (extended from Oboe)
- Oboe 8
There is also a 2 2/3 Nazard which is nicked from the Piccolo, but it sounds pants, so I don't tend to use it.
My plans for this organ are to design a new method of patching the wires from the solenoids to the console (I'm a computer engineer by trade, so communications and wiring is second nature), design a new facade for the new house, and replace the console with something that has 'proper' stops, instead of tabs. I might even slowly make my own.
Here are some pictures.
I can't seem to upload images, so here are some links to my photos on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150651618305433&l=b3f8d43a2e
Delivery Day!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150651618375433&l=cb590ce338
Swell Chest
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150651618500433&l=dcc3e4cb24
Great Chest
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150653132645433&l=7674fe3150
Flute, Principal and Piccolo on swell chest. Gambe and Open Diapason visible in background
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150653132700433&l=5f1d1936a1
Gambe, Violetta and Open Diapason on the Great wind chest
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150653132735433&l=e912ae6fb1
Bourdon, Flute, Principal and Piccolo on the Swell Chest. The Oboe and Fagotto haven't arrived yet
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150653132790433&l=4cff76169d
Pipes minus the reeds
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150654132250433&l=7b1ec10b09
The Console
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150675954740433&l=e51785db9e
Woeful wiring.
That looks a great project. Good luck with finishing it and getting a decent music room. I'm looking for something similar myself and was just outbid for one on Ebay yesterday. I've been given the heads up for another, so am hoping.
Nigel
Thanks mate :)
I'm hoping to develop this organ into something of a decent size, the trouble is getting pipes, especially all the way down in New Zealand.
Funds are also a problem, what with me getting married in 4 months.
Cheers
If you look on Ebay UK there are a lot of decent ranks advertised weekly. It might be possible to have them packed up and sent to you. Good luck - it looks a brilliant project.
N
One seller who is always selling pipes on eBay is Nick Pitts in Lincolnshire. It might be a good idea to have a chat with him +44 1775 766081. I have just bought a two rank mixture from him and have bought things from him in the past. Although he sells on the terms of buyer collection only, he might have experience.
The other person who has experience of shipping organs is Robert Buhagiar in Malta http://www.robertbuhagiar.com/
Getting married in a few months . . . on Facebook recently I noticed a friend with around 1200 friends, most of whom are organists, and many of whom might well be batchelors and many of whom show themselves in their status picture in front of their house organs. I did not dare crack the joke on my friend's facebook wall but on my own wall did so -
"Are so many organists batchelors for the reason that wives have difficulty accommodating husbands' organs?"
:-)
Best wishes
David P