Organ Wanted
*newbie alert* :wink: Hi all... I want to buy an organ. Ok, I guess that was the easy bit... as to what exactly, I haven't got a clue really at the moment. Open to suggestions! It needs to be able to play for hours on end, unattended, for 7 days a week for several months in the summer and be reliable. Too much to ask? Probably! From what I've learnt recently a digital or midi-player seems to be the way forward for my requirements? If you've got something for sale you think might suit me, please email me a photo, details and price. Steve

Hi Steve, One person who should email via his website is Alan Pell who makes organs with an electronic or midi player system. His website address is: http://www.alanpell.com Ben :)

Hi Steve Rundles of Junktion dealers fame had quite a nice little Pell available on their stall at the GDSF. Not sure whether it was MIDI'ed, but I guess it probably could be, a lot of theirs are. I seem to recall the price was quite reasonable too. Maybe worth a call? I believe you probably know the gentleman quite well... :)

Don Stinson http://stinsonbandorgans.com/ makes new organs perfect for this kind of commercial application. With the current exchange rate buying an American organ might be quite attractive (I can tell you that going the other way is downright painful). Don's organs are MIDIfied and built to be very robust in a commercial environment, from the super-tough finishes to the seemingly bulletproof actions. He doesn't really cater to the effete collectors like me, but rather to showmen who need to show a profit as a result of running an organ and don't want to have to fool around with it. (much like showmen of old, I suspect!) Cheers, Roger

Thanks for the replies so far! Ben - I've emailed alan pell for more details and to enquire how easy it might be to upgrade a secondhand organ should I find one... Andy - yes, I've known Jack for years, I'll have to give him a ring and find out more! Roger - thanks for the link, I've been looking at Tim Tragers site too and anothe US site with loads of mechnical music on... you're right, the exchange rate is making the usually comparibly high US prices almost in line with ours, which makes a nice change! I've bought a couple of coin-op machines recently from the US, and it is a good few years since that was worthwhile doing! (I'm a big collector of vintage slot machines) Any more suggestions greatfully received! - hopefully I can get something sorted out for Easter! Steve

Hi Steve, There is a 52-key Dutch-style street organ somewhere in or around Preston that I believe was for sale a while ago. I don't know the present ccircumstances, but it may be worth investigation. I built the organ in 1992 for Anthony Cowell of Grimsargh, Preston, and Alan Pell made a midi player for it, but I don't have any recent contact details for him. Can anyone else help here? Regards, John

Organ Wanted
Hello Steve, Organs playing by midi have come a very long way over the past few years & are certainly the easiest option for a commercial venture. Some iMOD members have organs operating by this method & it is well worth seeking their opinions, for a start why dont you PM willem Kelders who as you might know owns two exceptional Verbeeck organs (The Victory & The Locomotion) both of which are worked exceedingly hard commercially & are two of the most reliable organs you will ever see or hear!. Willem & his family are exceptionally friendly & knowledgable people with a long proven history of operating organs commercially, have a look at his website: www.rba-verhuur.nl you will find some great photos from numerous venues which they have been booked to appear at. Best wishes, Trevor.

Thanks Trevor - a friend of mine (who's recently become an organ owner himself) put me onto Willem's site the other day - all very interesting! Midi seems to be the way forward - probably upset a few purists, but then book or roll music is digital in any case! I have no doubt that Gavioli and Marenghi and all the rest of them would have used Midi if it had been invented 100 years ago!

Midi controlled organ wanted
Hello Steve, If I can be of any help, just ask. Most of our work is midi controlled these days. We make organs for pro use - showmen and the like. For your interest, the organ for sale at Jack Rundles was stripped down bt us and reconditioned with all new pallet magnets, though it is not a midi instrument - rather our earlier Harmonist 2 system (but could be easily converted to midi) Regards Alan Pell

Hi Alan - I did email you last week, but perhaps you didn't get the email? I went to Jack's yesterday as it happens to have a listen, sounds quite sweet I thought. A bit physically smaller than I'd like, but I suppose that could be rectified by building a larger frontage! What would it cost to convert to Midi? - is it a job I could do myself? (I'm reasonably OK with a screwdriver!) or would it have to come to you again to have the work done? Steve