Hi Mike, have you considered getting yourself a Bilhorn?
They made splendid folding reed organs from approximately 1890 to the 1940s, the most famous of which is the Telescope model. They were originally intended for travelling missionaries, they weigh bugger-all and sound great.
Mine is nearly 100 years old, the case is disintegrating through years of poor storage in barns but the reeds are all practically at concert pitch..
The guts are almost perfect, the case is easily replicated.
Check them out, I think you'd dig 'em.
In fact, if you look for late footage of the great Ivor Cutler you'll see one in action. At his last gig (Royal Festival Hall?) he was using a Telescope with the word
'SEWER' on the back in masking tape.
Love and Scones,
wallis xx
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
From: ecclesreinson@rogers.com
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2009 20:40:52 +0000
Subject: [newmellotrongroup] Re: Estey Harmoniums
Missing a bunch of reeds. That would give it a nice open / airy sound.
--- In
newmellotrongroup@ yahoogroups. com, Mike Dickson
<mike.dickson@ ...> wrote:
>
> Having read some, I see that Estey made about half a million up to the
> 1950s. The one I was looking at was listyed as 'valued up to £1000'
then
> reduced from £500 to £250 to £200 or nearest offer'. I eventually tried
> it on Monday and learned why. The reeds were missing from a bunch of
> notes, the bellows were leaky and four of the stops appeared either
> disconnected or just had no effect.
>
> It wasn't a pipe top one - if it was I'd have bought it just as a
bit of
> decorative furnitire.
>
> Mike
>
>
>
> ceccles_ca wrote:
> >
> > Estey made a lot of them between 1900 and 1910. They all used a
> > vacuum air system didn't they? I have seen two Estey parlor organs at
> > the Antique shop in the past year. $800 - $1200. They both had leaky
> > air boxes and somewhat broken pump pedals. (an easy fix?)
> >
> > I'd like to see/play one with the pipe top.
> >
> >
> > --- In newmellotrongroup@ yahoogroups. com
> > <mailto:newmellotro ngroup%40yahoogr oups.com> , Mike Dickson
> > <mike.dickson@ > wrote:
> > >
> > > Anyone had any dealing swith Estey reed organs?
> > >
> > > There is one for sale near me and I'm tempted, but any pointers of
> > > things to look out for etc would be appreciated.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Mike Dickson, Edinburgh
> > >
> > > Free Music Project: http://www.last. fm/music/ Mike+Dickson
> > <http://www.last. fm/music/ Mike+Dickson>
> > > Or http://www.mikedick son.org.uk/ <http://www.mikedick son.org.uk/>
> > >
> >
> >
>
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