Organ transplant?

[Merseysider]

One of our churches is suffering from multiple organ failure. Our lovely old pipe organ is beyond affordable redemption and our two-manual digital has finally given up the ghost. We're looking towards a long-term solution but, right now, we don't have long-term cash. Is anyone seeking to sell something which might serve us in the interim? Perhaps you bought something digital while your pipes were being renovated. Or perhaps you've recently upgraded. Whatever, if you have something which might support our singing for a couple of years (preferably longer) we'd love to hear from you.

[presbyter]

our two-manual digital has finally given up the ghost.

oh dear - digitals have not been around that long - how many years service has it given?

you could try

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Viscount-Church-O ... dZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Superb-Digital-El ... dZViewItem

or if you are just looking "pro tem" and the external sound system of the digital is working - a keyboard like this

http://www.ahlborn-galanti.com/H6.htm

will do nicely - I have one here and used it for several diocesan events/pilgrimages - sounds wonderful through external amps

[docmattc]

our two-manual digital has finally given up the ghost.

I don`t have a spare organ hanging about, but to hear of a digital dying is quite worrying, we have an Allen that is about 8 years old and is working great, but I`d hope it was with us for a very long time yet. I`m also suggesting another church where I play doesn`t spend 15grand restoring its 1960 Walker extension pipe organ in favour of getting a digital which will be half the price and a more versatile instrument. But thats not good if it has a short lifespan. I know this topic is not "Do we trust digitals" but to hear of one giving up the ghost has set me a quiver

[dunstan]

These guys sometimes have reasonable second hand instruments - ours came from them a few years ago. They do repairs as well.

http://classicalorgansltd.co.uk/default.htm

As for the longevity of digital instruments, ours is a first generation sampled organ, dating from the late '80s, and they typically last into obsolescence.

[Merseysider]

Thanks all for so many ideas. Will peruse.

oh dear - digitals have not been around that long - how many years service has it given?

This one has given more than 25 years (digitals have been around since 1970). It's most recent service cost £600 (by the manufacturer) and came nowhere near correcting any of the faults. £600 down the drain, really.

[musicus]

This one has given more than 25 years (digitals have been around since 1970).

Allen's website claims that they were first with a digital (as opposed to an electronic) organ in 1971, 15 years ahead of their nearest rival.

In my experience of digital technology, it's the mechanical bits that drop off first, long before the silicon chips revert to sand. Electronic organs were a different matter. Quite apart from sounding fairly carp, most of them used quite complex (and failure-prone) circuitry to create the sounds. A digital organ, OTOH, uses solid state chippery to read and reproduce the encoded, sampled sound of real pipes.

My first church 'organ' (in Dover) was a Philishave...

[gwyn]

We went down the Copeman Hart route in 1997. We made the right choice, it's fantastic. It cost about fifty grand. We were 50% funded by grants including the National Lottery.

[presbyter]

My first church 'organ' (in Dover) was a Philishave...

and is it still going strong? I know of a chapel where one is

[organist]

Lucky you Gwyn! I'm interested that you got funding for a digital organ costing 50 grand. In my previous parish we spent 30 grand on a Cathedral Eminent. I did look at all the possibilities and played lots of different organs. Copeman Hart were the most expensive, the Allens salestalk the most seductive but the Cathedral Eminent gave us more for our money. It is all down to the number of amplifiers and channels - the more the better! Sadly that organ is very seldom played now.
On original topic, try advertising in Church Music Quarterly and Organists Review - they have very wide circulation. There was a programme on Christmas Day at 3 p.m. on Radio 4 about pipe organs being taken to Estonia - silly time to put it out so I missed it! Did anyone hear it or even record it?

[gwyn]

Dwedodd Organydd,

Lucky you Gwyn!

Yes indeedy Organist. The Lottery will not fund projects solely on liturgical grounds - I'm told they make an exception in the case of Isalm - so we got the funding on the strength of the fact that there was no organ of recital standard anywhere near. That's what swung the funding in our favour. The Lottery wont fund second-best, they look in considerable depth at your bid for munny.

The organ gets good use mind you. Roy Massey (until recently organist at Hereford Cathedral) gzve the first recital. He and Mrs. Massey came one morning to have a pre-view. Mrs. Massey whispered in my ear that he wouldn't stay long since he's not a great lover of these things. Two and a half hours later he was still at it and loving every minute of it. The recital was wonderful.

Abbot Alan (RIP) gave it the thumbs up, he had previously cautioned us against us going down the digital route. When he came to familiarise himself with it before bringing a schola of monks from Belmont (they were to sing Vespers and Abbot Mark to bless the organ) he smiled a twinkly-eyed smile and said "This is better than the organ in Belmont Abbey. Wrap it up. I'll take it".

Terence Gilmore-James practices on it regularly so it's all good, holy fun. What a delight to wander into the church to find him running through the D major Prelude and Fugue.

If anyone is passing through Abergavenny, feel free to call in and give it a whirl.

Not least among the many recitalists was Nigel Ogden (Organist Entertains). He was good fun.

Presbyter uses a good quality keyboard with a decent spec, I can't recall its name though it turns out an impressive sound.

[edit] Ah, Presbyter has provided a link for us earlier in the thread. http://www.ahlborn-galanti.com/H6.htm

[presbyter]

Presbyter uses a good quality keyboard with a decent spec....... it turns out an impressive sound.

You're welcome to play for the pilgrimage next year - I can have a rest for a change!