From out of the dust ...

[drooartz]

Drew - the real "melodeons" were the small reed organs that were popular before the Civil War. After then the bigger "parlor organs" gained the advantage.

Ours is that early style. My mother dates it to sometime in the mid 1800's:

Here's what my mother told me about it: "My father (born in 1904) bought this melodeon before he was married in 1937 at the Salvation Army and the story is that he went back a dozen times before he bought it. The cost was $25. He was a professional musician and a piano tuner and repairer (necessary job). I remember that from time to time he would take it apart and replace the bellows."

My goal is to get it out here to Utah and in working order again so that I can play it. I've never heard it in full song, it makes some noise but the bellows are bad so it doesn't really sing. I know they're not worth much in actual dollar value, but this one has been in my family a long time and deserves to play again.

 

[NutmegCT]

Drew - thanks for the photo. That's called a "lyre leg" melodeon. It's the typical five octave F to F keyboard; the two foot pedals are volume (on left) and bellows pump (the longer one on right).

It's likely the music rack has been replaced, as most of those pre-war instruments had much fancier racks.

I can't quite make out the maker name in the center of the vertical board right behind the keys. There were hundreds (literally) of reed organ makers throughout New England back in the 19th century.

By the way, $25 at Salvation Army for something during the Depression - that sounds like a lot of money!

Tom M.

 

[DrEntropy]

Great respect for those who play a keyboard. And those who make them live.

Growing up I don't recall not having a piano or organ in the house. Mother was the one to play, brother and I were "enrolled" in piano lessons as kids. "Volentold". I couldn't even play Chopsticks now if my life depended on it.

The keyboard progression went from an upright to a huge Hammond organ and several portable electronic keyboards. Brother inherited the talent for music, the only keyboards I'm proficient with are like the one I'm typing on now.

 

[JPSmit]

The keyboard progression went from an upright to a huge Hammond organ and several portable electronic keyboards. Brother inherited the talent for music, the only keyboards I'm proficient with are like the one I'm typing on now.

Likewise Doc. My mother bought an electric organ that came with 6 free lessons. I had taken 2 years of music lessons so I was the logical recipient except the day came and I wanted to play with my friends so, sent younger brother instead - lights went on, he learned organ, then piano, then woodwinds and high school and sea cadets, then a few years playing sax for the changing of the guard on parliament hill, then a degree in music and a music teacher for many years before becoming a principal. Still plays a few gigs - he and his wife have a small local band - and, interestingly he now repairs woodwinds - pads etc in his spare time.

 

[DavidApp]

That was a great piece. Enjoyed it.

Thank you for sharing.

David

 

[DavidApp]

This guy is building a marble machine. This is where he got the idea from.

Automatic Piano and Violins

David

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs0mP2cOmJs

 

[NutmegCT]

Just so you guys don't think I'm a total slouch ...

Still lots of parts and systems to repair and re-install, but here's the first test of the organ after putting the lower action, cavity board, swell, and keyboard back on today:

All the bits and pieces were literally strewn around the house and workshop for the last four months. Slowly coming back together.

Need to do a lot of reed tuning. Discovered that the rear swell wasn't even hooked up when I got the instrument, so I fixed that too.

Not quite an E. Power Biggs (!), but making progress. Tomorrow I re-install the stop system, tremolo, sub bass, and celeste. If all goes well, I hope to have the instrument back together by the weekend.

Tom M.
1874 George Woods

 

[Bayless]

Nice. My late father-in-law restored pipe organs as a hobby and even built a very nice one into his home.

 

[pdplot]

Phantom of the Opera. Nice work, Tom. JS Bach would approve. I was a lousy organist. The foot pedals got me.

 

[YakkoWarner]

I have a later 1920's Estey that I picked up from a charity resell shop about 15 years ago - I was looking for an inexpensive piano and saw it sitting OUTSIDE (under a shed roof but still not really protected)...it is all hardwood and even just sitting on essentially the outside porch it was playable, so I gave them the $150 and hauled it home. The bellows definitely leaks but the reeds and keys assemblies are all in decent condition. One of the stop knobs was broken off, but the shaft is still intact and it enables/disables a vibrato like device that was essentially a big wooden paddle on a small vacuum motor that spins, so the instrument is playable without that particular stop knob. You have to pump like mad to keep enough vacuum on the system which makes playing harder. It is very pretty though, being mostly solid hardwood. It needed some tuning and one reed was broken, it could still use a better tuning but I got it reasonably close.

If I remember correctly one of the key differences between the melodia and the reed organ is that the melodia is a pressure instrument using positive pressure, whereas the reed organ is actually a vacuum instrument that uses the bellows in reverse to suck air through the reeds.

I can't really do anything with the bellows because someone (before I owned it) apparently decided to use GLUE in conjunction with the screws to hold the lower back panel in place, so even with all the screws out I cannot remove the panel to access the bellows. I am guessing this may have been done to solve a vibration/rattle issue since I have run across similar things on big PA speakers from time to time (I've made "gaskets" from old sweatshirts in a pinch to go between bass drivers and the cabinet in a pinch to solve a rattle/buzz), and I can't imagine any other reason for doing something like that. I have no idea how to get that back panel off without doing substantial damage, and the only woodworking wizard I know is 200+ miles away down at the coast so hauling it down there isn't really practical.

 

[NutmegCT]

Yakko - many folks back in the 1960s would use a small vacuum cleaner (with a long hose) to replace the belllows. The hose would go onto the flat board (the "foundation") that lies horizontal over the bellows system.

Most American melodeons and reed/pump organs used "vacuum" - not pressure. The European versions (which are often called harmoniums) used pressure. Some folks believe the pressure system gives more volume, but less control. Vice versa for the vacuum systems.

You can get a good listing of various Estey models here:

https://www.reedsoc.org/Database/ROSIntro.asp

Here's a 1920s Estey model:

https://www.reedsoc.org/Database/scrollfulldetails5.asp?regno=0125&Choice=2&fs=estey

I'd be happy to take a look if you want to PM me some photos.
Tom M.

 

[PAUL161]

As I posted once before, we have a turn of the century Estey organ. Been in storage and hasn't been played since we sold our 1860 Victorian home 20 years ago. Very pretty Cherry wood. Wife used to play it at Christmas when the gang was all there. Many happy times to remember. PJ

 

[Jerry]

Very interesting project. My wife and I rebuilt my mother in laws traveling melodian. It was an interesting project. when we got done it actually worked except for one key. The searching on the internet said some debris was caught in that key and play the organ really hard until the air dislodges it and blows it into an area that won't interfere. Since finishing it, it has never been played. Just sits there.

Basil, we have a duplicate piano to yours. The year is stamped on the sound board, 1892. It is so heavy.

Jerry

 

[YakkoWarner]

Yakko - many folks back in the 1960s would use a small vacuum cleaner (with a long hose) to replace the belllows. The hose would go onto the flat board (the "foundation") that lies horizontal over the bellows system.

Most American melodeons and reed/pump organs used "vacuum" - not pressure. The European versions (which are often called harmoniums) used pressure. Some folks believe the pressure system gives more volume, but less control. Vice versa for the vacuum systems.

You can get a good listing of various Estey models here:

https://www.reedsoc.org/Database/ROSIntro.asp

Here's a 1920s Estey model:

https://www.reedsoc.org/Database/scrollfulldetails5.asp?regno=0125&Choice=2&fs=estey

I'd be happy to take a look if you want to PM me some photos.
Tom M.

I'll try to get some after the holiday and then get someone to explain how the sending thing works.....

 

[Basil]

Just so you guys don't think I'm a total slouch ...

Still lots of parts and systems to repair and re-install, but here's the first test of the organ after putting the lower action, cavity board, swell, and keyboard back on today:

All the bits and pieces were literally strewn around the house and workshop for the last four months. Slowly coming back together.

Need to do a lot of reed tuning. Discovered that the rear swell wasn't even hooked up when I got the instrument, so I fixed that too.

Not quite an E. Power Biggs (!), but making progress. Tomorrow I re-install the stop system, tremolo, sub bass, and celeste. If all goes well, I hope to have the instrument back together by the weekend.

Tom M.
1874 George Woods

 

[drooartz]

Nice progress, great to hear it play again. That's got to feel good.

Our melodian is currently with a restorer up in Maine (Nick Orso) and is in many pieces now. He'll get the innards all restored and I'll haul it back to Utah in April if the plan plays out. Nick's current research puts it at 1842-48, pre Civil War.

I'm really excited to get to play it, after seeing it all these years and never hearing it. I'm not much of a keyboard player but I can do enough to get by. Will be fun to work it in on a recording, and just to have it to play around with.