As many of you know, I have been involved with band organs as a
collector, historian, and dealer for at least thirty years.  I have
lectured on band organs to various conventions of AMICA, MBSI, and the
National Carousel Association.  I have supplied many band organs to
collectors and to buyers for use on carousels.  I also own one of the
largest carousel organ collections in the United States.

In recent MMD posts there have been a lot of myths flying around about
vintage band organs vs. new band organs.  I must say that there is
absolutely no truth to the assertion that a new band organ is better
than a properly restored original organ.  Original band organs, from
Artizans to Ruths, were _all_ designed for hard and demanding use such
as 12 hour days in the hot summer heat.  The pipework and internal
mechanisms found in original vintage band organs were the product of
years of design, engineering, astute pipe voicing, and competition.
They were and still are very successful for their intended commercial
use.

I could recite instance after instance were original vintage band
organs are still used successfully on carousels such as those used by
the following: Knoebels Grove Amusement Park, Hersheypark, Canobie Lake
Park, Glen Echo Carousel, Burlington, Colorado Carousel, Pueblo City
Park Carousel, James H. Drew Shows Carousel, to name a few, as well
as many original organs on carousels in England and Europe.

All these places have one thing in common: the owners or operators
of these organs all care about their band organs -- the band organs
are properly restored and maintained.  Sadly, not every band organ,
including new ones on public display, is properly treated.  But that
is _not_ the fault of the band organ!  It is the fault of the owner or
operator who is uncaring, unknowledgeable, or cheap or all the above.

No band organ, new or old, is trouble free; all need occasional tuning
and regulation.  But to say that an original restored band organ is a
box of troubles is totally inaccurate.  It has been my experience and
that of others that such organs will faithfully perform for years.
And, no, you don't have to continually rebuild parts at the end of
each year.  And it does not take two years to have one restored either
unless the restorer you chose has a back log or you are putting in only
an hour a day on it.  It should take no more than three months for
a competent person with the proper knowledge and tools to restore
a moderate sized band organ.

There are those techies who would say a band organ would be more
maintenance friendly if this or that component were removed and
replaced with "modern" technology.  Some say take off the pressure
bellows, crankshaft, vacuum bellows, pittman arms, and replace these
with a blower and suction unit.  Others would say, remove the player
action, original pipe chest and replace these with a direct election
solenoid chest.

Well then, lets keep this move toward simplicity going and remove the
pipes too and replace them with digital tone generators with sampled
band organ pipe sounds!  In the end, if you follow this path, don't
_dare_ call the resulting contraption a band organ!  The whole charm
of the thing is lost.

Again go back to Knoebel's Amusement Park and look at the Frati on the
carousel.  The visitor can enjoy viewing this fine old band organ from
the front _and_ the back.  Park owner/enthusiast, Dick Knoebel, has
realized that the fascinating mechanisms at the rear are just as
attractive as the front with its animated figures to the park patrons!
AND this organ gets very hard commercial use.

Remember that a properly restored original operating system in a vintage
band organ is part of the charm of a historic carousel experience.  And
such old mechanisms are _not_ difficult to maintain or operate.  And
there is an extensive litany of books and articles on the subject which
are "out there" to educate the enthusiast who is willing to learn

Should MIDI control be put on old band organs?  Personally, I do not
see a problem with MIDI operation as long as its introduction can be
applied and reversed without affecting the originality of the organ.
Computers which operate the MIDI system are not without their own
peculiar problems such as occasional lockups and glitches.

A historic carousel deserves an authentic old band organ!  Why not?
The same rational that resulted in the purchase of a historic old
carousel should be applied when considering a band organ.  Like the
carousel, the band organ can be a historic showpiece.  After all,
the band organ is the musical "soul" of the carousel.  There are
a multitude of available recordings that will prove that properly
restored original band organs sound great! And original band organs
are always affordably available for purchase.

The old Silver Beach Carousel which started this thread is very
familiar to me.  Because of serious demographic difficulties at the
Silver Beach Amusement Park, the owner, Chief Terrill, was forced
to close the park and sell off carousel.  The beautiful carousel was
fortunate to have not one but _three_ band organs on it!  The organs
were a Style 188 North Tonawanda playing duplex 150 music, a DeKleist
predecessor of the Wurlitzer Style 150, and a Fred Dolle 65-key book
operated organ.

Around 1973 all the organs were offered for sale for $9,000.00 as a
package.  I was fortunate to spend a day with Mr. Terrill discussing
the organs, carousel, and park.  The organs were later purchased by
the late Jim Wells who later sold them off.  Both the DeKleist and the
North Tonawanda survive.  The DeKleist was a favorite at many organ
rallies until it was retired to a private museum collection in Kansas
City.  Sadly the Fred Dolle organ was destroyed.

The Silver Beach Carousel deserves a fine restored old band organ to
accompany it.  The carousel and organ also deserve a building that will
acoustically celebrate the sound of the organ.  Beware of the architect
who promotes the hard steel and glass atrium style building.  It would
be a shame to repeat the acoustical debacle that happened with the
Salem Carousel in Oregon.  Read about that situation on the following
MMD post:
http://mmd.foxtail.com/Archives/Digests/200111/2001.11.04.03.html

Modern organs have their place but vintage band organs should not be
denigrated in the effort to promote new organs.  Vintage band organs
should be preserved, restored, and treasured for future generations.
They can stand up to the task and be just as impressive today as they
were years ago.

I am always willing to discuss band organs, especially vintage ones,
with people who are looking to acquire them.  I feel it is very
important for enthusiasts such as myself who have been in this hobby a
long time to share our information and experience with new enthusiasts.

Tim Trager
Trager@idt.net