MMDers,  Last December I completed restoration of a Wurlitzer 153
band organ.  We had an open house at my shop just a few days before
Christmas.  I had planned to put up a web page immediately afterward
but my mother became terminally ill after the New Year, which
demanded my time and attention.  Last month I was able to put together
a web site which takes the viewer through the restoration process.

Over the years I have done service and partial restoration work on
quite a few band organs.  This is my first extensive restoration
which involved making the cabinet, pressure pump, and a few other
parts from scratch.  I have also included video footage of the
Christmas open house and some of my favorite songs in MP3 format.

  http://www.shortmountainmusic.com/projects/wrltzr153/ 

Tomorrow, John Wrasse will be bringing a band organ I purchased
from the Roenigk estate.  It appears to be perhaps a Bruder that
was converted by Wurlitzer to play Style 165 music rolls.  The facade
is also not original nor does it fit the organ well.

The biggest challenge will be to design a new facade.  I have been
mulling over some ideas with painter and wood carving friends.
I like the style of the 157 facade and we are going for a theme of
"Pan - The God of Mirth" or "Mid-Summer Nights Dream", with satyrs,
nymphs, assorted dryads and other faerie motifs.  My other dilemma
is to go with something Disney-fied, or not so Disney-fied...
Anyway, I find the possibilities exciting.

I also hope to arrange some music.  For many years I have been playing
bagpipes and vielle (hurdy-gurdy) and I have learned quite a lot of
old peasant tunes from France and northern Italy that I think would
sound great on a band organ.

Regards,
Brian Thornton - Short Mountain Music Works
Woodbury, Tennessee

 [ This is probably the best-sounding Wurlitzer 153 I've heard
 [ on a video and I'm sure it's due to Brian's skilled voicing.
 [ If the video doesn't work at Brian's web page you can view it at
 [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sObXmuzp76U  More about nymphs and
 [ other woodland creatures at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymph 
 [ -- Robbie