For sale: an Aeolian Orchestrelle Model M, in London, UK

I bought this Aeolian Orchestrelle about ten years ago in non-working
order with quite a lot of bits removed in separate boxes. I did quite
a bit of work with all new tubing (16 metres of it!) and some new
gaskets and work on the stop levers and I forget what else.

I got it working and it pedals fairly well. Enjoyed it for a bit,
but my interests have changed and I've come to realise that someone
else should be enjoying this -- I never play it any more and, sadly,
I don't think I will make the time for further restoration.

I will be sad to see it go but I would like to pass this on to
someone -- ideally someone who always wanted one but didn't want to
take on a massive rebuild of a derelict, or pay the substantial
cost for a fully restored one.

It is the smaller, suction kind (still a rather substantial
instrument), which are rather simpler than the big pressure models.
It's a Model M (I'm told), with seven stops and a beautiful mahogany
case with Corinthian columns and elaborate fretwork.

The spoolbox has been lightly modified to make it possible to play
(the middle 58 notes from) 65-note piano rolls as well as 58-note
Aeolian Grand / Orchestrelle rolls.

Of course, many rolls that are successful on the piano don't make sense
on the reed organ but I found that a few do. I have somewhere between
160 and 200 58-note rolls I would include in the sale (no 65s!).

It's definitely not perfect. The case is unrestored and has some wear
and minor dings. The motor lags and lopes a bit at lower speed and
I suspect is not quite in its original configuration or perhaps even
position.

The keyboard all works but is worn enough to be a bit saggy in the
middle (a previous owner played by hand a lot). The reeds for the
16-foot stops don't sound great so I have left them (temporarily)
disconnected.

The "doors" that control which stops actually sound tend to leak if left
unused for a long time; I suspect they could do with new cushioning
felt. The "vox humana" turbine wasted an inordinate amount of wind and
never sounded good, so it's not currently installed.

This particular Orchestrelle was rebuilt in 1965 by Arthur Ord-Hume
(who pretty much wrote the book on the subject) and is signed by him
next to the signature of the original voicer on one of the reed ranks.
I corresponded briefly with him and he remembered it, described it as
"Lord Egerton's... which came over from County Kerry", for what that's
worth, but I never found out any more of the story. It had further work
between then and when I bought it.

I can provide some gasket sheepskin and other materials with it if
desired. I considered swapping the motor for a 6-bellows piano one and
have one I would be happy to include. That needs re-covering but is
otherwise mechanically sound.

The Orchestrelle and I are in London, UK.

Lester Hawksby
lesterhawksby@gmail.com.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]

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