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Tuning a Wurlitzer Band Organ
By Bruce Pier

The Gebrueder Bruder 107 that was under my care for nearly a quarter
of a century was comfortable with the "A" at 444 Hz.  Having been built
in 1914, one would normally assume that it was tuned to A=440.  However,
any attempt to bring the pitch down was an exercise in futility.

They were built and scaled to what the builders found worked for them.
Study the pipe work closely, as it will reveal what the pitch is.
Several builders tuned their instruments a full minor third higher than
what the scale said.  This was particularly confusing when it came to,
of all things, Wurlitzer 157's, many of which appear to have been built
with Gavioli pipe work.

In essence, band organ builders didn't use concert pitch; they use
whatever it [the organ] happened to be at the time.

Bruce R. Pier


(Message sent Mon 7 Nov 2005, 02:00:41 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.)

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