According to Whiting, the organs, “maller than the folding organ type and not collapsible. They were marketed through large department stores as toy organs, yet they were truly musical instruments. In the 1930s and 1940s, Estey developed a line of pint-sized, foot-pumped, miniature “children’s organs” for small players.
#Estey organ for sale manual#
There was also a so-called Student Organ with two sets of reeds on each manual and on the pedal the pedal board could be folded up under the keyboards when not in use. Both could be had either pedal or motor operated. According to Robert Whiting, Estey manufactured a small Children’s Organ and a somewhat larger Junior Organ around the 1920s. It was almost inevitable, then, that Estey began developing organs for children starting in the early twentieth century. In reality, the child sat in the lap of her mother or another female relative who pumped the pedals while showing the child the notes. At this point in the organ’s evolution, children could not play organs themselves, being too short to reach both the keyboard and the pedals at the same time. Ironically, most of the children on the Estey trade cards, both boys and girls, play harps, horns, banjos, drums, and generic viols – almost everything but reed organs. Children were viewed as innocent, sincere, spontaneous and emotional as opposed to adults’ rationality and pretentiousness. According to Dennis Waring in Manufacturing the muse: Estey organs and consumer culture in Victorian America, company officials, like other promoters, used a number of images of children in their trade cards. It was toward the end of the nineteenth century that Estey managers began using children in its advertising. The manufacture of these instruments came about in conjunction with Victorian mores concerning women, families and children and meshed well with the company’s and its principals’ longstanding concern for the well-being of its employees and their families. If you are looking for service in the bay area for an electronic organ (one that has a cord that plugs into the wall outlet) contact Rod Camp in Livermore.The Estey Organ Museum currently owns several organs made for children. To learn more about reed organs and related instruments, and about the Reed Organ Society, the Reed Organ Society website contains a wealth of information along with links to other reed organ sites. What makes The Reed Organ Man tick? Here are a few of his pet diversions.Įvidence of an early interest in reed organs: Jim watches Trudi Dickson play a much-abused Estey at Zephyr Cove, Lake Tahoe, when he was about 8 years old. The Restoration Gallery shows a few examples of Jims recent work, and the For Sale section shows some instruments that have been refurbished and are in need of new homes and owners to cherish and play them. Here are some photos of the new shop (click on them for larger views): He is a past President of the Reed Organ Society and is currently editor of the Reed Organ Society Quarterly. The Reed Organ Man was recently featured in an article in the San Francisco Chronicle. There is NO supply of materials for repairing reed organs beyond the This often requires fabricating new parts, since What many might consider a piece of junque into the musical instrument Fixit, Jim takes particular pleasure in converting Keep your eyes on the For Sale section as I complete many organs in my inventory.Īfter some 40 years restoring reed organs as a hobby, Jim Tyler has, in early retirement, opened a 2500-square-foot facility devoted to the repair and refurbishment of reed organs, melodeons and harmoniums.Įver a Mr. And if you want to take over my business and become the next Reed Organ Man, by all means give me a call. If you are in the business and want to be added to this list, get in touch. Call him at (530)906-8885, or email referrals elsewhere, tell me where you are and I'll try to connect you with someone competent. In the Sacramento area, Bill Hardy does reed organ rebuilds and repairs. In Oregon, call Terry Lambert at (541)337-6160. It has been fun, but my old bod is telling me it is time to finish up the many projects still awaiting my attention, and then get some rest. After twenty years of being The Reed Organ Man, it is time to retire (for the second time).