This all from memory, so it may not be 100% correct.
 
SAVILLE ORGAN COMPANY
 
Robert Saville's Saville Organ Company, originally located somewhere north
of Chicago went bankrupt in 1976 shortly after moving to Sturgeon bay,
Wisconsin..
 
One of their largest creditors received rights to the name in the
liquidation. I beleive his name was James Mot.  He then attempted to set up
a new Saville company in a Wichita, KS light industrial park.  As far as I
know, this new company never produced any actual instruments other than the
mock-up of a Church Spinet Organ (thirteen pedal keys) based on the 6800
Series Motorola Microprosessor.  Photograghs of this spinet instrument were
widely circulated to show what they planned to introduce.  They didn't seem
to have any background or real knowledge of organ building or the organ
industry, pipe or electronic.  I meet the owner and his sales manager
several times and even arranged for them to attend a meetiing of the IAEKM
(International Association of Electronic Keyboard Manufacturers) when I was
that organization's First VP.  Mostly they were looking for capital and
some basic clues on where to get pistons, toe studs, keyboards, and other
common organ parts, if they went into production.
 
I later meet the sales manager, last name Anderson, after he had taken a
job as a piano sales rep with Baldwin.  My understanding was the whole
buisness had been liquidated, perhaps 10 years ago.  But, perhaps there is
still a Saville sign out in a Wichita industrial park somewhere and dreams
of its return to active organ building may linger.
 
ASSOCIATED ORGAN BUILDERS
 
Asssociated Organ Builders (AOB) was located in Auburn, Washington.  It was
founded in 1976 by Russ Howard, the local salesperson for Saville organs,
after Saville went Bankrupt.
 
Russ told me he founded AOB because he had deposits on several organs when
Saville went under and he didn't want to give the money back.  AOB organs
were similar to Savilles except each keyer had its own set of RC
oscilators, making the instruments functionally exactly like small unit
pipe organs.
 
Russ sold the company around 1992 and, he told me when I last saw him, the
whole company he had kept going for 16 years was gone and out of business
in 6 months.  He had a couple of heart attacks after that, but last I heard
was doing okay.
 
BRISTON ORGAN WORKS
 
This is a small Washington state company claiming to carry on the
Saville/AOB tradition.  They say they have the cream of AOB's experienced
staff? and completed five organ projects left uncompleted when AOB closed.
They were or are using AOB type anolog tone generation.  Maybe they have
gone to MUSICOM technology by now.  I have never run across of of these
organs.
 
ADVENT ORGANS
 
A Omaha, Nebraska company started by the ex-Sales Manager for AOB, Bill
Dunbar.  Actually started while Dunbar was still employed by AOB, this was
a problem instrumental perhaps in the sale and later closing of AOB.  I
believe the technology used is now Bradford digital technolgy (MUSICOM)
from England.  Again, I have never come across one of these.
 
This is pretty much all I remember. Any corrections others may have, gladly
accepted.  If someone has the rights to the Saville name, it may be Dennis
Ensminger, the New Jersey organ repairman whose ads in TAO have been
mentioned.  As far as I know no new Saville Organs have been produced since
1976.  I know where you can get an old one real cheap, however.
 
RICK
 
 
  At 09:08 PM 8/31/97 -0400, you wrote:
>I was under the impression that Saville organs had changed their name to
>Associated Organ Builders.
>
>