Hello OrganList:

Interesting messages today: a few comments:

*********************
Re: purchase of Moller secrets, etc.

One of the inside jokes that flies about the AIO (American Institute of
Organbuilders) conventions is that, when you invite another organbuilder
to visit your shop, you will lower your voice and say: "We'll even let
you see where we keep our secrets."

Among secure, intelligent builders there are no "secrets".  You may have
my scalings, but you don't have my ears.

By the way, anyone on the OrganList (or anyone else) is welcome to our
shop to view our secrets any time at all.  If you are really lucky,
we'll lock you into our vault (purchased from Jack Benny's estate)
for the weekend!

**********************

Re: other Moller stuff

Moller was organized by the AFL when they built wood wing assemblies for
Fairchild, which is also located in Hagerstown, during WWII.  A separate
pipe organ makers union was formed after the war, as the union was not
about to withdraw once it had its claws in.

Talk at conventions says that starting salary for a line worker at Mollers
was comparable to that paid by anyone else to an experience supervisor.

Many of you may know that there was a strike at Mollers about two years
ago.  I understand that it was a particularly nasty one, complete with
picket lines, nails strewn about the management parking lot, smashed
windows in vice-presidents' cars, etc.  From what I have heard, the
settlement was particularly generous due to the union's efficient legal
goons, and that it impacted heavily on the profit margins since Moller,
like many other companies, had a large backlog of fixed-price contracts.

As you might imagine, this does wonders for the cash flow.

And company spirit.

It would not be unusual, especially in tight economic times, for a company
with Mollers volume to have a significant amount of money in final
payments due at any given time.  In our little business we have noticed
a fair increase in slightly past due receivables.  It happens, and the
cash flow suffers again.

Again, from what I hear, Moller reduced their work force as much as they
could since it was more fiscally prudent to sub-contract work to the
supply houses than it was to pay highly inflated wages and benefits.
Many organ parts suppliers both here and abroad will likely be totting
up financial losses in 1992 as a result of Moller's failure.

There were, to my knowledge, two main financial backers.  One owned a
business that had a large number of defense contracts with the Navy.
When defense cutbacks were started in earnest, he found many of them
canceled and his own cash position weakened.  The other was involved
in aviation, and was likewise hurt with the decline in air travel and
merger or failure of various airlines.  The money just wasn't there to
put into the pipe organ business.

Put it all together and what do you spell?   B-A-N-K-R-U-P-T.

Being involved myself in both pipe organ building and aviation businesses,
my fanny beings to squirm a teensy bit as I write this.  Not to worry,
though, we're doing OK.  AND, S.C. is a right-to-work state.

        Q: How do you become a millionaire in aviation?
        A: Start out as a multi-millionaire...    :->

Ladies and Gentlemen, step right up and watch the end of an era unfold
on your computer screens.  Life is always interesting if you keep your
eyes open.

*******************

Re: Organ prices, etc.

Pipe organs are expensive.  Our pricing right now brings us up to
about $8000-9500 per register (a register is an independent set of pipes;
a mixture of however many ranks or an 8' Flute playing at 6 pitches is one
register to us).

They are expensive because they are not mass-produced entities like
electronic instruments.

Virtually any church CAN afford a pipe organ.  The problem comes when the
minister or organist or whomever says that they absolutely MUST have
68 ranks on four manuals even though the budget is only $100K.  At that
point, a pipe organ WILL NOT be had - note, that I did not say CAN NOT
be had.

If you want an original, then you will have to pay the price.  A print of
a Rembrandt painting will certainly cost less than the real thing.

However, I will say that if someone thinks he cannot hear the difference
between pipes and speakers, or does not care about the difference, then I
would rather that person explore organ music by whatever medium rather
than give it up.

Just don't force me to listen to an electronic imitation of the organ:
I find them to be wanting.  And, as an organ builder, I personally wish
to create sounds rather than reproduce them.

I am delighted to see Richard Wyble's mention of Sovik's comments re:
electronic instruments.  Perhaps we should let electronic sound take
its own course without recourse to imitation, and thereby live in
harmony (no pun) with acoustical instruments.  I think a MIDI instrument
available on a pipe organ console can be very effective, and lots of fun!

If anyone wants, I would be happy to discuss actual prices on an
individual basis.  Not that I would try to SELL something, you understand...

**********************

Success to the PIPORG-L!

AJO

************************************************************************
Allan J. Ontko                                  [log in to unmask]
Ontko & Young Co. Inc.                               Pipe Organ Builders
Charleston, South Carolina                            OrganCADD Software
          Tradition and Innovation in American Organbuilding
************************************************************************