> Hi OrganNet:
>
> The premiere of what has to be the world's newest theater organ
> installation happened in San Jose yesterday. And the biggest
> surprise is that it is only about 2 blocks from my house!
>
> The organ is a 3m/14 or 15-rank Wurlitzer that was originally in
> the State Lake Theater in Chicago, then in the Avenue Theater in
> San Francisco, and now in the Towne Theater in San Jose. I
> wondered if I would ever hear it again, because it was in storage
> for 8 years after the Avenue closed.
>
> The organ is installed on the stage. The original organ in the
> theater was a small Smith, so the original organ chambers are very
> small. The console is on a '4-poster' lift. The present organ is
> owned by a consortium of 5 people who include Warren Lubich, Jeff
> Hansen and Cliff Luscher. Many others were involved in the
> installation including John Johnson, formerly of the Schoenstein
> organ company, who got most of the pipes behaving properly. The
> organ sounded good.
>
> The theater originally seated about 800. However, after the organ
> installation was started, they tri-plexed the theater, and the
> part where the organ is only seats 308. There was a full-house for
> the premiere. Apparently the sound of the organ does not disturb
> the other sections.
>
> Warren Lubich played an organ prologue with a short sing-along.
> Then Bob Vaughn played for 3 Buster Keaton silents. The first two
> were old shorts; one was 'The Goat' (about 1920), and I've
> forgotten the name of the other. The featured silent was 'Steam-
> boat Bill, Jr.', a very funny movie.
>
> Dave
> [log in to unmask]
> --
>

Geez Dave !

I thought you knew!

They have been working on the reinstall of the "Avenue" organ better than 3
years!

I'd like to kill their crew chief though...

Electro-pneumatic relay is part of the organ of that era.
If you want cute player actions, the electronics can be added without scrapping
out the original relay.  There is no reason that electronics can be added on
"aplique" style.

Well those bastards fed the old relays through the table saw to salvage magnets
and bruned the rest of the relay.  Thats why I want to kill their crew chief.

I know the Avenue relay was in bad shape, but it was nothing that any competent
organ rebuilder could fix.  Those guys were just too lazy to do it right.

I dont want to hear the arguement about "Well Wurlitzer would go computer relay
if the were still in business today...".  The fact of the matter is that
Wurlitzers built in 1920's had a perfectly good computer built into them at the
time and the historical aspect is damaged when you totally replace a relay with
a computer.

If Wurlitzer had solid atate electronics then, they sure as heck would have
gotten rid of those "cumbersome" pipes, blowers regulators chests and the rest
of that pipe nonsense!

AUGMENT !  DONT REPLACE !

I plan to publish a series of inexpensive electronic designs that allow you to
add features to existing relays without removing the relays in the not too
distant future.

I am disgusted by those people who scrap perfectly rebuildabe organ parts
just to be modern.  Just like the guy wha asked me "Why do you mess with
all those pipes and stuff?  Wouldnt it be easier to get a Yamaha?"

If you are too lazy to maintain a relay properly, you likely arent maintaing
your pipes properly either!

(Geez!  I'm starting to sound like Ed Stout!  Scary ! )

Well, you can remove the asbestos shields from your terminals, flame off...

Sorry I carried on so bad but that is one of my "Hot Buttons" !
Those guys really made me mad !

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-texx

Robert "Texx" Woodworth

Wurlitzer Opus #1024

[log in to unmask]

                                WURLITZER FOREVER  !!!

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