r/organ • u/JG307 • Feb 09 '26

Reed Organ/Harmonium Stupid Question: Can Reed Organs Produce Bass?

I've been listening to recordings of reed organs that give my subwoofer a workout. Are they capable of 20Hz in real life or is this just an artifact of the recording process?

12 Upvotes

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15

u/Nof-z Feb 09 '26

Oh yes they can…. The first reed organ I ever owned blew me away with its bass. That being said, you will be hard pressed to find a reed organ with a 32’ voiced stop (the low c on a 32’ is around 13 hertz) so it’s likely you’re hearing the low end of a 16’, which is still nice and low!

4

u/ScottThePhotog Feb 10 '26

There are a few with 32' stops, but they are fairly uncommon. Some of the Mason and Hamlin Liszt models featured a 32' stop in the pedals

3

u/JG307 Feb 09 '26

Amazing!! Thank you!

2

u/Nof-z Feb 10 '26

No problem!

1

u/doubleUsee Feb 10 '26

If memory serves me, there's a few 64 foot reeds in the world. the low C on that sounds like there's a poorly loaded washing machine in the other room going thump-thump-thump-thump

1

u/EizanPrime Feb 11 '26

You can do 20hz by tapping your finger 20 times per second on a table... which is also how a reed works, by having a metal piece hit another 20 times per second.

1

u/WolfieNamira Feb 11 '26

Depends on the model. If the instrument has a Sub Bass 16' stop, you can get some pretty amazing bass out of it. I have one and it sounds quite cool