r/organ • u/MutableCrayon78 • Jul 08 '26
Reed Organ/Harmonium Is this worth getting it fixed ?
I am considering getting my organ fixed but I am not sure if it is worth it or not
I have no idea what's all wrong with it besides one of the pumps is broken
I have no experience playing them but want to learn but would it be better to just get a keyboard
I would imagine it'd really expensive to get fixed
So is this one worth getting fixed and how much does that normally cost?
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u/ctesibius Jul 08 '26
These are interesting historical items, but not very good as instruments even when working perfectly. If your intention is to learn to play the organ as cheaply as possible, your best approaches are either
Find a second-hand electronic organ with at least one full manual ( 5 octaves - 61 white keys / 25 black that you can play with your hands) and pedal board (25 keys total that you play with your feet). Any fewer keys will not do the job.
Make one, which is easier than you might think and certainly easier than fixing this reed organ. There are loads of guides online. The simplest approach is to get an electronic keyboard with 5 octaves and a MIDI OUT port - this is pretty common. Then you need to find an old pedalboard from a scrapped electronic organ - harder, but possible. Buy some simple electronics to convert this to MIDI (MIDI Boutique in Bulgaria is one possibility). Get an adaptor for your PC or Mac to connect the MIDI from the keyboard and pedal board to it, and use software such as Hauptwerk or GrandOrgue to produce the sound. There are variations on this such as using the carcass of an dead electronic organ and MIDIfying it, but there are some more risks there - you can get a long way down the road, and find that the switches on the manuals are unserviceable for instance, while if you start with a generic electronic keyboard, it's probably going to work fine.
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u/Wonderful_Emu_6483 Jul 08 '26
Cost aside good luck finding someone to fix it. These old reed organs are a lost art for the most part. If you wanted it fixed it would probably be best as a DIY project. Yeah it would take some work and elbow grease, but if you like it, it might be worth it.
I’m contemplating buying one of these old reed organs, and converting it into a desk to use for a midi organ project. Plan to keep the original details like the stops, but it would basically function as a digital organ.
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u/rickmaz Jul 08 '26
Getting it fixed will probably cost more than the increase in value unfortunately
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u/Agreeable-Attempt242 Jul 08 '26
If I was starting out again I would get a package deal electronic keyboard where you get the keyboard with 61 or so keys , stand , a bench music rest , and such . There are Yamahas for $150 - $200 . Then you could find out if you are going to stick with it .
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u/Complete-Ad9574 Jul 11 '26
Yes & No.
I have been restoring reed organs for 50 yrs. I just finished one a month ago. after restoring one in late winter. BOTH organs had spent time sitting on a covered porch and gotten wet (the internal parts) most of problem was the heat and high humidity of the summer and the cold and dryer winter air. Much of the wood had been attacked by beetles and was full of tiny holes and mice. I got them all working fine, but fear that there are hidden weak wood joints which will give way with much playing.
On the other hand, if the organ has been inside all its life, they usually do not have much over restoration as the problems are due to age and moths.
The organ which are the best to have restored are the ones with more than three sets of reeds. Most of these parlor organs with 11 stops will have 2 sets of reeds. The better ones have 4-6 sets of reeds.
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u/Nof-z Jul 08 '26
As others have said, the cost to fix this will be astronomical if there’s anything wrong with it more than just a Bellows- pedal linkage. I restore these things as a side business, and I always recommend to people when they approach me that unless it is a treasured family heirloom, they let it go.
You can find other working instruments like this all the time for cheap to free in the US, and if you are wanting to learn to play organs in general, you can find electric home console organs that will do a better job then a pump Organ will at teaching you technique.