krj wrote in news:MA2tf.18280$dZ1.10176
@bignews2.bellsouth.net:

But you haven't really lived until you sit in the balcony of a 4000
seat
theatre listening to a beautiful 3/15 Wurlitzer that you just spent 3
years restoring.
krj


Hugo blew the roof off First Scots Presbyterian Church in 1989. Alan
Ontko was tasked at replacing the old organ with one of his, from his
shop in Charleston. This console:
http://pipedreams.publicradio.org/ga...arolina/charle
ston_firstscottsontko.shtml
(sorry for the wordwrap)
came from England, as did the master control computer back in the 3-
story-high pipe chamber. Some of the bass flutes are so big they were
cut to fit the building, partially laying on their sides on the floor,
then going up the wall.

A mixture of old world pipe organ and modern computers, the console talks
to the computer that selects which pipe to play with a fibre optic cable
that must be less then 5 Km long. It is. The organ is in a loft on the
other end of the sanctuary. I've been INSIDE the organ while it was
playing itself from its midi interface. If the organist is sick or stuck
in traffic...no problemo. Plug 'n Play!...(c;

The sound is amazing. At the dedication, a professional organist from
some of the finest schools in the world played it for the concert. They
have a CD of the event.

The stop buttons you simply touch, they light up. The thing looks like
the master control of the Starship Enterprise when it's operating. Too
bad noone turned it on when they took this picture. It's quite a light
show.

If you enjoy organ music, you must wait until they finish, again,
restoring the Atlantic City Organ:
http://www.acchos.org/
I'm a member. It's the largest Wurlitzer every built. It is so large
the SIX blowers must be put online one-at-a-time to keep from overloading
the auditorium's electric power supply..(c; Look through the website at
the HUGE pipes, a 64' rank, the largest pipes on the planet.

Me, I fix Hammonds....vintage Hammonds. I'm in the South, you know,
where church music isn't classical, it's gospel. Drop by and I'll take
you way out on Wadmalaw Island to an AME church where the people speak
Gullah, not English, the organ is a B-3 with twin Leslies all tubes, and
show you what REAL Christians do on Sunday morning....It's not about
money or power.