Piano-Organ combo

[Susan Kline]

At 03:02 PM 9/9/98 -0400, you wrote:
>Dear list,
>    I was just offered for a song a Jesse-French Piano / Lowery organ
combo.  What the heck is it and how does it work?  Anyone seen or tuned one
of these?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Bob Sadowski
>Erie, PA
>
>Attachment Converted: "C:\EUDORA\ATTACH\Piano-Or.htm"

Dear Bob,

I have, oh, I HAVE! It had better be a short song!

Jesse French ... the guy who brought us the Starck consoles ... I wonder if
he was related to Winter? Well, that's not fair. Starck starting making
Jesse French in 1955, and pretty goshawful they were, too.

This hybrid is not hard to get apart. You have to unplug the fancy
florescent lamp inside the music desk, which shines up at the music if it
is still working.

Then you get to tune the darned thing ... oh, joy! Mine was a pitch raise,
and took me three or four passes (about a pass and a half more than usual.) 

Then I made my big mistake. I got curious and decided to tune the organ
part as well! It is mounted to the inside of the kickboard, so you can fold
it forward and see it in all its glory. There is a tool, which enables you
to tune the 12 vacuum tubes and set a temperament ... easy, right? and it's
at A440, easy enough to do that, so it matches the piano, right? 

So we played a tune or two with the organ on and the piano playing, too.
Why anyone would want to hear this combination, I don't know, but evidently
they thought someone would.... and the piano and organ were in tune
together .... for about 3 minutes. Then the heat of the vacuum tubes threw
my tuning decidedly on its ear. I mean, my tuning was a crumpled heap,
lying gasping on the carpet. I had to go back the next day and do it all
over again. I then warned the lucky owner that if he wanted the piano in
tune he'd have to keep the organ firmly off.

If the song is short enough, you could get ahold of the tarnation thing and
use it to start a Museum of Technological Horrors.

Just my humble opinion <grin>

Susan

 




Susan Kline
skline@proaxis.com

"I know exactly how long it will take me: whatever time is available, plus
a little more."
			-- Ashleigh Brilliant