Just a quick note of introduction. I was first smitten by pipes at the age of 7 by a E.P. Biggs LP of the organ in Sion, Switzerland. Since then, I've been planning for an instrument. I tried my hand a paper pipes (from Mark Wick's book), but schooling got in the way until 1989 when a 6-rank 1969 Wicks became available. It has classical voicing (no nicking, open toes, low WP) and is currently set up in our carriage house. It really needs an 8' open diapason to give it a solid foundation (the gedeckt and gemshorn just don't cut it). I've slowly been collecting parts to expand the instrument to a combination of French Classical and French Romantic. To be added; 8' open, melodia, vox, viol d'orch+celeste, 16-8-4 gamba, 16-8-4 trumpet, clarinet, harm flute, mixture III, rohrflute, nazard and tierce. There's even a 16-ft open wood, but I may not install it simply because of the size (kinda fun to go crawling down the CCC pipe, though). So naturally I'm interested in how to hook all this stuff up without ending up with a room which is 50% relays. Oh yes, then there's a 3-rank Moller Artiste which I'm currently rewiring (the scorch marks on the chest make me very uneasy). What a mess! Gotta love that green cloth-wrapped wire!

I also own a few other instruments in various stages of restoration; an 1880s Bell upright piano (water leaked on the keyboard), a Wilcox and White 65-note push-up piano player (needs pneumatic work), a 46-note Aeolian style 1500 player reed organ (total rebuild), an Aeolian 64-note player piano (more pneumatic stuff), 3 Estey reed organs, a Spang melodeon, a Mason and Hamlin parlor organ, a Dominion chapel reed organ, a folding Thomas organ, an early (1820-30s) seraphine?harmonium (French?English?), a Peloubet 6-rank church reed organ, and a 5-rank pipe top Vocalion (pressure reed organ). Oh... and then there's the Zuckerman harpsichord!!

As you can tell from this list, I have a soft spot for orphaned organs, especially when an auctioneer is pointing out how easy it would be to convert them into desks(aaaa!!!). But seriously, folks. Time to stop collecting and start repairing. I'm currently finishing up another Estey reed organ which will be a gift to the local Anglican Padre. I also get involved with volunteer work in relocating pipe organs in peril and helping out fellow hobbyists, esp. with touching up pipe voicing. My motto: Seek and you shall find (also; Be careful what you wish for...)

I currently reside in a Gothic Revival farmhouse (another restoration project!) in southern Quebec, Canada, which is only about a 3-minute drive to civilization (USA). In a past life, I was a research scientist for Agriculture Canada, where I got eaten alive by bureaucrats.


Robert Pelletier

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