This page will chronicle my purchase and renovation of the 1935 Wicks Opus 1384 "Sonata" Pipe Organ.
Primer
For those who have been keeping up with my admittedly poorly maintained blogs, please indulge me a bit for this explanation. For those who have not, please read on...
I was bitten by that accursed pipe organ bug at a young age, growing up in a church with a small but nice 8-rank Wicks pipe organ. I have long dreamed of having an organ of my own, but like most, never knew that it was feasible. In late 2005, in an attempt to completely re-immerse myself into the music industry, I gained employment with the Wicks Organ Company. After letting it be known that I was interested in aquiring an instrument for my home, several leads started to flow in my direction. Some were viable, some where not. My focus seemed to settle on the small 3-rank instruments known as the Fuga Deluxe, which were produced by the company in quite large quantities during the early half of the 20th century. I felt that this would be the best fit for my needs, not to mention my available space...and budget.
My first real shot at aquiring one came from a Catholic church in the Pittsburgh area. After some correspondence with a gentleman there, he agreed to send me some photos of the organ. The next day he sent me an email informing me that the church had caught fire that morning and burned to the ground...along with the organ, of course. Fortunately, no one was injured.
The second possibility came from a church in the St. Louis area that also had a Fuga, and no desire to keep it due to their changing worship needs. After several attempt to contact them, the minister agreed to meet me there for an inspection. I waited for nearly two hours and he never showed. I tried for a couple more weeks to contact him, and finally did. He told me that the organ was "no longer available." Uh...OK...whatever.
At that point I had pretty much given up on the idea for awhile, thinking I would spend my time and resources on more pressing musical pursuits. Naturally, that's when another one came along. It was in storage in Perryville, MO and in need of a good home. I was given the contact info and a brief but flowery history of the instrument by the Wicks Service Department Manager Bill Bust. I made contact and set a time to inspect the organ. This time it actually happened! I drove to Perryville and met Joyce Helmers, who had played on the instrument when she was younger. She escorted me to her mother-in-laws farm where the organ was being stored in a climate-controlled building. Sweet. It was in really good condition for something that old. We settled very quickly on a fair price, and agreed that I would pick it up the following weekend. Here is where the story gets fun...
This page is a work-in-progress, just like the organ itself. As I pass certain milestones in its renovation, I will post the descriptive text and photos for all to enjoy...or perhaps cringe. Whatever the reaction, it should be entertaining at the very least. Stay tuned...