A new project of kistorgel with two manuals and pedal

    Dear Hausorgel friends,


    How time flies and my adventure of building small organ must continue, and really big thanks to you all for the kind encouragement and helpful advice along the process. I would like to post my updates on this organ building as well.


    Current Technical Specifications:

    Asymmetrical Stoplist:

    Manual I: A single 8' Gedackt (designed as a solid foundation and for Basso Continuo).

    Manual II: 8' Rohrflöte + 4' Rohrflöte + 2' (Treble only, starting from c1).

    Space-saving: To keep the case compact, the bass pipes for both 8' stops share a single set of wooden Gedackt pipes.


    Coupler: A classic Schiebekoppel (Shove Coupler) between the two manuals. I/II & II/I


    Pedal: A 30-note pedalboard permanently coupled to the manual action.


    I have the following questions to ask:


    The 2' Treble-only Stop: is a "Treble-only" 2' stop is a reasonable "subtraction" for such a compact instrument? Since I would like to add colors to the Plenum, but a full 2' stop may require more space on the windchest.


    Tonal Balance: With Manual I having only an 8', and Manual II having an 8'+4'+2' (Treble) setup, is the contrast between the two manuals too stark when uncoupled?


    Best regards,

    Xiaohu


    Hello Xiaohu,


    nice project!


    Well, to combine the Bass pipes (C-H?) for both Gedackt stops is a good idea. You can save building time, material and costs. I did that, too.


    In your Specifications the 2´ should be typically a Prinzipal/Oktav 2´ to get the plenum sound. I would fully extend the 2´ stop. Otherwise, when playing with all stops engaged, you'll be missing the 2' in the Pedal/Bass. The break/missing pipes in the Bass will be clearly audible. It would be annoying if you didn't like the result later.


    Manual I 8' and Manual II 8'+4'+2': why not? This combination is good for a practice organ. Another idea: I: 8´+ 4´, II: 8´+ 2´, plus couplers.


    Maybe you’d like to build a Subbass 16´ later on. You could plan and prepare the mechanism for that.


    I’m very excited to see how things develop further!


    ...and we need pictures, of course ;-)


    Best


    chamade8

    Hello chamade8, thank you so much for your kind reply!
    At first, I thought the introduce of teble 2' maybe a solo voice. But later I think probably it would be more useful as adding color to the plenum. In the later case, indeed "The break/missing pipes in the Bass will be clearly audible." I would fully extend the 2´ stop as you suggested.

    Regarding the 16 subbass, do you think a separate and a compact 16 reed stop inside the organ bench is a good substituting solution? Since I would like to make the instrument as compact as possible. Thank you so much! Best, Xiaohu

    Hello Xiaohu,


    a compact 16 reed stop inside the organ bench sounds very innovative. Well, in the 1970s, 16' reed stops (e.g. Rankett 16) were often installed as a pedal stop in house organs. At first glance, this seems like an interesting idea. However, it was quickly realized at the time that the result was often unsatisfactory. A 16 reed stop unfortunately doesn't have the same tonal foundation as a 16´ labial stop. Some believe that such a 16 stop quickly tires the ear. They also say that such stop tend to rattle a lot. It might be more interesting to have such a stop on the first manual and then couple it with the pedal.


    Best,


    chamade8