Quick query for the theater organ buffs...  I'm curious about theater
organ pipes because I have recently heard of replica 165s being made
with theater organ pipes and coming out quite nicely.

Now it almost sounds too good to be true to just waltz right into some
warehouse full of old theater organ pipes and buy up some great ranks
real cheap.  But then, there are those rumors...  If anyone can verify
this as fact or fiction, please do tell.

I asked a certain band-organ restoration guy how long it would take to
make -1- pipes and he claimed it would take a day.  Now if I were to
leap into the hobby, I wouldn't want to spend a year just building the
pipes alone.  What's more, I would imagine that theater organ pipes are
voiced more finely than church organ pipes.

I quote Alan Erb (one of California's better, if not best, organ men):
"A violin pipe is supposed to sound like a violin just like a trumpet
pipe is supposed to sound like a trumpet."

I consider the voicing of pipes to be an attempt at fooling the human
ear into thinking that the pipe isn't a pipe at all, but the string or
wind instrument that it is referred to.  Oh, but I'll stop babbling...

How much do theater organ pipes run for and how's their voicing in
general?

Oh, another thing: is it possible to split the wind chests of a W165-
scale band organ into two separate units, spaced about two meters
apart?  That should keep you MMDians thinking.  :)

Happy holidays!

Marc Elbasani