Dave Brown,  I'm sure you'll hear from many band organ builders, but
thought I would throw in my 2-cents worth.  I started out years ago to
build a Wurlitzer 153 but got discouraged halfway through the pipes and
settled for a calliope based on the Wurlitzer Calliola scale.  It uses
flute pipes from an old pipe organ and is voiced on 4 inches pressure
so that it can be played indoors.  The valves are Doyle Lane plastic
valves.  This machine has snare and bass drums, cymbal and glock.
It's been a real favorite of visitors for 20 years.

I have a North Tonawanda Style 187 band organ on which I have just
completed a thorough overhaul.  This machine was converted to the
Wurlitzer 150 scale using the Wurlitzer duplex tracker mechanism around
1920.  During this overhaul I made a new valve board using Doyle Lane
valves and added automatic register control using lock and cancel valve
circuitry, which I figured out after some experimentation.

It only has to control 3 registers, but I'm quite sure the same design
would handle almost any number of registers.  It works great.  If
you're interested in the details I'll be happy to send them to you.
I also added MIDI to it, but haven't got that working yet because it
will take a little while to get some MIDI music in the 150 scale.

As an experiment I have re-tuned the organ using the "de Caus just
tuning".  In this method, most of the intervals are tuned perfect.
It remains to be seen (heard, rather) whether it's any improvement over
equal temperament.  I plan to run it this summer with the new tuning to
see if anyone notices the difference.  I will bring the organ to the
rallies at Berrien Springs, MI on July 23-25 and Holland, MI Aug. 7-9.
This organ played at Silver Beach Amusement Park near there from 1945
until 1963.  Come around and have a listen.

(Robbie, I will make some recordings in the next couple of weeks and
send you before and after recordings of equal temperament and "just"
tuning.)

Fritz Gellerman

 [ Steve Goodman suggested Just Tuning for non-chromatic bands organs,
 [ and so I'm interested to hear the result on Fritz's organ.  -- Robbie