Dave Clark wrote:

> I was tuning a Wurlitzer 146B and have found that a couple of things
> work on one roll frame but not on the other.  Also, many notes seem
> to come on late or not at all.  I thought this might be because of
> a plugged bleed hole, but the bleed seems fine.

I will try to give some general advice.  The fact that the organ is
already giving trouble after being recently restored is unsettling.

A properly restored set of Wurlitzer Duplex Roll Frames should work for
years with little more than cleaning the tracker bar screens.  You need
to make sure that these are in place (mandatory!) and you have cleaned
them.  If you have not had screens in place, your problem could be dust
and dirt, but I doubt it.  You can try gently pumping the tracker bar
ducts after removing the bars, but it's doubtful this will cure the
problem.

Using a Wurlitzer 150 test roll between the two roll frames, you'll
first want to determine that all of the valves and pneumatics in the
organ are working perfectly.  You can activate the valves manually by
pulling the rubber tube from the valve nipple, but this nipple is not
a correct size actuating hole.  Just because the valve dumps its pouch
with a totally open nipple does not mean it is good -- the valve should
operate with a much smaller hole.

Make sure all of the valves and pneumatics are tight, free to operate,
regulated correctly, and have good repetition.  Chances are that some
of the problems you describe are actually problems with the Wurlitzer
valves, if they were not carefully rebuilt.  If any of the notes do not
play and repeat well these need to be repaired before proceeding.

After you have determined that the valves, pneumatics, and associated
links are repaired and all in good shape, then the problem probably
lies in the transfer block, which is the long chest under the spoolbox
shelf that all of the tracker bar tubes run into.  A transfer block
consists of sets of pouches connecting both spool frames, which
alternately allow the organ to switch playing from one roll to the
other.  This unit must be rebuilt carefully to perform correctly.

Repairing these can be challenging work.  I have a feeling that if the
organ plays certain notes fine on one side, and then poorly or not at
all on the other, then chances are good your problem is in the transfer
block, that is, assuming your tracker bars have had screens and that
they are in place and clean.

Without seeing the organ or knowing the extent and quality of the work
performed on it, it can be hard to diagnose the problem.  Hopefully
this will give you a starting point.

John D. Rutoskey