Mike Knudsen wrote about the outdoor environment and what it does to
the band organs:

> These machines should not be shut up in museums and so never be heard
> in their intended environment outdoors.  After all, fairground organs
> and band organs were designed to be used outdoors in all kinds of
> weather ...

I've got to say I agree with his statement, at least partially.  I did
a partial restoration on one for a local amusement park.  It had been
chopped and changed from a straight Wurlitzer 125 into a combination of
125, 164, and who knows what else, by Logan Amusement in Florida in the
early 1960's.

Due the fact that this organ is located in a small building on a
collapsing wood floor, with two large screens constantly open to the
atmosphere, (we've had humidity and temperature swings in large
proportions this year), it refuses to operate every day and the park
owners are fed up with it.  Some of the parts I repaired (i.e., the
pipe chest and the vacuum chest) have separated internally again; it
ciphers, it loses vacuum, etc.  The owners wish to sell it and replace
it with something else, but anything that is put in that environment
will be short lived.

I told the owners of the park that most large amusement parks that have
organs like that on carousels also have someone on their staff that has
a good working knowledge of the machine so he can tweak it without
hurting it to keep it operating, and daily adjustments aren't uncommon.
(I've got too much work to hire on at near minimum wage to do that!)

Well, that's my take on these instruments outdoors.  The people that
haul theirs to band organ rallies and so on take care of theirs on a
regular basis so I'm sure theirs do quite well.  Anyway, just had to
put my two cents in.

Dan Armstrong - Armstrong Piano Tuning & Repair
Pine River, MN 56474
http://www.uslink.net/~pianodan/