First Ever Complete Reed Organ Restoration Series on YouTube

[@purplespower9730]

Thank you so much for this video series. You took the words out of my mouth when you said how you look for videos to work along to. I can't wait to get started on my 44 key pump organ I got a few weeks ago.

[@profeluisegarcia]

SIR: You deserve a MASTER DEGREE...and even a Ph.D. in "" ANTIQUITIES RESTORATION"...¡And what a little angel is assisting you! (22:12). Luis. Manizales (Colombia)

[@maconSTUFF]

You're too kind... thanx!

[@walterwatts8342]

Thank you. Am doing my 5th organ at the moment. Seeing how someone else does it really does help.

[@gmcxm211]

Excellent, Excellent, Excellent beautiful job. When you approach a project such as this, you can't look at it as one project. It's a 100 projects. when you remove an assembly such as the keyboard, just focus on the keyboard assembly restore that. Then remove another assembly, then restore that. Just work one group at a time. Then before you know it the whole project is done. I used to restore military vehicles, I didn't look at the whole vehicle, I looked at it as an engine, transmission, drivetrain, electrical system, brakes, wheels and bearings, and body. I would restore one system before I started an another, otherwise the project would overwhelm me.

[@ScaramouchedaVinci]

SUPER!!! I am amazed how you take everything apart and then still know how they belong together again. I own two harmoniums and have been restoring them a bit in the last few days. And on both instruments, three large screws remained. The classic.;-) But at least one harmonium sounds good again. The other sounds now again, but unfortunately much too quiet.

[@audraflores9533]

Just acquired a pump organ. Not nearly as ornate as yours... a small simple missionary pump organ. Many keys do not work but it was cheap and a part of history that I thought I would like to try and restore. I know absolutely nothing about restoring anything, organs, woodworking, machinery, music. But thought what the heck a challenge indeed. Your videos will be a great help I searched and yours are the only ones that go into detail wrong or not it's better than nothing at all. Wish me luck. Thanks again I have been encouraged by you. Here goes nothing!

[@maconSTUFF]

Thanx Audra... yeah, when I started this project there were pretty much no videos out there... I learnt alot during this restoration... my only hope is that this series will make it a little bit easier for others trying the same thing... good luck with your restoration... 👍

[@stevecook172001]

Not many humans impress me. But, you are an impressive man. Fantastic work. Fantastic communication. Fantastic videos. I mean it. I replaced the bellows and did a small fix on one of the stops on an old reed organ about 15 years ago for a mate. It worked out okay. Nothing special, but it did the job. Fast forwards to today and I am just about to take possession of an 1890 Estey reed organ. Your videos are going to be like bloody gold dust for me when it comes to restoring it. I'm just in the process of downloading the lot. Thank you so much.

[@maconSTUFF]

Wow!... thanx man... that is very kind of you to say... I was just trying to figure it out as I went... was pretty tough at times, but I tried to cover as much as I could... good luck with your project...

[@stevecook172001]

@@maconSTUFF Hi again. I have just been looking through all of your videos I downloaded. With particular reference to video 14 where you decide on what to use for the bellows material, I thought I might mention that bellows job I did on a mate's harmonium several years back. I also used "pleather". I contacted him yesterday to ask how the bellows were holding up. It's now about 15 years since I fitted them. I can confirm they are still going strong.

[@maconSTUFF]

Great!... thanx Stephen... I am relieved to hear that... so there is hope for my bellows yet... LOL

[@GaitaPonto]

Wow...this was more than a restoration. I really hope that the materials you chose will stand the test of time and I would like to know how are they performing during the last three or four years since you published this video. Very well done sir. Really impressive.

[@stephandippon9973]

A high-end restauration! How does it sound? Which company built the instrument?

[@ibsoarin]

Macon, My Father, 90 years old, was collecting and restoring reed organs before I was born. He still has an excellent mind and wants to congratulate you on the restoration of this Chicago Cottage parlor organ. After years of restoring reed organs with him, I continue to collect and restore reed organs. I also maintain some of the reed organs Dad restored in the 1960s. I agree that your videos constitute the first complete reed organ restoration series on KZbin. They will be an inspiration to many individuals including myself. Your determination and dedication to this restoration and video series is admirable. Best regards, Mark.

[@sjplymi5903]

What amazing work....tireless and meticulous....brilliant! I am trying to re-home a beautiful pump organ for a neighbor right now. I'm afraid I won't be able to since, while it "works", it plays much like yours in your first video. I'm wondering...through your many restoration videos, do you have one showing how it plays when you're done? Thanks!

[@non-resortthailand4548]

It was wonderful to watch. Stunningly. Bravo. No words to express admiration.

[@EugeneVet]

Congratulations to you, for your successful restoration project, and getting most of it video recorded and shared on KZbin so others can benefit.

[@NicholaaPradeepkumar]

Beautiful job my greeting to you.

[@cygnkas]

Great job! For the sound, it might be the leather belt covering the 7 holes of the pump. Instead of leather from both sides that belt if made in double layers the upper layer is leather and the base layer facing the 7 pump holes is made of soft silicone.

[@SnowyOwlPrepper]

Thank you so very much. A reed organ came into our home yesterday. It is likely the beginning of new world for me.

[@patton6782]

Macon, What an amazing journey. You are so inspirational. Your editing in this summary video was perfect. This was a lifetime achievement IMHO. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. (Austin, Texas)

[@sio2groper410]

Thank you for the time and effort you have put in on your restoration and documenting it here for others like me to learn from. I have watched all 24 parts and now the mouse poo encrusted organ in my garage is calling me! My wife is calling me too. I wonder who will win....

[@maconSTUFF]

😂... You're welcome... I think, sort the wife out first... you know what they say... Happy wife happy life... LOL... good luck with the mouse poo...

[@quincyharrigan5258]

I am very impressed with your patience and drive for perfection. You did a very good job at the restoration of that reed organ. I have in my possession a pump organ from my grandmother. My father who passed away more than 15 years ago at the age of 92, grew up with that organ at home. I now have the challenge of restoring it. My specialty is woodwork but I am up to the challenge but a bit apprehensive considering all those small mechanical bits and pieces you took apart and fearful that I may not get it all together again. Knowing that I played on that organ when I was just about 7 years of age and I am now 70 and retired, I have the time on my hands to do it and the drive to have it working again.

[@timricher]

Amazing video and so detailed. Your organization and attention to detail are superb! Thanks for sharing. It gives a great understanding of the complexity and craftmanship that went into creating an organ.

[@Ofs104400]

Well, if my Organ turns out half as good as yours, I would be happy! Well done.

[@maconSTUFF]

Thanx man... I'm sure it will...

[@mizwag]

Great video! I have a reed organ that was given to my great grandmother in Ohio for her 21st birthday by her parents. The bellows need repair at this time. My dad replaced the material with “Naugahyde” back in the 1970s, so it has lasted pretty well. Thank you again for the beautiful full restoration. I have always wanted to see how it all worked. Wow!

[@maconSTUFF]

Oh wow!... thats awesome... you are most welcome... it was fun and challenging learning all about this amazing machine... 👍

[@johnwieczorek4161]

Hi Macon, What an incredible series and a source of information. I have had an organ that I intend to restore for 10 years. I have finally moved to where I can do it. I had some information and old DVDs I acquired years ago. The DVDs do not play anymore. I searched for information to help me out and found your series. I spent 2 days watching. This is far better than Hollywood, seriously. I am glad you persisted and completed the project. Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge in the way that is both educational and entertaining. Best regards, John

[@maconSTUFF]

Thanx John... you are most welcome... good luck with your organ restoration...

[@TonyBanks21]

Well Done-thoroughly enjoyed your video !!

[@joelklein6802]

Thank you!!!!!!!!! I have just started a reed organ restoration. I tried once 20 years ago and - out of lack of resources and knowledge - had to give up. This series is Very Useful.

[@maconSTUFF]

You're welcome Joel... I know the feeling... I came close to giving up a number of times... Good Luck...

[@gregorylagerstam2488]

awesome to watch. WOW!!! I am about to start a repair/restoration. I am hoping I will not need to be quite as thorough as you have been with your project, but I can't express enough how much I have enjoyed learning from your videos. Aside from your skills for the restoration project, you also have awesome video editing skills. Very entertaining.

[@prashantlele6362]

Superb Restoration work ! Love from Bharat (India )👌👍 Now a days Reed Orgens are being manufactured in Bharat. And are wieldly used accompaning songs (Natyasangit ) based on Indian classical music in musical drama . We have also manufactured 5 to 6 suction reed orgens using Estey and Kimball reeds.

[@gordonroberts5227]

Macon thanks for the video you are very talented and patient and I have now subscribed. I am like you and love to fix things and have been doing that all my life. I was a bit upset recently to have found a very old pump organ in a Tip shop in Tasmania for the very cheep price of $100 . Not knowing anything about pump organs .I sat down and pumped it and played every note and pulled every stop and 90 percent made a difference in one way or another. The problem was I was on holiday from Perth western Australia and to ship it home would have been a small fortune. It was a lovely peice of furniture. Regards Gordon Roberts.

[@cattnipp]

great video

[@maconSTUFF]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@SimonDumouchel]

Thats a great job, congratulations, im starting to restore one of mine called a Gem from 1875. Thanks for the vidéo great ressource for me

[@maconSTUFF]

Thanx Simon... Good luck!

[@tootsscaf]

Macon thanks for the inspirational video, i´ve watched all 24 episodes in one binge-watch while i was bidding on a cheapo similar organ for sale for 100€, not knowing the insides, and thanks to you i got a full knowledge of the intestants of these beautifull instruments. I might still buy it and turn it into a midi controlled organ using arduino and a fan blower... who knows. Greetings from Belgium!

[@peterfoy7298]

Just to say, Thanks Macon! You’re right, your series is an inspiration.

[@maconSTUFF]

I appreciate that!

[@prairievoyageur]

Thanks Macon for this helpful video series. I am lucky to have acquired a reed organ that is in good working order for now. Watching your series gives me boosted confidence that I will be able to fix, maintain and eventually overhaul the organ when needed. I will certainly refer back to it again in the future. Thanks again for the hard work you put into this series.

[@arthurturner3080]

Hi mate not sure if youre still reading comments but i just wanted to say this is a brilliant series and a fantastic resource. im about to buy an 1861 debain harmonium (technically a different instrument but very similar to your reed organ) and im sure this series will be a massive help. thanks!!

[@maconSTUFF]

Yeah man... still read them all... thanx!... glad ouyr enjoying the series... good luck with the harmonium...

[@leonvdm7661]

Well Done ! Huge respect !!

[@maconSTUFF]

Thanx Leon...

[@kgbinfo]

Thank you so much for doing this and documenting it all and making it available to everyone for free. I am currently undertaking a reed organ restoration myself, and will be following along with your process as I work. I’m thankful to have found a helpful companion!

[@duskinlouie1370]

just got one now i dont have to search all over i can just watch you thanks

[@vintagecollector2062]

I’ve been following this from the start, this turned out amazing, well done, you must be stoked with the end result, wish I had the patience to do this to mine haha. Bring on the next project

[@maconSTUFF]

I am!... don't worry man, I don't have the patience either... still cant believe I managed to push through... LOL

[@epamanonda1]

Watched them all . Absolutely fabulous sir. Well done indeed. 👍👍

[@maconSTUFF]

Awesome, thank you!

[@1RearWindow]

Well done! It is an impressive work you have done! 👏

[@maconSTUFF]

Thank you very much!

[@ruangreeff1134]

Dude, very proud of you

[@maconSTUFF]

Thanx Bra..

[@harryallenRHA110]

Macon, Many congratulations on successfully completing the video manual on the American organ. Enormous amount of work, resulting in a comprehensive user guide. You didn’t just restore this beautiful example, you completely re-built it. Well done ! I could not believe the length to went to, to achieve perfection.

[@maconSTUFF]

Thanx so much Henry... just the fact that someone out there appreciates the effort I put in, makes it all worth it...

[@wayneheadmusic7370]

Lekker buddy!IWell done again!Now on to the next project!

[@maconSTUFF]

Can't wait!... LOL

[@wayneheadmusic7370]

@@maconSTUFF lol Yebbo!Think you got a few projects lined up!!You should come for a beer sometime and give me some tips on how you have 9000+ subs!Amazing!

[@oskarrosing4503]

Really Nice video👍🤩👌

[@maconSTUFF]

Thanks 🤗

[@ferdgreenblatt6011]

WOW

[@JamesEncliffe]

What a superb piece of work! The only points I would mention : 1 always keep the pitmans in the order they came out! If they are mixed then a lot of work may be entailed getting the keys level on reassembly. 2. I wondered what glue you used? The ONLY glue to use, everywhere, is hot hide glue. An exception is the use of white carpenters glue for physical repairs to broken items, where strength is required. The crack-filling in the sound board and repaired reed cells is a good example. Using e.g contact cements etc. for general use will make a future restoration an impossibility. 3. Was the original finish damaged beyond recovery? It looked to be quite good. It is always preferable to retain and restore the original finish if at all possible; it will look more authentic and better than a refinish from scratch - and it saves a lot of work !! 4. Often the steelwork of the linkages, coupler bars etc were flashed with copper. If this was the case then after cleaning it is worth replating with copper to avoid rusting in the future. A very enjoyable video. Thank you for your work in making and sharing it. The organ sure sounds a whole lot better! Best wishes.

[@maconSTUFF]

Wow... thanx James... lot of great points you made here, I learnt many of them the hard way... like the pitmans... LOL... yeah the finish was actually still in good condition, thinking back, I probably should have left it alone... the glue I used mostly was "Old Brown Glue" which is a type of hide glue, I couldn't get hold of the real thing where I live... I did however use contact for the bellows cloth, only because I also didn't have the right cloth and the hide glue didn't work on it in the tests I did... as for the linkages... I didn't know about the copper plating... that kind of explains why I saw some light rust on some of them when I started reassembly... damn it! LOL... oh well.... perhaps I'll go back some day and correct some of the mistakes, but for now... I need a break LOL... good thing this wasn't for a client... thanx for the info James... have a great day... cheers...

[@АндрейКириллов-ы7д]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@OwenEvansMusic]

Thanks so much for this series! About this time last year I got hold of a very similar organ - also a Chicago Cottage Organ Co from roughly the same time period, it has a few more stops so a couple more reed banks but otherwise much the same. It's in very good condition and perfectly playable but there is still some work I'd like to do to it at some point, and your series has made me feel a lot more confident and less daunted about giving it a go, and will be a hugely valuable resource for when I get round to it! Also, as a metalhead I do enjoy your intro/outro music ;) Are you in a band?

[@maconSTUFF]

Thanx Owen... glad the videos are helpful... been in a couple of bands, but for the last year or two I've been without... did a couple of covers and originals here on my channel a while back, for the fun of it... but lately I've been more focussed on maconSTUFF... 🤘

[@kelvingstrachan]

Brilliant. Well done. Note to self, do NOT restore any organs. Just a hint on the leather bits... If you wet the strips a bit, they will form better to the pieces you are closing them against. I don't know how hard they are to get to? But time should also work. (I did a bit of leather work in my youth)

[@maconSTUFF]

Thanx Kevin... great tip... but I'm not taking this thing apart again.... LOL... looks like time will have to heal this one... :-)

[@pyporrelsptyltd.8110]

Hi Macon, wow! Jy het hierdie harmonium 'n nuwe lewe gegee, en rerig baie sorgvuldig en netjies te werk gegaan. Mag ons maar vir jou kliënte stuur ? :-)

[@maconSTUFF]

Asseblief nie.... 😂... weet nie of ek vinnig weer so iets wil aanpak nie... :-) My hoop is maar eindlike om mense te motiveer om dit self te probeer... ek sal in elkgeval baie meer van hulle moet doen voor ek so iets kan doen vir "geld"...

[@Premium-6Youtube-zu4oj]

pretty good

[@DavidBatchelor]

My wife and I acquired a Miller Organ (Lebanon, Pennsylvania) this week. It does not produce sound at all, but I am determined to fix that. The pump pedals and their straps both work nicely, but somehow the air does not reach the reeds. After watching your video, I can assume there is major leakage in the main air cavity, and there could be problems in the mechanisms that expose the reeds to the air. Thank you so much for creating this restoration video. I would be lost without it! My Miller Organ looks very much like the one in this picture: www.reedsoc.org/index.php/rosdb/vieworgan?ascnd=1&conMenu=0&ID=10145