Wurlitzer Tibia Clausa

I recently bought this Wurlitzer tibia and have it roughly playing in my pipe organ. It was originally a part of the Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ that was installed in the Portage theatre of Chicago Illinois in 1927. As in all stopped wood pipes that are 80+ years old this one needed work done on the stoppers. Many of them are loose and the pipes do not speak properly. I have the rank playing and it speaks out very well. The trem is causing me problems because it tends to stall. The rubber cloth is stiff and so needs replacing. The old Barton tibia I had in the organ was too soft because it was voiced on a much lower wind pressure than 10". The Wurlitzer tibia is definately loud or I should say, "it speaks with authority".

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Tibia clausa
• organ pipes

[jimamia77]

Are the metal pipes to the side of the tibias part of the rank? I'm not an organ expert but I've seen metal pipes used for the high notes of wooden ranks. We're gonna get a Morton organ to play in the Kings Movie Palace in Brooklyn soon!

[HD7100]

@jimamia77 Behind the tibia is the Vox Humanna. The 24 extension pipes that start above the wood pipes are metal trebles. The first six are capped. It sounds like you will have much fun getting the R.M. organ playing. I wish we had such a project up here in Wisconsin.

[djbjr1130]

how many have leather lips?

[HD7100]

The lips are leathered from 8' C all the way up including the six capped metal trebbles. The remaining metal trebble pipes are not leathered.

[RialtoTwo]

Very interesting video, I know little about the "inards" of a pipe organ. Looks like this will keep you busy for awhile.

[HD7100]

It will indeed keep me busy. It is a whole lot more work than rebuilding a Gulbransen Rialto K and I have rebuilt a few of those. As far as the Rialto II I have I still have not taken the time to put the boards back in and get it playing again.

[patsaxon]

So sad that Wurlitzer no longer makes organs any more as they were a world leader of manufacturing theater pipe organs and home electronic organs.

[acoustics101]

Thanks for the virtual chamber tour! It's great to see pipe organs in residences, I was lucky enough to know a few who owned these.

[julianblonde]

Were there any dates or church denomination on the church bulletin found in the pipe? Did you know from what church it came from?

[HD7100]

Hi Ron. I have heard that from other people. Don't do what I did. Stick with the digitals. It is far less of a hastle.

[HD7100]

I have a lot of work and money invested in the instrument and am still putting more of it into the project. You can probably find an instrument. I suggest finding a complete organ rather than what I did. Mine is put together from misc. parts from other organs. I think that is more tedious and expensive to do in the long run.