Newly acquired Mason & Hamlin 1200 3mp Liszt help?

[cearley]

I recently purchased a beautiful M&H 3 manual with pedal Liszt organ model 1200. I have been looking it over to right things wrong with it. I will need some help from you who are more knowledgeable of such things.

The case work is impeccable and has original finish. It was in a church in Louisiana until ca 1980. It was in a private home in LA until I bought it. It arrived this past weekend. The bench is probably not the original. I don't know for sure. It has been partly painted brown. There is no foot rest. I have not really looked to see if there is any clues that it had one.

I opened it up and it is very clean inside. The previous owner says he only opened the back 1 time and has not opened it since. Except for a little dust, the insides probably look close to what they looked like when it left the factory. There are no signs of mouse or moth damage.

Problems found so far:

1. A pedal tracker missing but replaced with a wire.
2. One of the pedals does not sound on any stop. Tracker adjustment?
3. The Swell pedal does not work. A linkage problem?
4. Corno Stop is always engaged. I have not figured out how to get to the Corno works yet to check the valve and linkage.
5. Sticky key on Swell. I have fiddled with it and it is getting better. I guess the pitman or other needs cleaning.
6. The Choir to Great Stop does not work. When the knob is pulled I feel no engagement. Linkage problem? Can I fix it without pulling the manuals?
7. The Great Forte Stop is not working. I know there is a linkage problem which I fixed but it did not stay. The Stop is stiff and I have not figured out how to make it move smoothly.
8. Some of the Stops play when not pulled.
9. Various Reeds are not sounding. I am sure they are dirty. I don't know how to get to them yet. I have another M&H parlor model and the reeds are easy to get to. The innards are very similar but different too.
10. The blower (suction of course) is noisy. It is ancient and has cloth covered wiring. It was made by "Kinetic Blowers Hagerstown, MD".
11. Over all Sound Volume of Organ is not as loud as I would have thought. When the Full Organ Stop is engaged it just doesn't seem to be loud enough. I do realize that since the Choir to Great is not working that it makes a difference.

I am sure that I will run into other issues. These are what I have at the moment.

I will be attaching photos later.

Any advice/help will be greatly appreciated.

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Where do I locate the Serial Number for this Organ? I have not found any numbers anywhere.

[John S]

Wow, joined in 2012 and a fist post in 2017. That must be a record! Your new organ sounds great. Any photos?

[cearley]

Well, I actually kind of forgot that I was a member. I now have 3 reed organs. I had only one at the time. One is a M&H parlor organ. It is small. The stops are: Dulciana, Diapason, Viola Dolce, Viola, Vox Humana, Clarinet, Oboe, Vox Celeste, Melodia and Clarabella. No couplers. The style number is on the music desk and is unreadable. I have never seen another like it either. It is not in any catalogue I have seen. It is in excellent condition. #2 is a Liscom and Dearborn melodian made ca. 1856. It has no stops. It, too, is in excellent condition. The #3 is the M&H 1200 Liszt.

What little has had to be done to #1, I have been able to do without help. I joined The Organ Forum in case I needed help. So far, so good. But with the acquisition of this Liszt, I might need some advice. I do need advice.

[SubBase]

the 1200 is complicated, more manuals+more couplers, and more everything. The fact that it says Liszt Organ on it places it at mid 1892 and later.
It needs a careful dismantling and cleaning to address all the issues. Hopefully you have a mechanic's eye to spot faults and deficiencies in the mechanism.
Casey

[Silken Path]

Hi, cearly - I'm just getting started with reed organs, but there's a two-manual Liszt on YouTube that sounds pretty spectacular. Scroll down here and you'll find it...

https://www.youtube.com/user/MasonHamlinOrgans/videos

Your organ sounds marvelously complicated. Some photos of the back would be great. You may be able to contact some of those folks for assistance with yours. Good luck!

[cearley]

Mason & Hamlin 1200

Someone 40+ years ago put a sticker on the side. What is the best way to remove it?

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Front view

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Inside UPPER back

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Inside LOWER back

[Organfella]

Yeouw! That is a beautiful piece!

Thanks for the pictures.

If the lacquer is still intact perhaps try and soak the sticker with a damp cloth and then scrape it off. Of course whatever you use will leave a mark so perhaps leave it be....

Nico

[SubBase]

Yeah, if it is a water-soluble glue, lightly wet it several times until it loosens; if you time it right there will be no damage to the finish under. If it's a sticky adhesive petroleum-based, (like cellotape, etc) it will have dried out and become a real problem. With great care a single-edge razor blade can sometimes pare it off into a powder,without gouging the finish or the wood. The color of the wood may be different under it. This can only be remedied by a complete stripping, sanding, and color-matching to the adjacent area.
If the adhesive is still pliable, there are specialized solvents (Goo-gone, etc.) that can dissolve them. Even olive oil, paint thinner , naphtha can work.

[John S]

The sticker could be viewed as pat of the instruments history.

[Silken Path]

It's a beautiful monster, but what am I seeing. Where do all those rods go to? Is there a common mechanism that all the manuals (and pedals) connect to rather than one for each manual? Do the stops affect all manuals or just the manuals they're in line with.

cearly, I think you have something wonderful in this organ.

[cearley]

It's a beautiful monster, but what am I seeing. Where do all those rods go to? Is there a common mechanism that all the manuals (and pedals) connect to rather than one for each manual? Do the stops affect all manuals or just the manuals they're in line with.

cearly, I think you have something wonderful in this organ.

Those rods you see in the back are the Pedal Trackers. You push the pedal down and it lifts the rod. The rod, in turn, lifts a valve and opens the pallet for the pedal reeds. You would think the pedal reeds would be in the bottom. They are not, they are in the top.

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Stop List
Great: Corno Dolce 16'
Corno 16'
Gamba 8'
Diapason 8'
Vox Celeste 8'

Swell: Keraulaphone 8'
Dulcet 8'
Flute Dolce 4'
Flute 4'

Choir: Clarinet 16'
Saxaphone 8'
Hautboy 8'
Principal 4'
Eolian Harp 2'
Tremulant

Pedals: Violoncello 8'
Bourdon 16'
Sub Bourdon 32'

Couplers: Choir to Great
Swell to Great

Pedal Forte
Choir Forte
Great Forte
Swell Pedal

Swell to Pedal
Great to Pedal

Full Organ

[myorgan]

Cearley,

Welcome to the Forum. I hope you continue to share your experiences with your new organ to help create an historical record of your progress here.

What an instrument!!! I've only seen one or two before, and it's so nice of you to share your information here.

Casey is certainly the one I consider the authority on M&H here, so any advice he provides is as good as gold! Just a caution about the goo-gone. One of my Allens had a plaque affixed to one end of the organ and had been removed. I attempted to use goo-gone on it just before a performance on stage, and the finish began running! It sounds like you have a good sense of what you're doing, but just be sure to test any solution on a part of the organ where it is out of sight first. Fortunately, in my situation, the issue with running was resolved with little or no damage, but I'd hate to see your organ in a similar situation.

Michael

[Silken Path]

Thanks very much, cearly. Wow! They were competing with pipe organs back then. It must have been the Allen or Rodgers of the day.

[cearley]

Thanks very much, cearly. Wow! They were competing with pipe organs back then. It must have been the Allen or Rodgers of the day.

Exactly what was going on. According to what I have read, they were priced like an Allen or Rodgers. It was around $30,000 in today's dollar.

[Rodney]

Congratulations on such a fine instrument!

I have a friend in Japan that is interested in purchasing a 1200 that has been available - how do these sound in a home environment? Are they excruciatingly loud or pleasing to play in a small room?

Thanks!

Rodney