Mason and Hamlin Style 46

[tittualex]

Dear all,

How rare is the Mason and Hamlin style 46 2M reed organ. there are hardly any videos of a restored one . how good were they compared to the later models?

warm regards,

Alex William

[SubBase]

Here is a video of one I know of belonging to a member here.
https://youtu.be/AkPXOK97RrI?t=1m13s

They seem to be exceedingly rare. I'm sure they sold a lot of them, yet hardly any survived. They are the early design plonked into fancier casework.
Casey

[tittualex]

thank you Casey , for the reply. I have gone through another post here ,regarding the Style 46 . But I am a little curious about its sound quality ( I understand that every reed organ has its own personality like us , and are unique in its own ways) were they as good / better than the latter models or vice versa ? is there a time in the history of M&H where their workmanship and quality deteriorated . or where thet from the begining to the end producing organs of the highest quality.

thank you,

Alex

[zcooper]

It's true that each one has its own personality, just as stringed instruments and pianos do. Mason & Hamlin was one of the best builders in the industry. Based on personal observation, I'd say that the older instruments have better voicing than the newer ones. Mainly due to falling prices and mass production and less time and care taken by the employees. I wouldn't necessarily say this of M&H but it's certainly true of Estey.

The older instruments to me just sound "old." In some ways, sweeter, more mellow. It depends on the stops of course. For example, I have an Estey Style 21 from 1871 and an Estey Artists Z56 from 1919. The Vox Jubilante is VERY different between the two, with the Style 21 being more pleasing. Overall, however, I'd say that Estey's "sweet spot" of building was between 1900-1910 -- at least those are the ones that I favor.

You know an M&H when you hear it. I think the foundation stops have a sound unique to M&H. M&H did not take the "cheap" path.

[tittualex]

thank you for the informative reply. Did M&H produce the Style 46 as a cost effective version of a 2 manual organ ? I felt so because of the lesser number of stops and just 4 sets of reed , which i believe is a little less for a 2 manual instrument, please correct me if iam wrong.

And the biggest question is whether it is worthy enough to spend hard earned money in buying one of the style 46 ?

warm regards,

Alex

[SubBase]

Not exactly; for a number of years it (it's predecessor, the style 12) was the largest reed organ they made. In 1860 4 sets of reeds was a big deal.

[tittualex]

thank you,

[Mark Carter]

Oh dear! Now, of course, you're making me feel exceedingly guilty. Here I am, the owner of a very rare instrument, and I've done nothing about it. Yes, I admit to being lazy, and I was then overtaken by a prolonged period of ill-health which, in turn, has led to much reduced mobility. I feel very guilty about all this, and Casey has understandably given up asking questions about this and/or other organs. Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. All I can report is that the Style 46 is still here, safe and in the dry. Do please try to understand.

[Silken Path]

I wonder what the M&H that sold in N.C. last week on eBay was? The seller bought it at auction and didn't know the model. It looked like a 46, but the stops were straight out rather than angled toward the center. I bid on it but did not "win" it.

[Mark Carter]

See the Similar Threads section below for more details/pics of my Style 46.

[Silken Path]

Thanks, Mark. Don't actually see any images in the "Style 46 2MP," but I did find one image at ROS that showed a 46, or what it SAID was a 46. Do you have any other images posted?