Where to find a pump organ?

[henrik.hank]

Hi!
I have two questions on pump organs:
1. In churches I find pipe organs (sometimes electronic) and pianos. In other places eg people's homes I sometimes find a piano.
I never really find places with a pump organ. I did find one at an old folks home (in a city where I don't live) but they are hard to find.
Where do you find them? I would like to play this amazing instrument. Maybe I need to buy used one. I sometimes find an organ for sale.
2. What is the purpose of a pump organ, ie when is it used? I think they were used in schools in the early 1900's. The time when people sang hymns at schools here in Sweden. Nowadays I think a skolpiano (school piano) ie an upright piano is found instead of a pump organ. Why use a pump organ instead of an upright piano?

[Pipeorganbuilder]

There were thousands of pump organs built here in the USA during the late 1800 to around 1930. Here in the southern part of the US, pump organs were owned by just about every household. In the last six months, I have been given five just to get them out of the older homes. Ebay and Facebook marketplace would be where I would start to look for one close to you. If you were near me, I would give you an assortment of reed organs. Good luck with your search.

Michael

[Mr. Polecat]

Check Craigslist. Many people who have them want to be rid of them, but nobody wants them. They'll list them for some ridiculous price, and they'll sit there until you can offer to take it for free just to get it out of their way and they'll go for it. Seems like most of the ones that come out of homes like that are basket-cases though.

I put up an ad a while back specifically looking for a 2-manual church-type organ with a 16' sub-bass stop. Of course nobody paid attention the the details, and I got to see about a dozen unplayable parlor organs that had been sitting in grandma's basement for 30 years or similar.

Edit: Oh, you outside of the US. I know in Finland they used to have one in every school, and they are apparently really easy to find there. But I don't know about other countries in the region.

As for why, pianos used to be extremely expensive, and require more frequent tuning. Or such is my supposition, anyway.

[myorgan]

What is the purpose of a pump organ, ie when is it used?

When there is no electricity, or when the tonality of a pump organ is required.

Why use a pump organ instead of an upright piano?

When the tonality of a pump organ is required or desired. People also used pump organs because they play relatively in tune no matter how much the temperature fluctuates. It also keeps its tune much better than a piano, which I believe had also been stated by someone else.

Michael