Bought a beauty, now what!?

[Ross Tiner]

I acquired a gorgeous Farrand and Votey that I believe was produced in 1893 based on the serial number 30838. It’s in pretty great shape, I think but it definitely needs restoration. I have no idea where to look, who to trust or how much it is going to cost! Any and all advice is appreciated. I am in the panhandle of Texas.

[myorgan]

Ross,

Welcome to the Forum! You can start by reading some of the restoration threads here from members such as nutmegct, Nico (I forgot his moniker, but he's from South Africa), and Rodney always has some great advice as well. One of our moderators, Larason2 usually has some good advice as well.

Do you have any specific complaints you've discovered so far?

Michael

[nutmegct]

And adding to Michael's suggestions - do you have any experience working on reed organs?

Tom M.

[Larason2]

Welcome to the forum! There aren't many people that restore reed organs these days. I know one of the organ builders out of Calgary, Canada said he's restored some, but most organ builders are too busy to do such these days! So most of us have restored our own. It's not too hard, but it is time consuming. So that's the first step, decide if you'll do it yourself or look for someone. It's likely there's no one nearby that will do it for you, but it doesn't hurt to ask! Any local organ builders or player piano restorers might take a crack at it. Probably won't be cheap though!