Saint Paul's United Methodist Church

Northport, NY

 

Wicks

Opus # ??

III/15

Stoplist

Exterior     Interior     Console     Organ

This pipe organ started out as a 9 rank instrument situated in two chambers flanking the altar.  An exposed Great was a later addition also completed by the Wicks Organ Company, bringing the total number of ranks up to 15.  Wicks uses the very reliable Direct-Electric® windchest action that alleviates the need for the expensive periodic re-leathering of the windchest components.          However, the early electrical system, required to handle very heavy switching currents, did not hold up so well.  The large currents tended to erode contact points over years of service to the point where they began to break off.  This renders the otherwise reliable system almost unusable.  A complete rebuilding of the console would cure these ails, make the organ more versatile as well as providing the record/playback capability.          The rebuilding of this console included a Peterson ICS-4000 system, new tracker-touch keyboards, new drawknobs, new rocker tabs for the couplers, a new power supply, new wiring, new pistons and new toe studs.  The new solid-state devices effectively eliminate the "burning contact" type of failures.  MIDI capability was also added to the instrument.  The console was then cleaned and polished and ready to go.          The Great division pipework, while of high quality, was never voiced nor regulated for the acoustics of the church.  This unfortunately does not allow the Great to blend properly with the earlier ranks of Wicks pipes.  If listened to individually, these Great division pipes have a sound akin to "frying" or an unexpected hiss.  When this portion of the job is complete, we will alleviate such sounds and enhance the tonal sound of the pipe itself.  This will allow the pipes to blend with the other ranks and create a pleasing overall ensemble.