Information about  Pipe Organ Consulting           Jump to Owner Biography Page     Jump to Our P.O.C., HOME Page

We are happy to visit your church or institution to provide consultation and assessments of needs for your pipe organ and/or to address any of your tonal concerns.  The fee is simple: based on a $75* per man hour labor charge, portal to portal, plus Parking, Toll and Overnight costs, if and when they are incurred and/or applicable. 
 
*Rate discounted for P.O.C., 'Preferred Organ Customers.'  Please call for details.  1-800-922-1662, Ext. Access Code 20

Pipe Organ Consulting offers all types of services, complete from providing advice to performing any work necessary to meet your needs.  For instance, we can offer:

 

  1. Strictly Consulting on a per man-hour basis, i.e., to act as a site manager, supervisor and/or reviewer of all contracted work to be undertaken.
  2. Consulting Assessment, with photographic survey without the intent to bid, on a per man-hour basis.
  3. Consulting assessment, with photographic survey with the intent to bid, with per man-hour cost potentially to be deducted from an approved contract price.
  4. Ongoing Tuning and Service, On site, as needed, to provide care and maintenance repairs, until such time as a reconditioning/overhaul may be contracted with whichever firm is selected.
  5. Complete Reconditioning and Maintenance Services
  6. New Organs for any need

 

Again, the 'per man-hour' rate is $75, portal to portal,* i.e., $150 per, when two men are needed for tuning, repairs or more detailed surveys.  Two associates may be required for on initial inspection visit, the cost of which would be in the range of $1,500, i.e., based on a 10 hour day @$150 per hour (including travel).  However, only the actual hours used are invoiced.  A printed survey ranges from $75 to $1,750, as determined by the amount of detail desired, e.g. from a simple letter to a detailed report, complete with color photographs and projected cost estimates.  Please be aware that full reports are the most helpful to committees charged with overseeing rebuilding budgets, etc., because their detail can contain the 'why's' and 'wherefores' rationale needed to make important expenditure decisions.  Here's more:

 

* Portal to portal - What it means and why there is a charge for travel.  Portal to portal means from our location to yours and back: Yes, we do document the time and 'charge' for travel, 'to and from' our starting point to your work location.  Why? 

First, our associate technicians are all well-trained, highly skilled and experienced pipe organ service people and where the care of your valuable instrument is concerned, we do not use unskilled persons, trainees or 'Key-Holders,' on tuning/service calls, unless absolutely necessary and in such a case, the invoiced hourly-service-rate is reduced and clearly shown as such.

 

Second and importantly, our associate technicians are paid from the time they walk through the shop-door, until they leave for home, as would be the case for hourly workers in almost any industry.  Hence, to pay them on a fair basis, we must charge for travel or raise the hourly rate to include that cost.  It is perfectly understandable to hear a client express the desire to have 'someone closer-by' take care of their instrument in order to save on 'travel;'  however, we believe that the multiple years experience of our service technicians and the quality of our service, far outweigh the savings gained by using a less expensive or closer service and we hope clients will study their options carefully before deciding just to follow the bottom line.  Please call and confer with us, at No Charge.  We'll be happy to discuss your situation with you, openly and without obligation.  Please do not hesitate to call: 1-800-922-1662, ext. 20.

 

Next, we work with you to stay within tight budgets, (and when is anyone ever, NOT, on a tight budget?).  If your church has budget limitations, we are happy to provide the precise services you desire within your time and/or funding limitations, when these are discussed and known prior to the service call.  We have many clients who appreciate this way of working.  Please bear in mind, however, that pipe organs should be SERVICED & TUNED, twice annually and that there is more to keeping your valuable instrument maintained than just 'tuning.'

 

How much does one need to budget and/or spend on annual maintenance and tuning?  One to two percent of the organ's replacement value should be budgeted for a pipe organ's annual upkeep and another 2% set aside in a long-term fund for its eventual overhaul or replacement.  However, most churches budget far less, i.e., 1/2% to as little as 1/4% or 1/8%, because they have the mistaken impression that organ only needs to be tuned annually.  On the contrary, tuning without first checking mechanical things like wind pressures and making sure the chamber temperatures are the same as at the last tuning, only serve to place a pipe organ more out of tune than 'in.'  This is especially true with low-pressure, open toe voicing as was used by G. Edgar Gress in the creation of his electric action pipe organs. 


For churches throughout our Southern New England service area and especially in Connecticut, starting with number 4 provides the best, most efficient and cost effective way to get to know any given pipe organ, i.e., its in's and out's and its needs.  However, we are happy to schedule consultation visit for you at any time of the year without service, to answer your questions and concerns in detail, as pipe organ upkeep and/or rebuilding can be a daunting undertaking, with many details open to opinion, especially when addressing tonal concerns.

 

We provide 'Free' - Pipe Organ Consulting ~ Educational Seminars on 'Pipe Organ Tuning, Maintenance & General Care'

for A.G.O. Chapters,  Church Organ Committees,  Choirs,  Governing Boards or Church Membership-at-Large.

To answer a Basic Tonal Question: all organ's can be voiced to a desired style; however, room size, acoustic and the organ's scaling, all play important, crucial roles in the success of a given instrument.  I was involved in the tonal-finishing phases of work at The Mother Church and Trinity Church, Copley Square, both in Boston with the former company for which I worked since 1979.  Since opening October 1 of 2004, we have completed tonal work, which is specifically our own, i.e.,  First Congregational Church, Bloomfield, CT and the II/19 rank enlarged Moller Pipe Organ at Nelson Hall,  Elim Park in Cheshire, CT.  
 
Please watch for sound postings here and refer to our Recent Work and Biographical pages for more up-to-date information.  We appreciate your listening to our tuning excerpts, as I am a firm believer in only the best and proper tuning for the creation of beautiful musical performances.

For Leathering Work:  Although pouch boards can be sent to supply houses for leathering and these establishments do excellent work, my associates and I opt to do these, 'in-house.'   The answer to which alternative to use is determined by the time allotted to do the job, as well as the overall cost and it is just this type of detail, among many, that should be discussed and ironed out before a project begins.

Along with P.O.C.'s present tuning/service schedule, our shop can take on major leathering work, including the Recovering of Austin Actions with the finest leathers at any time.   We retain independent associates to work closely with P.O.C. to expedite any needs that may call for immediate attention.
 
Thank you again for your inquiry by reading this page.  We hope you find this information helpful and look forward to hearing from you about the pipe organ in your care. 
 
Please feel free to contact us at any time.
 
163 Dayton Road, South Glastonbury, CT 06073
 
Page Updated & Copyright - May 1, 2010