2024 Workshop Record
2,847
pipes restored in 2024
14historic instruments
6new commissions
1organ built entirely from salvaged 18th-century pipework
Est. 1979 · Lancaster, PAScroll
Gloved hands measuring a reed shallot with a micrometer, shallow depth of field, workshop dust catching overhead lamp light
Precision at Work

Reed shallot measurement to ±0.01mm. Every pipe voiced by hand in the acoustic space it was built for.

Workshop · 2026
Tracker Action Rebuild·Windchest Releathering·Reed Voicing·Pipe Metal Restoration·Console Refinishing·Tuning & Regulation·Heritage Assessment·New Instrument Commissioning·
Restoration Timeline
412
hours, one instrument

A 1912 three-manual tracker in a Pennsylvania Lutheran church. Dismantled, cleaned, releathered, revoiced, and returned — every pipe speaking in the same stone room it was built for.

Five phases · One standard
01

Dismantling

38 hrs

Every pipe numbered, every action component catalogued. Windchests disassembled and mapped before a single part leaves the instrument.

Close-up of organ pipes being carefully dismantled and numbered in a workshop setting
02

Cleaning

54 hrs

Decades of dust, insect debris, and oxidation removed from every surface. Pipe metal treated, wood deacidified, leather remnants extracted.

Organ pipe metal being carefully cleaned with specialized tools under workshop lighting
03

Releathering

120 hrs

Pneumatic pouches, pallets, and key covers re-covered in period-appropriate leather. Each pouch tensioned to match the original voicing intent.

Craftsman applying leather to organ windchest components with precision hand tools
04

Revoicing

140 hrs

Each pipe individually voiced in the instrument's home acoustic. Mouths adjusted, languid heights set, toes regulated until every rank speaks as one.

Pipe organ voicing work with technician adjusting individual pipe characteristics
05

Final Tuning

60 hrs

Tuned across three temperature cycles in the installation space. Equal temperament or historical temperament set per specification.

Final tuning of pipe organ in a church nave, measuring acoustic response
Voicing Precision
1/100th
of a millimeter

The tolerance at which we measure reed shallot curvature. Not because the specification demands it — because the pipe demands it. Every rank has a voice. Our job is to find it.

Close-up of organ pipe metal surfaces showing precise measurements and voicing marks in workshop setting
0.01mmlanguid height tolerance

The distance between a pipe’s languid and its mouth determines the character of speech — bright or dark, prompt or slow. Set by eye and ear, confirmed by measurement.

22 milesof wire in a four-manual

Every key, every stop, every combination piston connected by hand. Electrical systems traced, documented, and — where necessary — replaced with period-appropriate components.

3 cyclesof tuning per installation

Stone buildings breathe with the seasons. We return at summer, winter, and the following spring to stabilize every rank across the building's full thermal range.

20
completed commissions since 2020

Churches, cathedrals, conservatories, and private collections. Each instrument treated as a singular acoustic object — not a product, not a project number.

Interior of Grace Lutheran Church showing restored pipe organ in the loft above the congregation
1,847 pipes

Three-manual 1912 Fisk-Nanney tracker. 1,847 pipes cleaned, releathered, and revoiced. Returned to service after 11 years of silence.

"They didn't restore our organ. They restored its voice. There is a difference, and they know it."

Dr. Margaret Hollenbeck, Director of Music
Planning Resource
The Restoration
Planning Guide

A 28-page document built from 40 years of restoration practice. Covers condition assessment methodology, budget framework by organ type and age, heritage board communication, phased restoration scheduling, and acoustic documentation requirements.

Contents
01Condition assessment checklist (47 points)
02Budget estimator by pipe count and action type
03Heritage board submission template
04Phased restoration timeline framework
05Acoustic documentation guide
06Voicing specification worksheet

Not ready for the guide?

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