The electronics age is coming to the 70-year-old organ at the Richfield LDS Tabernacle, rated as one of the 10 best musical instruments of its type in the Western states.
The price tag for an upgrade will be $36,000.The organ will be upgraded to provide an even better sound, according to John R. Mitchell of Wicks Organ Co., North Salt Lake, which contracted the project. He concludes that "This is still one of the best organs in existence."
The instrument was bought for $11,000 from the Austin Organ Co. of Hartford, Conn., in 1929 and is now claimed to be worth more than $200,000.
Thousands have thrilled to the sight of the large pipes at the rear of the tabernacle stage as well as to the organ's mellow music and its multiple and varied sounds. Church officials have been considering the refurbishing project for three years.
The organ has 1,241 pipes and 25 tubal chimes, with pipe lengths ranging from 3/8 inch to 16 feet. The air required to produce the tones originates from an electric motor in the basement of the building, pushed by fan blowers.
Mitchell said the renovation requires removing the console and controls as well as several pipes.
The console keyboards and stop controls were shipped to Illinois, where solid state controls will be added and the unit rewired. The wood shell of the console base is being refurbished in Salt Lake City.
The oboe, comprising 73 pipes, is getting new tongues, or reeds, and is being "revoiced."
Added to the organ will be a new 2-foot octave range composed of 73 pipes. The striking mechanism of the chimes is also being replaced.
The organ is expected to be back in service by mid-March.