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Album
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Link
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Date
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The Mighty Wurlitzer in its original home - the Phipps Experience in New Bedford, Massachusetts
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6/8/07
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Repairing/rebuilding existing/new components prior to starting major disassembly at the Phipps Experience
(ingredients: wood, leather, metal, glue, shellac,
wiring, dust, etc.,
and love of the theatre organ)
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6/8/07
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Finale Concert at the Phipps Experience
on Sunday, June 10, 2007,
featuring world-renowned theatre organist,
Ron Rhode
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9/9/07
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Things are starting to take shape with some
components ready to install in The Hanover!
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10/4/07
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Phew! Getting winded - Step 1.
Blower muffler box and windline flange
come together in New Bedford.
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11/13/07
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Phew! Getting winded - Step 2.
Tales from the Crypt
or
How the Mighty Wurlitzer Mighty Blower Muffler Box
Came to Be Installed in the Basement of
The Hanover Theatre!
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12/22/07
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Phew! Getting winded - Step 3.
Major Windline runs are installed in
The Hanover Theatre!
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1/31/08
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First Pipes - Monday, January 28, 2008!
Because of the straight-line length (up to 16 feet) of some of the
diaphone pipes destined for the main chamber, we needed to take advantage of the freight elevator before its ceiling was installed.
So this is the tale of the first 18 out of 2,482 pipes to make it into The Hanover Theatre!
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1/31/08
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The Hanover Becomes a Theatre!
Although the Hanover’s Mighty Wurlitzer will be installed someday (there is still
very, very much to do), the Hanover Theatre is opening for business on March 14. So, here are some pictures taken by organ crew member Bruce Hager of the nearly complete, beautiful Hanover
Theatre’s auditorium.
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3/3/08
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”Shuddering Shutters, Batman!
That organ crew is a bit shady!
But I bet the organ will sound just swell, anyway!”
The Main Chamber shutters (aka, swell shades) are in place. Opening and closing these shutters (from the organ console) constitutes the volume control for the Main Chamber.
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5/20/08
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”That organ crew is not only a bit shady,
but some of them are even known chiselers,
and many are involved in a coverup!”
The Main Chamber walls are beautified.
Old plaster covering the brick was chiseled off (not shown) and then covered with 3/4” plywood. Eventually all will be painted. Participating in the coverup were Don Phipps (ring leader),
Bruce Hager, Bob Evans, Dick Handverger and Ray Deshaies.
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Pix
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for
Video
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6/2/08
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“And here they are, doing a little more chiseling,
a little more coverup,
and then, finally, painting the town!
WHAT NERVE!”
The Main Chamber walls near final beautification with a little touch-up and the first sprays of paint (hopefully landing mostly on the walls
and ceiling).
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for
Video
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6/19/08
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Main Chamber Hijinks
Main Chamber beautification nears completion.
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6/24/08
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Main Chamber - Thunderous 16’ Diaphones
The 80+ year old thunderous 16’ Diaphones get the distinction of being
the First Pipes to be installed in the Hanover!
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6/27/08
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Main Chamber
That’s Swell, a Dash of Color &
Thump Those Chests
The Main Chamber gets a little color and three pipe
chests totally weighing in at about 700 lbs.
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7/24/08
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Being Regular Is Good
Ray, Bruce and Don install the Main Chamber Regulators.
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8/1/08
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Winding the Main Chamber
a Plumber’s Nightmare
Isn’t there an easier way to do this?
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8/18/08
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The Main Chamber Starts to
Get a Little Crowded.
A few more offset chests and a glorious French Horn start to
fill up the limited real estate.
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8/29/08
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After All This Work,
We Need a Lift.
The organ (console) lift arrives at the Hanover.
Picture the 4-manual console on this baby!
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9/3/08
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Bearing the Main Chamber’s Second Story
The Main Chamber’s 2nd story starts to take shape.
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9/10/08
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Chrysoglott & More Enter
Main Chamber’s Second Story
The Main Chamber’s 2nd story gets some residents.
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9/16/08
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More Main Chamber Progress
We bet it’s going to start getting windy up here, eventually!
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10/12/08
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Main Chamber Metal Wind Line
More winding - phew!
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10/17/08
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THAR SHE BLOWS!
The Mighty Spencer Organ Blower
makes it to The Hanover!
(Images are currently out of sequence - fix it later.)
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10/22/08
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Doing the Marimba Carumba in the Main Chamber
Enter the Marimba/Harp - in the Main.
First wind to the Main!
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11/17/08
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Wiring “the Beast’s” Main Chamber
The Wurlitzer’s Main Chamber nervous system is connected and the pipe
population explodes.
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12/11/08
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John Phipps busy in The Main
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12/21/08
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The Main Before Christmas
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12/24/08
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A Sweet End to 2008
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1/3/09
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Strings and Safety
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1/23/09
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The Mighty Console Arrives at the Hanover
The Mighty Wurlitzer’s Mighty Console arrived at the Hanover on a cold
Sunday morning - February 1, 2009.
Participating were:
Don Phipps, John Phipps, Mark Duff, Kenny Duffie, Bruce Hager, Bob Evans, Dick Handverger and
Len Beyersdorfer.
The pix are
select frames from a video shot that day by Bruce Hager.
More pix/video will be available in the near future.
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2/1/09
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The Mighty Console
Is Mated with
The Mighty Organ Lift!
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2/11/09
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All Work Makes Jack a Dull Boy!
Now that a little of The Main is playable from the console, it appears that the
crew has lost work-focus as ably demonstrated by John Phipps, Ray Deshaies and Len Beyersdorfer. Just that little bit of pipework sounds swell, so when it’s all done it will sound just great!
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2/20/09
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Tubas & Diaphones in The Main
Here are two “ranks” that will raise the hair on the back of your neck!
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3/4/09
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Happy 1st Birthday to The Hanover Theatre
and
Happy Debut to the
Mighty Hanover Wurlitzer
Although less
than half complete, the Mighty Hanover Wurlitzer had its premiere at the Hanover Theatre’s Happy 1st Birthday Open House.
There were quite a few pleased patrons who had never seen nor heard anything quite like it before. Don Phipps and Bruce Hager (pit elevator operator) explained a lot of the intricacies of this great instrument, and John Phipps and Len Beyersdorfer provided some swell music!
(Just added some excellent shots taken by Joshua Handverger, son of Dick Handverger, a member of the organ crew.)
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3/29/09
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Main Almost Done?!?
Here are some pictures of recent second-story work in the Main Chamber. When the
12-note chest on the left is filled, all pipes will be in the Main (well, except for a couple that are awaiting mitering).
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4/10/09
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Solo Performance
Work begins in the Solo Chamber, in earnest!
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4/25/09
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Solo Plywood & Plaster & Merrie Melodies
Solo Chamber: Plywood for the floor is loaded and installed,
plaster is chipped, & there is a show & tell for a few select folks.
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5/3/09
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Solo Shades & Bearers
Solo Chamber: Painted & clean (for now), swell shades and bearers installed.
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6/2/09
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Solo Chamber - a 2nd Story
Solo Chamber: We installed the 2nd story to house the many Hanover Wurlitzer
percussion instruments and traps. What is not shown is the precarious process we used to load and install the three sheets of heavy plywood in their final resting places.
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6/8/09
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Solo Chamber - Measuring Up
Solo Chamber: Putting all of the various components in their proper places is a
tedious task requiring skill, smarts, care and patience. At various times, not all of these required attributes are present!
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6/24/09
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Solo Chamber - Loading Up
Ron Rhode tries out the Wurly in its new home - and lots more “stuff” gets loaded into
the Solo.
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7/18/09
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Solo Chamber - Toys in the Attic
The Solo receives some noisemakers!
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8/18/09
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Wiring & Chest Gaskets
The boys do the wiring to enable the organist to completely turn the organ on/off and
raise/lower the console via a set of buttons on the swing-out tray located to the organist’s right. Also, three Solo manual chests receive a little TLC before being hoisted into the Solo chamber.
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8/25/09
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The Bombarde Trolley and The Big Lift
The boys install a trolley to handle the 16’ Solo Bombarde pipes - and it’s
all hands on deck to hoist three large pipe chests and the six largest Bombarde pipes into the Solo via the side exterior door using a scissors lift.
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Video
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9/24/09
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Welcome to The Mighty Solo Bombardes
At a brief, informal ceremony held in the Solo
Chamber, Troy Siebels,
Executive Director of The Hanover Theatre, risks life and limb as he affixes his signature to Big Bertha, thereby officially welcoming Big Bertha and her sisters into
The Hanover Theatre Family.
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9/30/09
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This Horizontal Trumpet Is Not Lazy
Pizzazz arrives in the Solo in the form of a Horizontal Trumpet - which may
just part the hairdoos of some patrons seated in the front row of the balcony!
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11/30/09
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SOLO = REED CITY
More pizzazz arrives in the Solo in the form of the English Post Horn - down to 16 feet,
already! Hang on to your hat!
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12/4/09
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Just in Tune for Christmas
Jonathan Ortloff, a great organist and pipe organ techie, to boot, is enlisted to tune and tweak The Hanover Mighty Wurlitzer in preparation for its public
debut at A Christmas Carol, starting December 18.
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12/9/09
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The Hanover Mighty Wurlitzer Debuts
The Hanover Mighty Wurlitzer made its public debut at the Hanover’s
production of Dickens’ A Christmas
Carol in mid-December, 2009. Musical Director, Tim Evans, was at the console and he accompanied the entire production as well as provided overtures and exit music with great talent and gusto!
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1/22/10
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A Piano and Yet More Pipes!
The addition of a Yamaha Disklavier (console piano) is welcome, indeed.
It will be able to do at least double duty: in the lobby for live or “recorded” music, and in the theatre playable from the organ console. Also the last pipes in the Main were installed (16’ Tibia), and offset diaphones in the Solo.
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2/16/10
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Solo - Plumbing, Wiring, Cleaning and Bats!
All with a Trumpet Fanfare!
Yet more plumbing and wiring in the
Solo as the Brass Trumpet gets the scrub-down - and a visit by an ancient and forgotten friend of the organ
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3/23/10
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The Mighty Gets Still Mightier!
With the final installation of the high-pressure wind line to the Solo, the
16-foot Bombarde now emits a Mighty Growl!
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4/9/10
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More Solo Chamber Pipes
More pipes are added to the Solo - it won’t be long now.
We are getting close! This is really getting exciting - we can see the light at the end of the tunnel!
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5/18/10
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More Solo Chamber Work
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6/3/10
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Showtime, Regulators & More Pipes
Jonathan Ortloff performed a great mini-concert on The Hanover Mighty
Wurlitzer for EMCATOS members and Hanover friends on June 20, 2010. Shortly thereafter, five new regulators were installed (these are the last ones). These regulators were built by Allen
Miller, John and Don Phipps, and Kenny Duffie with some help from the peanut gallery. Finally, some of the last pipes were added to the Solo. You may be tempted to ask, “Is it soup
yet?” Well, let’s say, “Almost!”
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7/28/10
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T. M. I. About The T. M.
& Rising To The Occasion
The long awaited Solo Chamber’s Tuba Mirabilis is
installed and Always, Patsy Cline gets some special treatment.
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8/12/10
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