Aren't pipe organs expensive to maintain? You don't have to tune an electronic. Just like a car, a well-built organ will be quite affordable to maintain. Many of our organs require tuning only once or twice a year. A cheap, poorly built organ may save initially but can be costly in the long run.

Why shouldn't we replace our old organ with an electronic? Electronics are cheaper and do require less maintenance. However, many electronic organ manufacturers focus on building the least expensive product possible, often at the cost of quality. Many electronic organs are replaced after only 20 years of service, as their technology becomes obsolete or unreliable. A pipe organ can last many decades, even centuries before requiring major work. There is an organ in Switzerland which still plays after 600 years. It was already 100 years old when Columbus sailed!

What about leather? Leather is often cited as a reason to replace a pipe organ with an electronic. However, releathering is not as expensive as you might think. Releathering will not cost much more than an electronic and will give your pipe organ another 40-50+ years of reliable use, far outlasting most electronic organs. Check with a qualified service person and get a second opinion - bad leather is often mistakenly blamed for unrelated problems.

A growing congregation with one of our recent instruments was investigating enlarging the organ for their new larger worship space. An electronic organ salesman told them that it would soon require thousands of dollars of repairs and releathering, when in fact the organ was only 5 years old and in excellent condition. The small handful of leather parts will easily outlast any electronic organ.

If electronic organs are short-lived, what about the computer circuits used to control pipe organs? The electronics we use in our pipe organs are built to very demanding standards - engineered to last. Even when they do fail, fixing them is a simple matter of removing a card and snapping a new one into place. The electronics make up a very small part of a pipe organ.

I've looked at the specifications but I don't understand what all those names and numbers mean. Don't worry - even experienced organists get confused. Check out our Guide to Organ Jargon

We really want a real pipe organ, but our church can't afford it. You're not alone! Few churches can simply write a check for a new organ. Funding for a new organ is a long-term project that involves the whole congregation. Many have said funding for a new organ was the easiest money they ever raised. We will be happy to assist you with fundraising ideas.

Whatever the situation, we ask that you think clearly for the long term and ask lots of questions. If you have any questions about organs, give us a call at (517) 485-3748.

If you've never heard a fine pipe organ, we suggest looking at JAV records for some great organ CDs.