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About Our Company
New Organs
Custom-designed, constructed, and voiced for its setting, a new Watersmith organ
is an enduring and beautiful instrument combining the timeless elements of the organ
builder's craft with the best in modern-day materials and production methods. For
instance, in our mechanical-action, slider-chest organs, we can provide electric
stop and combination actions, a distinct advantage in larger instruments. For those
clients who feel that they cannot afford a new tracker organ, we can build an organ
with "prepared" stops: space is left in the organ for the addition of'
more stops as funds permit. We also have a large selection of used pipework k which,
when appropriately used, can result in significant savings.
Rebuilt Organs
Many customers prefer a rebuilt used organ, or the historic restoration of their
present instrument. In collaboration with the Organ
Clearing House of Harrisville, New Hampshire, we have access to hundreds of available
old organs. Such an instrument can be restored to "like new" mechanical
condition, and tonal changes can be made to meet any specific need. The resulting
instrument has all the mechanical and tonal advantages of a "new" organ,
often at a fraction of the cost.
Pipemaking
For our pipework, we employ a variety of metal alloys, depending on the specific
requirements of each stop. Hammered metal is used for both flues and reeds when its
unique tonal characteristics are desired. Reeds are normally manufactured in the
French style, using historical scales and shallots. We employ full-length reed resonators,
resulting in a wide range of harmonics without sacrificing a strong fundamental.
Wood pipes are made from seasoned hard and soft woods of the highest quality. When
we do not make our own pipes, we engage the finest European and American suppliers
to manufacture them to our strict specifications and scalings. Whether made by us
or others, we voice all pipework. In addition, each organ receives a meticulous tonal
finishing after installation.
Service
We tune and maintain all types of pipe organs throughout the Northeast. We are available
for emergency work, and are willing to show church members and organists how to perform
simple service and repairs. Maintenance can be by written or verbal agreement, and
we try to schedule Christmas and Easter tunings by "neighborhood" so that
our travel expenses can be shared by several churches.
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