Oak Harbor, Washington
Residence: Tracey Dobkins
WHITE ORGAN CO., 1970
Puget Sound Pipe Organs, 2010 - Reinstallation, Additions, Solid State Conversion
GREAT SWELL PEDAL
16 Bourdon 16 Bourdon 16 Sub Bass
8 Principal 8 Bourdon 8 Diapason
8 Flute Harmonic 8 Viole 8 Bourdon
8 Bourdon 8 Voix Celeste 8 Cello
8 Viole 4 Principal 4 Choral Bass
4 Octave 4 Harmonic Flute 4 Flute
4 Gedeckt 4 Viole 2 Flute
2 Principal 4 Celeste II Mixture
III Mixture 2-2/3 Nasard 16 Bassoon
16 Bassoon 2 Octavin 8 Oboe
8 Oboe 1-3/5 Tierce 4 Oboe
4 Oboe Clarion 1 Sifflöte MIDI 3
Chimes IV Plein Jeu
MIDI 1 8 Oboe
4 Oboe
Great to Great 16 Tremolo
Great Unison Off MIDI 2
Great to Great 4
Swell to Swell 16
Swell Unison Off
Swell to Swell 4
STOP / RANK / PIPE ANALYSIS
16 Sub Bass (Ped) -- Same as the 16’ Bourdon.
16 Bourdon (Gt/Sw) 12 Extension of the 8’ Bourdon.
8 Principal (Gt) 61
8 Harmonic Flute (Gt) -- 1 - 12 from the 8’ Bourdon. 13 - 61
from the 4’ Flute Harmonic.
8 Bourdon (Gt/Sw/Ped) 61
8 Viole (Gt/Sw) 61
8 Cello (Ped) -- Same as the 8’ Viole.
8 Voix Celeste (Sw) 49 Tenor C.
4 Octave (Gt) 12 Extension of the 8’ Principal.
4 Principal (Sw) -- Same as the 4’ Octave.
4 Choral Bass (Ped) -- Same as the 4’ Octave.
4 Gedeckt (Gt) 12 Extension of the 8’ Bourdon.
4 Harmonic Flute (Sw) 61 Addition.
4 Flute (Ped) -- From the 4’ Harmonic Flute.
4 Viole (Sw) -- From the 8’ Viole. No top octave.
4 Celeste (Sw) -- From the 8’ Voix Celeste. No top
octave.
2-2/3 Nasard (Sw) 61 Addition.
2 Principal (Gt) 12 Extension of the 8’ Principal.
2 Octavin (Sw) -- From the 4’ Harmonic Flute. Top
octave from the Bourdon unit.
2 Flute (Ped) -- From the Bourdon unit.
1-3/5 Tierce (Sw) -- From the 2-2/3’ Nasard.
1 Sifflote (Sw) -- From the Bourdon unit. Top octave
repeats.
III Mixture (Gt) -- From the Principal unit. Beginning
composition: 22-26-29.
IV Plein Jeu (Sw) -- From the Principal unit. Beginning
composition: 15-19-22-26
II Mixture (Ped) -- From the Principal unit. Composi-
tion: 12-15 throughout.
16 Bassoon (Gt/Ped) -- Tenor C. Fully prepared to be a 12
pipe extension of the 8’ Oboe.
8 Oboe (Gt/Sw/Ped) 61
4 Oboe (Sw/Ped) -- From the 8’ Oboe. No top octave
on the manual.
4 Oboe Clarion (Gt) -- Same as the 4’ Oboe.
Tremolo (Sw) Affects the entire instrument.
Chimes (Gt) Console preparation.
PIPE SUMMARY
Principal Bourdon Viole
85 pipes 97 pipes 61 pipes
Voix Celeste Harmonic Flute Nasard
49 pipes 61 pipes 61 pipes
Oboe
61 pipes
COUPLERS FINGER PISTONS
Swell to Pedal 8,4 General 1 - 8
Great to Pedal 8,4 Auto Pedal (rev)
Sforz. (rev)
Swell to Great 16,8,4 Set
Gen Can
PEDAL MOVEMENTS
Expression (bal.) TOE STUDS
Crescendo (bal.) None
ACTION: Electro-Mechanical & Electro-Pneumatic
VOICES: 7
STOPS: 38; not inc. chimes
RANKS: 7
PIPES: 475
NOTES
This organ was originally built for the RLDS Church in Port Huron, Michigan, by Archie White
of the White Organ Co. in Lansing, Michigan. The Principal and Bourdon are from Estey, Opus
724, 1909 - originally built for the San Francisco, California, home of M.L. Koshland. It was
a 1-manual organ employing tubular-pneumatic action and having an automatic roll-player. The
Viole d’Orchestre and Viole Celeste are also believed to have been from the same Estey. The
Oboe was originally to have been a Trumpet, but the church wanted something a little less
aggressive. That pipework appears to have been new at the time the organ was built.
The windchests are mostly electro-mechanical with a few offset basses being electro-pneumatic.
The console shell was built by White, but the manuals and pedalboard were from a supply house.
The organ utilized stop slides behind the keys for switching.
The organ was listed for sale on eBay, and was purchased by Tracey N. Dobkins of Oak Harbor,
Washington, for $1,500.00. The organ was dismantled and removed from the church by Mr. Dobkins
with help from his friends and family. His father drove the organ across the country in a truck.
Puget Sound Pipe Organs of Seattle, Washington, was selected to refurbish and re-install the
organ. Since the organ was to be out in the open and not chambered, a Holtkamp-like appearance
was chosen for the arrangement of the pipes. Two additional ranks were added to the organ: a
used 1922 Moller (Opus 3342) wooden 4’ Flauto Traverso (which is not harmonic); and a used ca.
1910 Kimball 8’ Aeoline which had previously been cut-down for use as a 4’ Fugara. It was further
cut-down, de-bearded, the cut-ups raised, and revoiced for use as the 2-2/3’ Nasard. Used
electro-pneumatic windchests were purchased from the Pipe Organ Foundation of Mercer Island,
Washington, to hold the added ranks. These chests had been releathered in recent years, and only
required cleaning, re-gasketing, and general refurbishing. Some of the valves inside the Flauto
Traverso chest had to be replaced with larger valves.
The console was retained, but a new stoprail was made to accommodate the larger stoplist. A new
solid quarter-sawn oak board was milled and slots cut for the stop action. It was finished to
match the console as closely as possible. The original stop slides were disengaged except for
three on each manual which are utilized as redundant feeds with the shorting bar. The same was
done with the pedal stop slides. New pistons replaced the originals. A new Syndyne ™ solid state
console control system and combination action, as well as a new solid state relay were provided.
Two new power sources - one for the organ and one for the console - were also provided, replacing
the original rectifier.
The wooden Bourdon pipes were cleaned by Puget Sound Pipe Organs at the time the stoppers were
releathered. All of the remaining pipework was cleaned by Mr. Dobkins assisted by friends. The
Oboe was also dismantled and reassembled by PSPO. After cleaning, pipes were mandreled and dents
were removed.
Some early preparations on the project were done in late 2009, but the major work was begun early
in 2010 and completed in early June. Tonal regulation and finishing were done by James R. Stettner
and Michael A. Way of Puget Sound Pipe Organs.
While it is rather unusual to have a unit organ with full intra-manual and inter-divisional couplers,
Mr. Dobkins has future plans which may require the organ to be moved on his property to a different
edifice. Placement there might include both exposed and expressive portions of the organ with some
added voices and de-unification of the present stoplist. It was for this reason that the console was
provided with a full complement of couplers.
The organ also has a Syndyne Pro-Filer sequencer for record and playback capability.
Sources: Documents in Mr. Dobkins possession, Estey opus list, extant organ
[Received from James R. Stettner 2012-05-10.]