Everett Theatre - 3/16 Kimball (new installation, in progress)
Everett, Washington
 
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The following April 26, 1999 update is from Everett Theatre organ crew cheif Randy Mather:
 

Consultant Greg Smith helps rack pipes

On April 20th the Everett Theater Society Board members and organ crew were invited to a special party to get an update on the organ installation. After sounding each of the 16 ranks of pipes individually, Greg Smith took the organ though a mini-concert consisting of a Medley from the Sound of Music, Moonlight Serenade, and Chattanooga Choo Choo. To the surprise of all present, the full sound of the organ shook the auditorium and put a smile on everyone's face. A few tears could be seen in the eyes of a few of the volunteers who spent many hours restoring the instrument. People who came to the event expected to hear a few notes from a rank or two and maybe a tune here and there.

Unknown to the other volunteers, Randy Mather, Greg Smith and Russ Evans spent the previous week getting the instrument ready for a presentation that would knock everyone's socks off.
 
The blower was given "MORE POWER" by replacing the 1200 rpm 10 h.p. motor with an 1800 rpm 10 h.p. motor. This speed change produced so much wind pressure on the two stage Orgoblo that the makeshift manometer had all its water blown out of the tube. The motor would draw 40 amps of current at idle (no pipes playing). All but one of the three blades was removed giving the organ about 15 inches of pressure but not much CFM. This was enough to set the pressures on the reservoirs and then tune the pipes. A couple of days before the April 20th event, two smaller diameter blades were found and placed on the motor shaft. This produced 20 inches of wind at the blower. Although the motor drew 18 amps at idle, the amp meter would top out at 34 amps when the organ was a full voice. A 15 h.p. motor will replace the 10 h.p. motor in the near future putting all the blower issues to rest.
 

Some of the Everett Theatre organ crew volunteers
 
The sound and power of the organ is an excellent match with the acoustic characteristics of the theater's auditorium. Almost every seat in the house gets the same sound from the organ chambers. Those seats at the back under the balcony do not get a direct shot at the sound leaving the chambers. However, the sound is still quite impressive. What it will sound like with a real audience is still to be determined. The sound from the sixteen foot pipes along the back wall of the stage seem to be more than powerful enough to come through the stage opening and shake the walls of the auditorium. It might even be said that the stage area acts as an amplifying chamber, much like the box of a speaker enclosure, however this maybe pure speculation on my part.
 
Ray Whelpley came up to me after the performance and said "It sounds like you got yourself an organ my friend". Similar comments came from both Russ Evans and Greg Smith. Sure, there's a lot more to do to get the organ ready for its first public performance, but it was nice to hear what we have now and know the final version can only get better. Now we can really get serious about putting together a performance program and finding an organist to make it all come together in what I hope will be a real knockout performance.