Herman Organ Company

06/12/2026

You can never have enough high-quality vintage screws…

A technician friend recently gifted us a large collection of new old stock wood screws, including many high quality cut-thread screws in a wide variety of sizes, including hard-to-find odd sizes like 5, 7, 9, and 11. Most of the round heads are blued or nickel plated.

While we restore and reuse original hardware whenever practical, a collection like this is incredibly valuable for a restoration-minded shop that strongly dislikes Phillips head screws... 🙂

We’ve added everything to our existing inventory and picked up a new rack (with a 3,800 lb load capacity) to keep our very heavy fastener collection organized. Many thanks to our friend for passing these along. We are happy to have them!

05/29/2026

How often do you see three, four, and five-manual Wurlitzer consoles lined up next to one another?! It’s a very console-heavy summer at Herman Organ Company!

05/14/2026

This organ has so many dead stops, dead notes, and other issues, yet it STILL sounds great! And what a room... We can't wait to restore this beautiful 5/21 Wurlitzer back to 100%! Here is me playing one last tune on it before the console was loaded onto the truck for the trip to California.

05/06/2026

Today's office: Tuning at All Saints Beverly Hills. A lovely organ in a lovely space! This Friday evening, the organ (along with choir and orchestra) will be heard in a special concert celebrating Canon of Music Craig Phillips’s final concert before his retirement after 38 years. The program will feature music by Phillips and Vaughan Williams, along with the Duruflé Requiem. (Ticket link in the comments!)

04/23/2026

RESTORING A LANDMARK INSTRUMENT: We’re beyond excited to share that Herman Organ Company has been selected to undertake the restoration of the historic 5/21 Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC).

Wurlitzer Opus 1587 (1927) was originally built for the 4,000-seat Marbro Theatre in Chicago (demolished in 1964), one of the great movie palaces of its day. It is one of only three five-manual Wurlitzers ever built, and remains the most complete and original example in existence. Moved to PPAC in 1982, the instrument is a perfect match for the stunning acoustics of one of the country’s great theatres.

Over the next two years, our team will carry out a comprehensive, ground-up restoration, including the original electropneumatic relay system, console combination action, and all supporting mechanisms, all while bringing the instrument to its full musical potential.

We’re very grateful to the leadership and board of the Providence Performing Arts Center for their trust in us. In particular, we’d like to thank President Alan Chille, Director of Special Projects Ricky Gresh, House Organist Peter Krasinski, and organ consultant Sean O’Donnell for their support, guidance, and dedication to this instrument.

Projects like this only happen because people care enough to do them the right way. It’s a privilege to be part of that.

We look forward to sharing the process as this remarkable instrument moves into its next 100 years.

04/22/2026

Too funny… 100 years ago, someone at the Wurlitzer factory scribbled this note inside a primary pneumatic they were leathering. I appreciate their sentiment. Time for a second cup!

04/21/2026

We were delighted to see this wonderful article in the San Bernardino Sun on our restoration of the 1928 Wurlitzer at the California Theatre in San Bernardino.

Our thanks to David Allen for the thoughtful writing, and to photographer Milka Soko for the beautiful photographs.

After 5,000-hour overhaul, rare Wurlitzer from debut of California Theatre is back to full working order. Columnist David Allen gets a preview.

04/15/2026

I had a chance to spend some time this evening playing our newly restored 2/11 Wurlitzer at the California Theatre in San Bernardino. Using the record/playback system, it was especially nice to hear the organ from the balcony as well.

For its size, this instrument sounds far bigger than it is. I’m delighted with how beautifully it’s come together. It’s smooth, jazzy, elegant, punchy, and has one of the best Tibias I’ve encountered.

Here’s a short sample, please excuse the audio quality from my cell phone video. It sounds much better through headphones.

04/09/2026

A "wind" console... We restored the original electro-pneumatic combination action on this gorgeous 1928 Wurlitzer organ console. It works beautifully, and I can't help but love that sound...!

04/04/2026

Happy Easter from all of us at Herman Organ Company!

Here’s Mark doing a little Easter improv on the freshly tuned mammoth pipe organ at Westwood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles. As far as trumpets go, this thing is set!