I don't play the thing but just bought it at a garage sale yesterday. Not having much luck finding info on ebay or google. Anyone here know anything about them? It's a Heintzman, made in Toronto. Has Karan on the lid. The bottom kind of folds up, so it's very portable. I guess it is a filed organ.

heintzman is a middle class sorta name, theyre ok they sound pretty cool nice find if it was cheap though......... prolly could sell as an antique or something to someone for a few hundred....

First the good news:

Contrary to the post above Heintzman pianos/organs etc are not MOR but are very deservedly highly regarded and command premium prices here in Canada and elsewhere in the world.

In fact Canadian built upright pianos from the 1900-1940 period are among the best ever produced .

Unfortunately:

Old pump organs are not a sought after item regardless who made them. They are a PITA to restore and when all is said and done they are at best a pale imitation of the real McCoy.

gah you can find them occasionally at almost any second hand/ thrift or antiques shop which is why i ocnsider them MOR but nowadays they are really used mostly as showpieces

I have a bit more info on this unit. There is a Keyboard Museum here in Calgary, Cantos is the name of it. I decided to email them with a picture of the organ(almost said "my" organ);)

Here is the reply I got today:

Hello Ken,
I will give you as much information as I can.
The field organ can also be called a "chaplains organ" or "suitcase organ"
due to the fact it was commonly used by chaplains for sermons in the field
during the war.
The name Karn (EST 1873) would refer to the manufacture, who was a
predominant organ builder in Woodstock, Ontario. Karn was at one time
considered the largest builder of Organs in Canada and it would be my guess
that the Heintzman name that also appears on the case is where the organ
was sold. Heitzman was a piano builder and had no affiliation with Karn,
but they had many retail stores. It would be my guess that when this
Heintzman decal was attached to the case and it would have been done so at
a later date. Does the decal look in better condition than the Karn label?
As for the serial number, it should be located under the top cover, if you
detach the top lid by taking the screws out you should find a label with
the serial number in the right hand corner.
I would guess the date to be 1890 ca.
As far as value, I have seen these instruments sell between a few hundred
dollars to just over a thousand dollars.

Let me know if this was any help to you.
Best,

Jesse Moffatt
Head Technician
CANTOS Music Foundation
134 11th Ave S.E.
Calgary, AB T2G 0X5
P:(403)543-5116
F:(403)543-5129
E:moffattj@cantos.ca

nifty man how well is it functionally? if its functional you coupld prolly get a decent amount from a collector round there y'know

I have worked on several pump organs and I find that they are not terribly difficult to work on...they usually just need the leather flap valves over the bellows openings replaced, and the reed gaps cleaned. The reed organ works by drawing air over the reed from the atmosphere into an evacuated chamber...small pieces of junk can get sucked into the reed gap and cause dead notes.

I have a similar folding organ at home but it is an Estey, with a black Tolex-like covering. We bought it for $325...It makes quite a good, loud sound.
Although the reed organ doesn't have the same tone quality as a pipe organ I really enjoy it.

My dad bought an 1888 Estey 2-manual and pedal model church organ from its original owner (a small country church in MA back in '78) for about $350 if I'm not mistaken. All he did is clean up the tracker mechanism and releather the large bellows and touch up a few dead notes, nothing more. Everything else is still in its original condition, right down to the oak case and the worn carpeting on the two pump pedals used to pump the organ. A marvelous sounding instrument as far as reed organs go...a bit out of tune, but you'd be too if you were 116 years old!;)

Does this organ have an auxiliary pump lever for an assistant...you would have to have somebody else pump it if you wanted to play the pedal keys. :)

Yes Chad, there's a slot for the bellows handle (lost many years ago) on the other side (right side), along with a pressure guage to indicate wind pressure (or vacuum, however you look at it). The Estey also came with a small quarter horse (I think) Spenser electric blower set on vacuum pressure that was installed with the organ at the church. Connected to the bellows, it also allows you to play the bass notes on the pedalboard without pumping the organ yourself. But the damn thing's so noisy that even sealed inside a baffle box behind the wall, it overpowers the organ at softer stops, so we don't use it anymore.

I have a Schmuller and Mueller pump organ and can not find any info on it. The name was the only thing i could find on it. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. The organ still works, but needs a little help on the outside.

I got two old pump organs in a lot of Chinese antiques years ago (but the pump organs were not Chinese). Don't remember brands/models, but I shipped them back to the States when I was planning to move back there, several years ago. Still sitting there now, in my Dad's garage, as far as I know. <shrug...> ONE DAY I'll make it back there, and perhaps restore them; otherwise sell them.

Maybe it's just as well... if I had the money spent on those today, I'd probably just spend it on vintage audio gear... :D