ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

From: Tom DeLay, November 2006

This remarkable little organ was installed in the Monterey, CA San Carlos Cathedral in 1936--yet it has parts and pieces from 1919, 1925, 1936 and so on. There is no doubt it was a factory floor-sweep assembled organ. For whatever reason, Wurlitzer never assigned a new opus number to this organ and called it Opus 213. Opus 213 was originally in the Gem Theatre in Chicago.

When the organ was put together for San Carlos Cathedral, Wurlitzer supplied a new 2 manual "scroll" console, relay, 8' 73 pipe Principal, Principal chests, and 12n treble extension chests for the Principal and 2' Flute. As a result, this organ does have extensions of the Flute to 2-2/3' and 2' as well as the usual, crappy, tuned door-bell 18 note chimes--probably retained from the Gem Theatre. The chimes could be worse, but they are far from great.

Many Wurlitzer Diapasons can be fairly "woofy" sounding. This RB1 organ has a spotted metal "Principal" and is so labeled on the pipes. The scale is only about 46 and it really sings. The organ has been played in concerts by Tom Hazleton, Walt Strony, and Chris Elliott. The amazing thing is that the organ met the demands of each of these guys very well and did not show obvious duplication of registrations.

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