Organ Reeds. 

                                                                The Vox Humana,

                                                         Vol 5 #3 June 1876, page 5.

            Of all the various parts of the reed organ, the reeds (or, as they are sometimes called, vibrators) are among the most important. The action work may be of the greatest excellence, the bellows ample, the pallets true and well laid, and the keys of the finest ivory, yet the organ will be a poor one if the reeds are poor. Not that a good reed will make a good instrument, necessarily, for we have heard some very poor tones from excellent reeds. But if the tube boards are of good material, and the sound board well made, and swell chambers of sufficient size, the tone can be made good.

            The manufacture of organ reeds is a very important one, and a large amount of capital is invested in this industry. Until about 1869, a perfect reed was unknown. There were two methods in use up to that time for fastening the tongue to the block. One way, still practiced by some large organ manufacturing houses, and also by some reed makers, was to lay the tongue in place on top of the block, and punch a portion of the block through the reed. This method is a most absurd one, as the tongue can be pried from the block with a knife blade. To make them stronger, and also to stop the disagreeable "singing" caused by the vibration of the shank of the reed on the block, reed makers have tried the plan of soldering them to the block, in addition to the punched rivet. But the heat necessary to melt the solder draws the temper of the tongue, and a reed treated in this manner can never be made to stand in tune. Still some manufacturers continue the practice, to the detriment of their organs, and dissatisfaction and disgust of those who purchase them.

            The other method of fastening was punching or drilling a hole through the tongue and block and inserting an iron rivet. This makes a tight fastening, and in the absence of something better can be got along with after a fashion. But the iron riveted reed is open to serious objections. We have seen reeds entirely ruined by a corrosion of the shank, caused by the rusting of the iron rivet, which communicated itself to the reed. But the principal objection is that by this method it is impossible to prevent "singing" reeds. We will explain this peculiarity, and also suggest to our readers that if they closely examine any organ in which reeds are used they will find one or more that "sing." If the note is held down a whistling will be heard, sounding like a very small reed leaking. But the two defects may be distinguished easily by noticing that the "sing" of a loose reed is more perceptible with the swell closed, and also by its entire stoppage when the stop in which is the "singing" reed is closed. A reed in another set, whose leaking causes the whistle, will still continue to sound after the stop is in. Now what is the cause?

            If a reed is examined we notice that the tongue vibrates through a long aperture in the block, just large enough for the reed to play through without striking. This aperture is generally the exact length of the tongue. Now the rivet hole cannot of course by placed close to this aperture, it must be punched some little distance back. This leaves a portion of the reed to vibrate on the block, and causes the sharp sound known as the "sing." Various methods have been tried to overcome this defect. Some years since one reed maker secured a patent for placing a thin piece of silk or paper between the reed shank and the block. This succeeded in stopping the "sing," but killed the reed, and was soon abandoned. An attempt to meet the difficulty by curving the shank, and placing the concave side down on the block also failed, and it is now a fact undisputed by turner, that a riveted reed will "sing" sometimes, and when it does, nothing will stop it.

            Some seven years since, Mr. Wm. Munroe, who had been employed as reed maker in one of the largest factories in the country, discovered a process of fastening the reed to the block, that obviates all the difficulty from singing reeds. Two projections are punched upon the upper side of the block about an eight of an inch apart. The cutter that cuts the upper part of the slot through which the reed vibrates is run between these projections, giving a channel perfectly true with the slot. The reed is then laid in its place and held under a press, which with a force of several tons crowds the jaws of the block and shank of the reed into a solid mass, and fixes the reed so strongly on the block that it cannot be pried off without breaking it in pieces.

            Geo. Woods & Co. have used these reeds ever since they were put on the market, having them made to a scale and style of finish peculiarly their own, and they have never known one to fail. The brass of which these reeds are made is manufactured by the Benedict & Burnham Manufacturing Co., of Waterbury Conn., who are the only metal workers who are able to make the peculiar quality of brass required for organ reeds.

            The Munroe Organ Reed co. is now the largest procurer of organ reeds in the country, and their reeds deservedly stand at the head.