The Steiner-Reck organ at Chesterton United Methodist Church has served the church faithfully for 28 years. However, we were recently presented with a problem: the slider motors had become very difficult to move. After investigating this complaint, it was clear the motors themselves were not the origin of the problem, the archaic combination action was. Additionally, finding replacement parts such as light bulbs and stop controls was getting increasingly difficult. It was impossible to tell whether the stop was on or off! Plus, the battery backup system was a small car battery. When the church asked us to present a remedy, what we came up with and what they agreed upon, was a major overhaul of the stop controls and combination action.
As is evident in the photographs, we removed the push-button controls that were housed on the left of the manuals and fabricated a new stop jamb for both sides with all-new drawknob units. Additionally, a Peterson SBDS (Single Board Duo-Set) combination action was installed and new slider motor controllers were also installed. We also, since the new combination action could handle it, cut in a new crescendo shoe. The new combination action box and new drawknob banks were constructed so to seem as if they’d been there all along.