Storing an Organ

[onlinemime]

Hi; I have a 1970 Lowery Citation Theatre with several blown capacitors and I recently picked up a 1995 Lowrey Lincolnwood for $25. I got the Lincolnwood from a church that no
longer wanted it. I had to give them an extra donation cause I didn't feel right that I got it so cheap. We took the old Lowrey to the garage (we live in New England) and set up the
Lincolnwood. The pedals didn't work right, they were very distorted so I took off the back,
checked the board connections, found a couple of loose ones, sprayed some can air over the
boards and cleaned the organ up really well. Viola! All works fine but you guys were right
it does not have the sound that the Citation Theatre (built-in Leslie) does.

Will the Citation Theatre be alright in the garage for a while? I would like to repair it. Also,
those so called cold soldering tools, do they work well? Can you unsolder with them?
Thanks, Maryanne

[andyg]

Hi Maryanne,

Glad to hear that the Lincolnwood is up and running (and that your 'other half' seems reconciled to the idea of being a two-organ family!

As long as there are no extremes of temperature and definitely NO dampness, the Citation should be OK in store in the garage - covered over, of course.

Desoldering requires heat, full stop. You'll need a soldering iron. If you're unsure about using one properly, get an old radio from a junk shop and practice de soldering and re soldering components. Make sure the iron is powerful enough - temperature controlled ones are great too - and use a solder sucker to remove old solder. When soldering, remember to heat the joint, not the solder, and be careful when soldering components easily damaged by heat, transistors etc.

Of course, if you know all this already, tell me to shut up!

Regards
Andy G

[onlinemime]

Thanks Andy;

Yes, the garage is very dry and the organ was well wrapped in plactic. We live in New England. I do find the Lincolnwood harder to play. You must hit the keys hard and the pedals too. You guys were right. It does not have the bold sound of the Citation which has a built-in Leslie. Thanks for all the info on soldering. I think I'll practice first. I did convince hubby to keep both for now. The Lincolnwood was a great deal though. Thanks again for the advice, Maryanne