1. Mason Hamlin Piano Serial Numbers
2. Mason & Hamlin A
3. Mason Hamlin Organ Serial Numbers

Below are a couple of dozen points of information that I've done on the reed organ. My guess is that you, like so many other people that own reed organs, don't know a whole lot about what makes them tick.

When someone tells me they have an antique organ, a number of organs come to mind. Basically, there are 12 different types of antique organs. They range from the small lap organ to the fairly large and pretty heavy three manual (rows of keys) organ. While some of these organs might have only a few stops (the dowel-like things that you can pull out) others could have over 20 stops.

However, the one thing that almost all antique organs have in common is, you have to pump them with your feet, as a consequence, the general public came to call them pump organs. But if the truth were known the pump organ industry, the people that built them, always called them reed organs because their sound is produced from brass reeds. Incidentally, some of these brass reeds can be as small as 3/4 of an inch in length to over 5 inches.

The most common antique organ we see today is the parlor style pump organ because back in the 1880s, families would usually keep their pump organs in their parlor rooms (later called living rooms, today called family rooms).

We have a Mason & Hamlin pump organ and would like to know what it is worth and also maybe it's age? It is in perfect working order and was serviced the beginning of 2019. Info that I could find is the following: 1. Date patented as Hall/Full Organ - Jan, 20, 1874 2. Number on inside of cabinet - 44612 3. History 19th century. Mason & Hamlin was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1854 by Henry Mason, son of Lowell Mason, the American hymn composer and musical educator, and Emmons Hamlin, a mechanic and inventor who had worked for melodeon makers Prince & Co. In Buffalo, New York. They originally manufactured only melodeons, but in 1855 introduced the organ-harmonium or flat-topped cabinet organ.

Mason Hamlin Piano Serial Numbers

To view one of the articles listed below, simply click the blue article title.

Mason & Hamlin A

List of Organs (Click on the Reference # to see a picture of the organ) Ref. # Trade Name City, State Year Serial # 13. Mason & Hamlin began manufacturing pianos in 1883. Initially they built only upright pianos featuring a patented method of tuning and maintaining string tension which they marketed as the screw stringer and intended as an improvement over the traditional system with tuning pins. 4 In 1895, the piano department was completely reorganized by Richard W. Gertz, an independent piano designer from. General Reed Organ Information. Below are a couple of dozen points of information that I've done on the reed organ. My guess is that you, like so many other people that own reed organs, don't know a whole lot about what makes them tick. When someone tells me they have an antique organ, a number of organs come to mind. Basically, there are 12.

1. Do You Have Questions About Your Pump Organ?
   
   This document describes how you can contact Rod Fudge of Pump Organ Restorations to get answers to your questions about pump organs or reed organs.
2. How Do I Find My Organ's Serial Number?
   
   If you're not sure where to locate the serial number on your antique reed organ, this article will help you find it.
3. Missing Manufacture's Name
   
   This can be a problem. Unfortunately, some pump organs today no longer show the name of the manufacturer which always appears along the front of the organ's stop board.
4. Who Really Built My organ?
   
   Although the overwhelming number of pump organs built in this country bore the real manufacturer’s name, many did not.
5. My Pump Organ Won't Make a Sound!
   
   Many people have no idea how to get any sound out of their reed organ. Is that you? In this quick article, Rod reveals the solution.
6. Leading Reed Organ Manufacturers
   
   As in almost any industry there are always a handful of companies that are recognized as 'Industry Leaders.' On this page, you'll find a list of the two dozen or so best-known Reed Organ manufacturers
7. America's 653 Pump Organ Companies
   
   In the United States alone, there were approximately 653 names of pump organ companies! Rod presents the counts broken down by state.
8. Pump Organ Manufacturers
   
   At one time or another (generally between 1840 and 1930) there were 653 pump organ manufacturers in the United States.
9. Proper Way to Operate the Foot Pedals
   
   Rod explains how to properly operate the foot pedals on an antique pump organ.
10. The Customer's Restoration Photo Album CD
    
    One of the products of a pump organ restoration done by Rod Fudge is a photo album showing all aspects of the restoration process.
11. Does My Organ Have Ivory Keys?
    
    Many pump organ owners are interested in knowing if their organ has ivory keys. In this article, Rod explains how to find out.
12. What Are The Folding Knee Levers For?
    
    Ever wonder what the folding levers located above the foot pedals are used for? Rod sheds a little light on the mystery...
13. Is It Pump Organ, or Reed Organ?
    
    The answer to a question that comes up a lot in my line of work: Is it a pump organ, or a reed organ?
14. How Can My Reed Organ Be In Tune and Yet Out of Tune?
    
    How can my reed organ be in tune (relative to the notes on the organ itself) and yet out of tune (relative to other instruments)? This article looks at the specifics of reed organ tuning, and why some organs aren't in tune with other instruments.
15. No More Foot Pumping
    
    An electric bellows unit can be retrofitted to your antique pump orgran so that you can have an option of whether or not to manually pump the organ by foot.
16. Meet the Brass Reed
    
    Meet the all-important brass reed. It's the brass reed that makes the sound we hear when playing a pump organ.
17. Number Of Stops
    
    Is it important how many stops my pump organ has? Does more stops mean it's a better pump organ? This article from Pump Organ Repair and Restoration Services answers just that question!
18. Common Stop Face Names
    
    American pump organ manufacturers used approximately ninety different names to identify a wide variety of different musical tones and pitches. This page, provided by Pump Organ Restorations, lists about 40 commonly used 'stop face names'
19. Reed Organ Seats
    
    Piano Stools are NEVER Reed Organ Seats! Here, we look at what a proper reed organ stool (or seat) really looked like, along with a variety of pictures for illustration.
20. They Were Called Melodeons
    
    Articles and information about Melodeons; small reed organs with a five- or six-octave keyboard, most often housed in a piano-like case.
21. Home Delivery Way Back When
    
    A picture showing how home delivery of pump organs was accomplished in the 1800's.
22. The Men That Built The Reed Organs
    
    Who exactly built all of those old reed organs? Here's a picture that answers the question!
23. Types of Reed Organs
    
    In this article, Rod outlines the 12 different categories of reed organs, complete with pictures.
24. Tuning the Reeds
    
    Some insight into the process Rod uses to tune an antique reed organ.
25. Pump Organs at War
    
    Pump organs were used throughout all branches of the armed forces during both World Wars, as well as the Spanish American and Korean conflicts.
26. Reed Organ Manufacturers By Country
    
    An interesting chart showing the count of reed organ manufacturers by country. It's fascinating to see all of the places from which reed organs and pump organs originated!
27. The ORGAVAC
    
    The 'ORGAVAC' - Reed Organ Vacuum Pumps - Completely eliminate foot pumping and improve the performance of any reed organ!
28. Do I Own a Stencil Organ?
    
    Although the overwhelming number of pump organs built in this country bore the real manufacturer’s name, some did not. It was common for pump organ manufacturers to build organs for other pump organ companies.
29. A. B. Chase Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the A. B. Chase Company.
30. Adler Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Adler Organ Company.
31. Beckwith Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Beckwith Company.
32. Bell Pump Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Bell Pump Organ Company.
33. Burdett Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Burdett Organ Company
34. Cable Hobart Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Cable Hobart organ Company.
35. Carhart & Needham Organ Company
    
    The following is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Carhart & Needham Organ Company.
36. Chicago Cottage Organ Company
    
    This is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Chicago Cottage Organ Company.
37. Clough & Warren Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Clough & Warren Organ Company
38. Cornish Pump Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Cornish Pump Organ Company.
39. Dominion Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Wilcox & White Company.
40. E. P. Carpenter & Company
    
    The following is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the E. P. Carpenter & Company.
41. Farrand & Votey Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Farrand & Votey Organ Company.
42. Geo. P. Bent Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Geo. P. Bent Company.
43. George A. Prince & Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Prince Company.
44. Hamilton Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Hamilton Organ Company.
45. J. Estey Organ Company
    
    J. Estey Organ Co. “The largest pump organ company in America”
46. D. W. Karn Organ Co. Ltd
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the D. W. Karn Organ Co. Ltd.
47. W. W. Kimball Organ Company
    
    This is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Kimball company.
48. Lyon & Healy Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Lyon & Healy organ Company.
49. Mason & Hamlin Organ Company
    
    This is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Mason & Hamlin Organ Company
50. Miller Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Miller Organ Company.
51. Moline Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Moline Organ Company.
52. Newman Brothers Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Newman Company
53. Packard Brothers Organ Company
    
    This is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Packard Brothers Organ Company.
54. Prescott Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Prescott organ Company.
55. W. W. Putnam Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Putnam Company.
56. Shipman Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Shipman Organ Company.
57. The Aeolian Company
    
    The company started out in Meriden, CT., 18 W. 23rd St., New York, NY. Established 1891, and later were known as Æolian Organ and Music Company.
58. The Cable Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Cable Organ Company.
59. Vocalion Organ Company
    
    The company was located in Meriden, CT; 18 W. 23rd St., and New York, NY 1900.
60. W. Doherty & Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the W. Doherty & Company.
61. Weaver Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Weaver Company.
62. Western Cottage Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Western Cottage Organ Company.
63. Wilcox & White Organ Company
    
    Unfortunately, this is just about all the information that’s survived the passing of time on the Wilcox & White Company.

Mason & Hamlin is a piano manufacturer based in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1854, they also manufactured a large number of pump organs during the 19th century.

History[edit]

19th century[edit]

Mason & Hamlin was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1854 by Henry Mason, son of Lowell Mason, the American hymn composer and musical educator, and Emmons Hamlin, a mechanic and inventor who had worked for melodeon makers Prince & Co. in Buffalo, New York.^[1]

They originally manufactured only melodeons,^[2] but in 1855 introduced the organ-harmonium or flat-topped cabinet organ. This design placed the bellows vertically and underneath the reeds, and served as the model for the suction operated American-style reed organ.^[3] By the early 1870s they were considered the largest and most important manufacturer of reed organs, employing about 500 and producing as many as 200 instruments a week.^[1] Mason & Hamlin supplied organs to several prominent composers, notably Franz Liszt, whose name the company applied to their patented selective sustain mechanism for organs comparable to the sostenuto in pianos.^[3]

Mason & Hamlin began manufacturing pianos in 1883. Initially they built only upright pianos featuring a patented method of tuning and maintaining string tension which they marketed as the screw stringer and intended as an improvement over the traditional system with tuning pins.^[4] In 1895, the piano department was completely reorganized by Richard W. Gertz, an independent piano designer from Germany who had created new scales for them earlier that year. Gertz was elected secretary of the company in 1903, and president in 1906,^[5] and had patented the company's Tension Resonator, a device fastened to the perimeter of the wooden structure of pianos meant to prevent their sounding boards from flattening. This was first included in their grands in 1900. The firm advertises that it is currently used in all Mason & Hamlin pianos.^[6]

20th century[edit]

Mason Hamlin Organ Serial Numbers

By the turn of the 20th century, the Golden Age of the Piano was in full force and the most illustrious concert artists of the day aligned themselves with piano manufacturers including Sergei Rachmaninoff^[7] whose 1924 recording of his Second Piano Concerto was made using a Mason & Hamlin. Composer Maurice Ravel said of Mason & Hamlin pianos, 'While preserving all the qualities of the percussion instrument, the Mason & Hamlin pianoforte also serves magnificently the composer's concept by its extensive range in dynamics, as well as quality of tone. It is not short of being a small orchestra. In my opinion, the Mason & Hamlin is a real work of art.'^[7]

The Cable Company, a Chicago piano manufacturing company, owned an interest in Mason & Hamlin from 1904 to 1924,^[8] when it was sold to the American Piano Company.^[9] Mason & Hamlin's role in this company was later described as the 'artist's' brand among the firm's premier lines which included Chickering and Sons ('family use') and Wm. Knabe & Co. ('Metropolitan Opera's favorite').^[10] American's sales began to decline in 1928,^[11] and following its collapse in the wake of the stock market collapse in late 1929, Mason & Hamlin's trademark, inventory and equipment were sold to American's competitor Aeolian for $450,000 while the factory buildings were sold off separately by the end of the following year.^[9] In 1932 it became part of Aeolian-American when the two companies merged, which consolidated the control of more than twenty brands of pianos;^[10] Mason & Hamlin, which had been at the former Hallet, Davis & Company piano factory in Neponset, Massachusetts, was moved to a separate plant at the Aeolian-American complex in East Rochester, New York at this time.^[8] During this time the company began sponsoring the Mason and Hamlin Prize piano competition.

Piano manufacturing ceased in the United States in 1942 under authority of the War Production Board due to the Second World War, and Mason & Hamlin production shifted to military gliders.^[12] Ownership of Mason & Hamlin changed hands several times during the post-war era, becoming part of the Sohmer piano company in 1985. Over the decades, the designs of the pianos were altered to the extent that they had little in common with the 'classic' Mason & Hamlin pianos of the pre-Depression era^{[citation needed]}.

In 1989, Seattle businessman Bernard 'Bud' Greer purchased the Sohmer company, which also held the George Steck, Knabe, and Mason & Hamlin names, technical specifications, and manufacturing equipment. He moved these to a piano factory in Haverhill, Massachusetts, which he had recently purchased from piano manufacturer Santi Falcone—from whom he also purchased the Falcone manufacturing specifications and naming rights. He named the new enterprise the Mason & Hamlin Companies. Greer's goal was to resurrect the Mason & Hamlin pianos of the pre-Depression era by returning to the original specifications—including Gertz's scale designs—and use of materials. A few changes were made, including the use of Renner action parts and slightly longer keys. From 1990 to 1994, approximately 600 pianos were manufactured, mostly Model A and BB grands, along with a few Model 50 uprights. Greer sold the company in 1995 to Premier Pianos, which continued production at a reduced pace until selling the company in 1996.

Today[edit]

In 1996, Mason & Hamlin was acquired by Burgett, Inc., which also owns PianoDisc, a maker of reproducing piano systems of the same name.^[13] Mason & Hamlin pianos are still manufactured in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and distributed throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia. Mason & Hamlin is a member of NAMM, the International Music Products Association and Piano Manufacturers Association International.^[12]

Each Mason & Hamlin piano includes a Tension Resonator, which is a system of steel rods under moderate tension, anchored to the wooden structure on the opposite side of the sounding board from the strings and iron frame. In grand pianos these rods fan out from one or two central hubs and are attached at intervals around the rim and to the belly rail; the model 50 upright has a rod stretched between the case sides. The manufacturer claims that this adds strength and rigidity to the rim by locking the rim into its permanent shape and which in turn preserves the 'crown' of the soundboard. ^[14]

Models[edit]

Grand pianos[edit]

Current Grand Piano Models:^{[15][16][17][18]}

• Mason & Hamlin
  • CC: 9ft 4in (284.48 cm)
  • BB: 6ft 11.5in (212.09 cm
  • AA: 6ft 4in (193.04 cm)
  • A: 5ft 8.5in (174 cm)
  • B: 5ft 4in (162.56 cm)
• VX Series
  • VX Series CC: 9ft 4in (284.5 cm)

• Artist Series
  • MHA-188G: 6ft 4in (193.04 cm)
  • MHA-160G: 5ft 3in (160.02 cm)
• Classic Series
  • MHC-160G: 5ft 6in (167.64 cm)
  • MHC-150G: 4ft 11in (149.86 cm)

Upright pianos[edit]

Current Upright Piano Models:^[15][17][18]

• Mason & Hamlin
  • Model 50
• Artist Series
  • MHA 131U: 51in (129.54 cm)
  • MHA 123U: 48in (121.92 cm)
• Classic Series
  • MHC 120U: 47in (119.38 cm)

References[edit]

1. ^ ^ab'Cabinet and Parlor Organs' The Great Industries of the United States J. Burr & Hyde, Hartford. 1872 pp.109-121
2. ^Samuel Atkins Eliot A History of Cambridge, Massachusetts The Cambridge Tribune, Cambridge MA 1913. p.297-298
3. ^ ^abRobert F. GellermanThe American Reed Organ and the Harmonium The Vestal Press, New York. 1996. p.19
4. ^'Improved Upright Pianos' The Manufacturer and Builder vol.16, no. 12, December 1884 pp.282-283
5. ^Alfred Dolge Pianos and their Makers vol.2, Covina Publishing Company, Covina CA. 1913. pp.144-150
6. ^Piano SpecificationsArchived 2008-10-15 at the Wayback Machine Mason & Hamlin website (accessed October 11, 2008)^{[failed verification]}
7. ^ ^ab'History'Archived 2007-06-03 at the Wayback Machine, Mason & Hamlin Official Website, 2007. Accessed June 2, 2007.^{[failed verification]}
8. ^ ^abChristine Merrick Ayars Contributions to the Art of Music in America by the Music Industries of Boston The H. H. Wilson Company, New York 1937. p.127
9. ^ ^ab'The American Piano Company'Archived 2010-11-22 at the Wayback MachineHarvard Business School case study, 1934, reproduced in the AMICA Bulletin and available from the Pianola Society
10. ^ ^ab'Deals and Developments' Time Magazine August 8, 1932(subscription required)
11. ^'Piano Glissando' Time Magazine, December 30, 1929(subscription required)
12. ^ ^ab'Mason & Hamlin', Grove Music Online, 2007. Accessed June 2, 2007. (subscription required)
13. ^'PianoDisc'. Retrieved 2012-07-09.^{[failed verification]}
14. ^Fine, Larry. The Piano Book. ISBN1-929145-02-0 Brookside Press
15. ^ ^ab'Mason & Hamlin • Mason & Hamlin Piano Company'. Mason & Hamlin Piano Company. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
16. ^'VX Series • Mason & Hamlin Piano Company'. Mason & Hamlin Piano Company. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
17. ^ ^ab'Artist Series • Mason & Hamlin Piano Company'. Mason & Hamlin Piano Company. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
18. ^ ^ab'Classic Series • Mason & Hamlin Piano Company'. Mason & Hamlin Piano Company. Retrieved 2020-12-11.

External links[edit]