The true cost of an organ for your church

What is the true cost of an organ for your church? Questions to ask your organ company.

At Allen Organs we believe that the true cost of ownership should be considered when purchasing a new organ or considering a rebuild for your church.

Allen is unique in our industry because we do not consider any Allen Organ too old for maintenance.  With over 300 Allen Organs over 50 years old now in regular use in the UK we invite all churches to consider not only the purchase price of a new organ or a re-build but also the long-term value for money for your church.

We are regularly replacing competitors’ instruments that are only 25 years old.  In real terms, the life expectancy for other manufacturers is 25 years – at this point spares become difficult and sometimes impossible to source.  These companies have now turned to offering re-builds of organs, but several questions should be asked before this route is considered.

Questions to ask your organ company when looking at a new instrument.

1. How long is the guarantee?
2. How long do you guarantee parts availability?
3. Is the organ built from solid wood and is it sourced sustainably?
4. Do you have factory trained and qualified engineers to cover the country?
5. Am I buying from the manufacturer’s representative in the UK or am I buying from a dealer who may not be here in 5-10 years’ time?
6. Does your manufacturer make all parts in-house and are they carefully assembled in a clean room environment?
7. Are the speakers on my new organ custom designed to work with an organ and how efficient are they?

When considering a re-build, we suggest you ask the following in addition to the above

1. Why does my organ need rebuilding if it is less than 50 years old?
2. Will the new organ need re-building in a further 25 years?  What is the guarantee for this?
3. Who will guarantee parts that are not replaced?  Where will these costs lay? Will you re-use cabling? Have you checked the quality of the cabling?
4. What happens if the dealer selling me this re-build retires?

Re-building an old electronic organ where parts have failed is like re-building a classic car in that you might   re-build the   engine but will not change the seats, the bodywork, or the suspension.  This means that an organ re-build will cost more in the long-term and will never be as reliable as a new organ.

Allen Organs do not offer re-builds because we do not need to.  Furthermore, we would never compromise on quality and could not guarantee parts that are not our own.