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See the Compton
This is your chance to see the ex-Regal/ABC Compton. This page make take longer to download due to the number of pictures contained on it Click on a picture to get a closer view!
All of the pictures contained are as the organ is installed at ‘Pipes In The Peaks’.
Console:
| The Compton Console. |
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Close up of console, showing the recent addition of the drawer to augment the number of stops available to the organist. |
Pipe Chamber:
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Left-hand side of Pipe Chamber.
Ranks in this side are from Left to Right:- Tibia 1, Brass Trumpet, Clarinet, Vox Humana, English Horn, Viol, Open Diapason, Viol Celeste, and Concert Flute. On the rear wall can be seen the 8′ Viol pipes. 8′ Cello pipes, and the larger 16′ English Horn, 16′ Tibia and 8′ Diapason |
| Right-hand side of Pipe Chamber
Ranks in this side are from Left to Right:- Cello Celeste, Quintadena, Cello, Tuba Horn, Muted Trumpet, Kinura, Krumet, Tibia 2, Brass Saxophone. On the far left wall can be seen the wooden Bourdon and metal Diaphone, on the back wall is the 16′ Tuba, just in front the 8′ Tibia 2, and on the right can be seen the Xylophone and Glockenspiel units. |
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Automated Drum Kit:
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The fully automated drum kit. Drum kit includes,
Bass Drum, Snare Drum, Rim shot, Tom 1, Tom 2, Tom 3, High Hat Open, High Hat Closed, High Hat Tap, Splash Cymbal, China Crash, Bell, Ride 1, Crash 1, Ride 2, Crash 2, Clave, Tambourine, Wood Block, Cow Bell, Temple Blocks. All instruments have complete expression from silent to full volume. All the instruments are timed precisely to within one thousandth of a second! |
Compton Solo Cello:
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The very rare Compton Solo Cello. A single string is located on the left hand side of the unit, with 37 fingers that produce each of the notes. The unit can only play a single note at a time, always the highest of a chord. At the bottom of the string is the mechanical circular bow, which just like the real bow in a orchestra also requires rosin to be applied. Beside the bow is an electromagnetic pickup device, not dissimilar to the principle used in an electric guitar, which is fed into an amplifier and speaker. At the bottom of the unit is an electric motor which drives the bowing and vibrato on the unit. Seen on the right hand side, is the control linkage and spring arrangement used to control the string tension which applies the vibrato. |
Piano Accordion:
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A real Piano Accordion, which is played directly from the organ |
Toy Counter:
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Main Toy Counter Unit includes,
Bass Drum F and P, Bass Drum Roll, Snare Drum, Syren, Bird Whistle, Wood Block, Sleigh Bells, Castanets, Tambourine, Steamboat Whistle, Engine Whistle, Cymbal Tap, Cymbal Roll, Tom Tom, Triangle, Sand Block.
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Vibraphone:
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A Compton Vibraphone. Control 37 notes. Can either be used as a Vibraphone by the means of butterflies spinning in the resonators, or as a Chrysoglott. |
Xylophone and Glockenspiel:
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Top – Xylophone 37 notes Bottom – Glockenspiel 37 notes |
Piano:
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Upright Broadwood Piano attachment, which can be played directly from the organ, with keys that appear to move “as if by magic” |
Cathedral Chimes:
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20 note Compton Cathedral Chimes. |
Marimba:
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Here is the 61note Deagan Marimba. It runs on 12inch Water Gauge of Wind Pressure, and took a whole day to lift it’s 4 sections into place, after weeks of painstaking renovation and releathering. It is believed to be the largest compass instrument fitted to a Cinema Organ in the UK. This plays a full 61 notes. |
Secondary Toy Counter:
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Located on this unit as designed and manufactured by Pipes in the Peaks are:-
Jazz Cymbal F and P, Brush Cymbal, Splash Cymbal, Cop Whistle, and Sante Fe Whistle. |
Tuned Birds, Duck and Owl:
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The Compton has a set of 18-note tuned bird whistles, based on those sometimes fitted to Christie organs in the 1930’s. The 18 pre-tuned pipes sit upside-down in a bath of water, and have some flying birds to add to the amusement. There are owl and duck effects too. |
New Toy Counter
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New toy counter features from left to right:
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Melotone
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Series 3 Melotone. Unfortunately the original Series 3 Melotone was present when the Compton was purchased for Pipes in the Peaks, but luckily we managed to acquire an identical unit which completes the original specification of the Compton. The melotone is an electostatic device which produces synthetic organ sounds, vibraphone, marimba, and carillon.
Top picture shows the actual Melotone unit Bottom picture shows the Horn Speaker which it plays through. |
Tuned Sleigh Bells
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A very early set of Wurlitzer Tuned Sleigh Bells which date back to 1915. |
Tuned Sleigh Bells
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Temple Blocks, Cowbell and Wind Chimes |
Tuned Sleigh Bells
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14 note external Tibia Bass |