The
St. Louis Missouri Ambassador Theatre Wurlitzer Organ, Opus 1377 has been
donated to the Orange County Theatre Organ Society.
We are currently looking for a suitable theatre for this historic instrument.
The 23 rank organ includes a "large Fox Special" 4 manual console and can be seen in the Junchen book on pages 143, 160-161, and 662.
The organ is complete as installed by the Wurlitzer Company June 29,1926, and will be installed as nearly original as possible. All missing or damaged parts have been replaced.
We will
entertain any help available to locate a new home for this very rare and special
organ.
From: John Lauter, August 2007
Interesting tidbit about the St.Louis Ambassador Wurlitzer--the console for that instrument is a Fox-box console, however it has a feature known to only exist in one other console, the Fisher theatre 4/34 special. The main stop bolsters for these two consoles were shortened from the original depth by cutting the outer ends (at the front of the console), in the Fisher console's case 2-3/4", the Ambassador may vary slightly from this, but it has to be close. Both of these consoles have fewer stopkeys than the 4/36 specials, and the alteration of the rails makes the needed stop keys just fit, no large expanses with fillers.
The single feature to look at in pictures is the back rail--on the 4/36 special consoles the top of the back rail is about flush with the underside bullnose of the lower main bolster. The back rail has a cove routed into the top-rear to allow the flush-fit. On the Fisher and Ambassador consoles the back rail sits underneath (to the rear of) the lower full bolster bullnose by the amount the rail was shortened.
The Fisher console from an ergonomic standpoint is very comfortable to play--the shorter bolster places the stop keys a little closer for my short arms to reach. I have played both the Fox and Fisher consoles in the same day, in some instances just an hour apart, and there's a lot more leaning on the Fox console, but then, it has many more stopkeys.