The Karn Style 2A Restoration
Welcome!
The D.W. Karn reed organ serial 18100 was made in Woodstock, Ontario Canada, and dated May 28, 1888. It is a simple organ, with 107 reeds - a little smaller than 2 full ranks.
The organ belongs to the Woodstock Museum, and was selected to be restored from it's current silent state.
Unfortunately the original top is missing, which includes the music desk. I am optimistic that one will be found for this organ someday. The condition of the organ was poor and non-functional - there were damages to the frame, stop board and keys.
It was restored in 2012, in preparation for the Reed Organ Society Gathering that was going to be held at the museum in October of 2013.
Be sure to visit the restoration story in the picture albums below.
D.W. Karn History
Author: Florence Hayes, from the Canadian Encyclopedia
The D.W. Karn & Co. Ltd. was a piano and organ manufacturing firm founded in Woodstock, Ont, by Dennis W. Karn (b North Oxford County, Canada West, 6 Feb 1843, d Toronto 19 Sep 1916). A farmer and amateur musician, Karn taught at singing schools and built violins as a
The company began to make pianos in the late 1880s. In 1896 it bought out the S.R. Warren & Son organ company of Toronto, and in 1897 it began to make Karn-Warren pipe organs (tracker, tubular pneumatic, and electro-pneumatic), though reed organs remained in production for some time. The first Karn player piano was built in 1901. During the first decade of the 20th century, branch warerooms existed in London, Ont, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Montreal (including a 750-seat Karn Hall on St Catherine St West), and branches in London, England and Hamburg, Germany.

Video of before the restoration:
Video after the restoration:
Restoration Pictures
Below you will find 201 pictures that tell the story of bringing a silent and broken instrument back to the way it sounded in 1888.