[Low-Tech] Musical Instruments: Water & Pipe Organ?

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by malloyd

If you aren't in a hurry and don't demand too much quality you might get away with under $100,000.

Per the Association of Organ Builders, a new organ built today (and thus using approximate GURPS dollars) starts at $850,000 for the very smallest pipe organ built new. Given the rest of your post about the difficulties of making them in the past, I can't imagine it would be less.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

Per the Association of Organ Builders, a new organ built today (and thus using approximate GURPS dollars) starts at $850,000 for the very smallest pipe organ built new. Given the rest of your post about the difficulties of making them in the past, I can't imagine it would be less.

I don't know, I suspect something called the Association of Organ Builders isn't going to turn out anything less than good, or possibly fine quality work. If you subcontract your pipes to the local auto body shops and cut them from plumbing supplies, they'll be cheaper.

But my point is the native scale of the project is "nice building", not a "nice piece of furniture" scale one a lot of musical instruments would be.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by malloyd

But my point is the native scale of the project is "nice building", not a "nice piece of furniture" scale one a lot of musical instruments would be.

Most musical instruments aren't that big. Even a tenor sax, a set of bagpipes, or a sitar is more the scale of a big hand tool or a piece of luggage.

Bill Stoddard

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Most musical instruments aren't that big. Even a tenor sax, a set of bagpipes, or a sitar is more the scale of a big hand tool or a piece of luggage.

Bill Stoddard

Yeah, I remember that the smallest organs are one-handed instruments, with the other hand pumping the air.

Though the whole question is inspired by the musing about what sorts of organs a clichéd fantasy overlord can afford after being deprived from his prior mega-wealth (i.e. how much wealth he has to reestablish in order to get what sort/size of organ).

[Rocket Man]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Though the whole question is inspired by the musing about what sorts of organs a clichéd fantasy overlord can afford after being deprived from his prior mega-wealth (i.e. how much wealth he has to reestablish in order to get what sort/size of organ).

Well, if he's a necromancer, he already has access to vital organs...

[scc]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Most musical instruments aren't that big. Even a tenor sax, a set of bagpipes, or a sitar is more the scale of a big hand tool or a piece of luggage.

Bill Stoddard

I'm pretty sure the OP was asking about the sort of ones you install in a wall

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by scc

I'm pretty sure the OP was asking about the sort of ones you install in a wall

Actually I'm interested in the full list, if it turns out to be known. The one installed in a wall is the ideal to strive for, but surely our evil overlord will have to get by with what's available before restoring his former glory.

[scc]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Actually I'm interested in the full list, if it turns out to be known. The one installed in a wall is the ideal to strive for, but surely our evil overlord will have to get by with what's available before restoring his former glory.

Smaller pipe organs, like say bagpipes as someone mentioned earlier, would use the same pricing as normal instruments

[CraigM]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Actually I'm interested in the full list, if it turns out to be known. The one installed in a wall is the ideal to strive for, but surely our evil overlord will have to get by with what's available before restoring his former glory.

Local TL? Magic available or not? And is the evil overlord cheesy enough to go for the Melnibone [1] option?
__________________
Craig
(currently running a grand tour of Yrth)

[1] As in Elric; IIRC, his sister was fond of playing a keyboard that was connected to the amplified screams of a few dozen carefully tortured prisoners...

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by CraigM

Local TL? Magic available or not? And is the evil overlord cheesy enough to go for the Melnibone [1] option?
__________________
Craig
(currently running a grand tour of Yrth)

[1] As in Elric; IIRC, his sister was fond of playing a keyboard that was connected to the amplified screams of a few dozen carefully tortured prisoners...

I'd rather start with the generic per-TL values of Low-Tech, and account for magical ways to ease the construction after that.