The Artisan Organ
Built by Aldis Hendrickson
July, 1973, 1952
Six miles northwest of Jewell, Iowa there lives a man who built an electronic organ from "scratch." He is Aldis Hendrickson, professional electronics engineer and photographer, licensed pilot, canoeist, amateur ham operator, retired farmer, 4-years Hardin REC president and Corn Belt Power director.
Nine years ago, Aldis got the notion to build an electronic organ as a means of self-expression. He describes this creative need as a form of mental therapy-something he can do in his spare time to relax and forget daily cares. For five years, off and on, Aldis worked at his $6000 project.
Hendrickson's first steps began with the "body" of an organ. He had to decide on the cabinet size, style and type of wood. The Artisan Organ Company had the cabinet built for him, with many of his own ideas going into its making.
The next steps involved the selection and ordering of thousands of intricate parts that would make up the "heart" of the instrument. Every last detail, from the smallest wire size to the interior heating system to keep it dry, had to be considered before work began.
Feb. 9, 1966 Aldis went to California to order the parts. It was two years before all parts were delivered.
In the meantime, Mrs. Hendrickson was working hard on the cabinet. For a lasting hard finish she applied 12 coats of hand rubbed oil. Each year, since, she has added another coat.
The Theater organ, Mr. Hendrickson chose to build, consists of four complete organs: Great, Tiba, Viola and Pedal. These compare to ranks of pipes in a Church organ, which gives the organ color, or different tone changes. The instrument -also includes 65 stops for varying combinations of sound; three full manuals (keyboards) from England; the Solo (upper manual), the Great (middle manual) and the Accompaniment (lower manual). It has four sets of oscillators, four amplifiers, four speakers, 183 keys, 32 pedals and 283 tone generators---each putting out sign and saw-toothed waves. "These waves," explains Aldis, "are processed through filters, or tone changers, to produce the various tone colors of each note." The sign waves make up the flute sound and the sawtoothed waves are the reed and string sounds.
Hendrickson found that he could create his own sounds by altering the parts for the filters or tone changers.
According to Aldis, one should be knowledgeable in both music and engineering to complete a project such as this. However, he adds, "It isn't complicated. There are just a lot of simple things."
Aldis enjoys playing the organ.
An organ is only one of Hendrickson’s other building accomplishments. In the late 1940's he and a friend rebuilt an airplane. In 1953 the Register and Tribune did a story on the Hendrickson's home, which he and Mrs. Hendrickson designed and built. Two years ago Aldis made a model airplane to fly by remote control. "I have all the respect in the world for model airplane pilots," he says. "I learned that, while trying to fly my own, my 20 years of flying experience wasn't much help."
IN 1967 HE RETIRED from farming. Now Aldis is servicing several broadcasting stations and two-way radio systems in central Iowa.
