Paul R. Marchesano on February 15th, 2024:
From Builder's website:
The pipe organ in First United Methodist Church, Joplin, Missouri was rebuilt and enlarged in 2004 by Quimby Pipe Organs, Inc., Warrensburg, Missouri. The rebuilt instrument was originally built by the Wicks Pipe Organ Company, Highland, Illinois in 1942 as Opus 2500, with nine ranks, retaining the organ case and display pipes in the center section from the 1905 Marshall-Bennett Co., Moline, Illinois, Opus 180 instrument that was installed when the church was first constructed. The two-manual and pedal electric action instrument now has sixteen ranks comprised of 986 pipes constructed of wood, zinc and various alloys of tin and lead ranging in size from 16′ in length to smaller than a pencil. The rebuilding of the instrument included providing the Wicks console with new manuals and conversion to solid-state controls, installation of a solid-state switching system to control the new and Wicks windchests, restoration of the original Wicks windchests holding various ranks of pipes, restoring the reservoirs that store wind; replacement of five original ranks and adding five new ranks, and adding display pipes to the left and right of the original organ case formerly covered with grille cloth. In 1905, these side areas originally contained stenciled wood pipes.