The Black Beauty II console is truly stunning! It’s one of two identical replica Wurlitzer consoles built by Andy Struble in Michigan in the 90’s. After spending some time in a pizza establishment in Ohio, the second console has found itself in the Scarborough Collection in England. Black Beauty II however was purchased by Dale Zieger of Hart, Michigan.
Dale needed a relay and decided on Opus Two. He also needed a sample set. (This was before Hauptwerk) He went to a theater in a nearby city and using the theater’s organ recorded his own. When Hauptwerk came on the market he added the Paramount 4/50 and used both sample sets as the sound engine. His speaker system consisted of many Rodgers cabinets, Yamaha speakers with power amps, and an array of Conn Pipes.
Dale is an accomplished organist and for many years owned a piano & organ dealership and also worked on the organ development team at Conn Organs. After retiring Dale and his wife Gail purchased a small neighborhood theater in Hart. Gail is a very gifted artist so they used part of the theater as her art gallery and part for the showing of silent films. It was a perfect fit.
It seems our instruments somehow become a living part of our families. They help us celebrate holidays, birthdays, and special occasions. They entertain us and bring us an incredible amount of joy and satisfaction. This indeed was true for Dale & Gail. They used Black Beauty II in their small theater both for silent films and entertaining their community with the occasional concert. Sadly, health issues began to set in and they had to make an agonizing decision and that was to put Black Beauty II up for sale.
Meanwhile Tim had been wanting, and actively looking for, a four manual theater organ console for his music room. His friend David Waters saw the advertisement online and immediately gave Tim a call. The very next day Tim drove the nine hour drive to meet the Zigers and to see and play it. After negotiating a price Tim purchased it.
A few weeks later Tim, along with his friend Nate Figlio (The Cowboy Organist) rented a truck and headed for Hart. It was a bit of a challenge, and a lot of work, dismantling that amount of organ but with Nate as the team captain things went smoothly. As it turned out Tim’s good friend and fellow organist Dave Wickerham was in the area and was kind enough to lend a hand with the work. It was loaded and they headed back to East Palmyra. The organ was unloaded and the process of reassembling it started.
Tim has started to make some upgrades. He purchased a new iMac computer, upgraded Hauptwerk to version 9, and obtained a custom made speaker system. He has purchased a Chickering grand piano with a player unit and will marry it to the organ as soon as the Opus Two relay is upgraded to the current version. Tim welcomes you to stop to see and play Black Beauty II if you’re ever in the area.
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