Innovation

The potential for further development and technical improvement is far from exhausted. Apart from this, expectations of what an instrument should deliver change continuously, together with musical styles, the acoustic environment and the many and varied needs of customers and organists.

Swiss quality

We do everything in our power to meet the most exacting demands and to cater to the individual personality of every single organ we deal with. To assist us, we rely on a team of well-qualified professionals and our long record of innovation.

A desire for perfection and a love of detail

Our aim is to perfect contemporary instruments as far as possible by improving traditional organ technology. Achieving this calls primarily for an innovative approach to the tiny details. Kuhn Organ Builders has developed technologies of its own that create palpable and audible improvements. Thanks to our size, we have the advantage of being able to make use of new developments – always tailored to a specific situation, of course – more than once. This not only makes us more efficient but also increases our professional competence.

Acoustic innovations

When it comes to acoustic sound generation, everything – or almost everything – may well have been invented. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of room in contemporary organ building for the creation of exceptional sounds. But here, too, we only turn those into practice that conform with our own idea of quality.

For example, the integration of a «Flauto mirabilis» stop with its circular mouth (360°) into a sound concept calls for a huge amount of development work. Its specific form no doubt cuts a fine figure on a Mississippi steamer. But how should it be constructed, where and on which windchest system should it be placed in order to make a contribution in keeping with the musical style of a church or concert hall organ?

Free reeds: a resounding success

Today, stops with free reeds, such as the «clarinet» or «bassoon», are experiencing something of a renaissance. However, certain well-known design failings with this kind of reed have been a regularly recurring source of difficulty and their suitability for everyday use has often been questioned. But simply to do without these uniquely wonderful tones for this reason is not in keeping with our philosophy. In the end, through sheer persistence and hard work, we managed to develop a reed that not only sounds extremely beautiful but is also highly functional.

High pressure

High pressure stops distribute their impressive acoustic power over wind pressures of 200 to 300 mm water column. Containing such unusually high pressures calls for unusual means. Our swell box with its special absorption chamber is a perfect example of how organ building techniques and a knowledge of physics can be combined to produce improvements in overall quality.

Kuhn lever

The symphonic canon often calls expressly for the use of couplers. However, «balanciers» technology alone is usually not enough to keep the key resistance encountered symphonic instruments to a pleasant and easily playable level. Barker technology here would be too voluminous, too loud and, in the interplay with the direct tracker action, too sluggish as well. Our solution, the Kuhn lever, is likewise a further development of traditional organ technology. It moves synchronously, is extremely quiet, takes up a minimum of space and, unlike electronics, can be replaced by the organ builder himself.

The Kuhn double switching point lever eliminates the well-known audible problems of conventional electrical couplers in combination with mechanical key action.

The systematic comparison "Coupling systems: Defects are not simply fate" (in German: «Koppelsysteme: Mängel sind nicht einfach Schicksal») can be found on our Donwloads page.

Kuhn «balanciers»

Nowadays, mechanical tracker action is also in demand for multi-manual symphonic organs with high wind pressures. In order to eliminate strong key resistance, we have developed a solution based on traditional organ technology: Kuhn’s «balanciers» guarantee an even feel across the entire keyboard without restricting repetition frequency. Apart from this, the fitting is space-saving.

Kuhn wedge-bellows control

Used with historic instruments, Kuhn‘s wedge-bellows control produces the wind normally supplied by pumping. Even in organs with a motorized supply, it provides an authentic winding. The blower first inflates a bellow. The connection to the blower is then cut off, while the valve to the windchest simultaneously opens. The bellow is now able to supply the natural wind to the organ without any negative effect from the motor.