Makin Organs
Makin Organs Ltd is a UK-based, family-run manufacturer founded in 1970 that designs and sells digital church organs across four product tiers (Rydal, Thirlmere, Windermere, Derwent), voiced by Professor Ian Tracey of Liverpool Cathedral and sold primarily to UK churches, cathedrals, crematoria and private customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersShaw, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Makin Organs does
Makin Organs Ltd is a privately held UK manufacturer of digital church organs, founded in 1970 and headquartered in Shaw, Lancashire, with a second showroom in Brackley, Oxfordshire. The company designs and sells four product series — Rydal (entry-level, 25 stops), Thirlmere (mid-range, 36 stops), Windermere (three-manual, 53 stops) and Derwent (flagship cathedral, 68 stops) — at price points ranging from under £10,000 to over £50,000. Its core technology combines proprietary Live MultiSamples (one sample per note per stop), the OranjeCore+ processing platform, the DS Core Technology engine, and multi-channel audio systems (4.1 to 16.3), all voiced in collaboration with Professor Ian Tracey, Organist of Liverpool Cathedral.
The business operates a direct showroom-led sales model supplemented by a channel partnership with ChurchOrganWorld, serving UK churches, cathedrals, crematoria and a small private-residence segment. Revenue is generated through one-time organ sales, recurring service and maintenance contracts under a 10-year parts-and-labour warranty, and replacement parts. The customer base is exclusively UK plus Channel Islands, with no disclosed external funding and headcount in the 11–50 range, reflecting a long-established niche operator rather than a scaling technology business.
Makin Organs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Makin Organs
- Legal name
- Makin Organs Ltd
- Website
- https://makinorgans.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Makin Organs Ltd is a UK-based, family-run manufacturer founded in 1970 that designs and sells digital church organs across four product tiers (Rydal, Thirlmere, Windermere, Derwent), voiced by Professor Ian Tracey of Liverpool Cathedral and sold primarily to UK churches, cathedrals, crematoria and private customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Makin Organs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shaw
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Makin Organs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Organ Sales: Sale of digital church organs across four product series (Rydal, Thirlmere, Windermere, Derwent) with varying specifications, manuals, and speaking stops to churches, cathedrals, and private customers. Sales are made directly and through channel partners with custom specifications available.
- Service and Maintenance: After-sales service including repair, annual servicing, and extended guarantee schemes. The company offers ten years parts and labour warranty on all instruments.
- Parts and Components: Replacement parts and components for organ maintenance and repairs, supported by a massive parts inventory enabling single-visit fault corrections.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Rydal series - entry level two-manual organs |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Thirlmere series - mid-range two-manual organs |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Windermere series - premium three-manual organs |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Derwent series - flagship four-manual organs |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Makin Organs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Makin Organs designs, manufactures, and sells digital church organs across four product series — Rydal, Thirlmere, Windermere and Derwent — for churches, cathedrals, crematoria and private clients. The company also provides organ installation, tuning, and after-sales maintenance services to its installed base across the United Kingdom.
Product overview
Makin Organs manufactures digital church organs with four distinct product series designed in close collaboration with Professor Ian Tracey of Liverpool Cathedral. The product lineup ranges from entry-level to professional cathedral-grade instruments: Rydal (entry-level 2-manual), Thirlmere (mid-range 2-manual), Windermere (mid-to-high-range 3-manual), and Derwent (premium 4-manual cathedral instrument). Each series is available in either tabstop or motorised drawstop configurations and features proprietary sampling technology including Live MultiSamples, OranjeCore+ (Rydal), and DS Core Technology (Derwent).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Rydal Series Digital Organ
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 50 years of organ maintenance experience
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Makin Organs
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Makin Organs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Makin Organs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ChurchOrganWorldcoreChurchOrganWorld serves as a key channel partner and installer of Makin organs in the UK. They have installed multiple Makin instruments including the Windermere 3-53D at St Brelades in Jersey and Rydal organs at churches. ChurchOrganWorld operates from Shaw and provides demonstration facilities for Makin products.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Makin Organs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rodgers Instruments: US-based digital organ maker (part of the Roland group) producing instruments for churches, schools, and homes. Directly competes with Makin in the digital church organ category and shares a focus on realistic pipe organ sound reproduction.
- Johannus Orgelbouw: Dutch manufacturer of premium digital church organs widely installed across Europe and beyond. Directly comparable to Makin's higher-tier Rydal/Thirlmere/Windermere/Derwent lineup, with a strong reputation for authentic pipe organ voicing.
- Allen Organ Company: One of the largest US digital church organ manufacturers, with a global dealer network and a broad product range covering chapel to cathedral installations. Directly comparable to Makin on product technology (sampling-based digital organs) and end market (churches and worship venues).
- Wyvern Organs: British digital church organ maker offering competing multi-manual instruments aimed at UK churches and chapels. Directly comparable to Makin on product category, customer profile, and price band.
- Content Organs: UK-based manufacturer of digital church organs with a multi-manual product lineup very similar in positioning to Makin. Directly competes for the same UK church, cathedral, and private customer base, including on tonal authenticity and custom voicing.
- Viscount International: Italian digital organ maker (parent of Content Organs) producing a full range of church and home digital organs. Directly comparable on technology platform, price tiering, and target customer (churches, cathedrals, and high-end residential).
Broad incumbents
- Roland Corporation: Global music technology company and parent of Rodgers Instruments, with deep R&D resources and a wide portfolio of electronic keyboards, organs, and sound modules. Adjacent incumbent whose Rodgers division directly competes in the digital church organ market Makin serves.
- Hammond Suzuki: Long-established manufacturer of electronic organs and keyboards with a strong heritage brand and global distribution. Not a direct competitor in the cathedral-tier digital church organ niche, but a broader incumbent whose electronic organ products overlap with Makin's lower-tier and home-use offerings.
Others
- Harrison & Harrison: Long-established UK cathedral pipe organ builder. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but operates in the same cathedrals and large churches that Makin targets with the Derwent series, and helps define the tonal benchmark Makin's voicing seeks to emulate.
- Mander Organs: UK builder of traditional pipe organs for churches and cathedrals. Not a digital competitor, but a closely adjacent player in the same end market whose pipe organ customers are a key switching pool for Makin's higher-tier digital offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Makin Organs social profiles
Digital presenceMakin Organs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Makin Organs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Makin Organs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Makin Organs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Makin Organs
What does Makin Organs do?
Makin Organs designs, manufactures, and sells digital church organs across four product series — Rydal, Thirlmere, Windermere and Derwent — for churches, cathedrals, crematoria and private clients. The company also provides organ installation, tuning, and after-sales maintenance services to its installed base across the United Kingdom.
Is Makin Organs a public or private company?
Makin Organs is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Makin Organs founded?
Makin Organs was founded in 1970. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Makin Organs based?
Makin Organs is headquartered in Shaw, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Makin Organs make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Organ Sales are the primary driver. The others are service and Maintenance and parts and Components.
Who are Makin Organs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rodgers Instruments, Johannus Orgelbouw, Allen Organ Company, Wyvern Organs, Content Organs and Viscount International. Broad incumbents are Roland Corporation and Hammond Suzuki. Others are Harrison & Harrison and Mander Organs.
Does Makin Organs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Makin Organs.