Private company

C. B. Fisk

Logo: C. B. Fisk, Inc., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

American pipe organ company

C. B. Fisk, Inc. is a company in Gloucester in the U.S. state of Massachusetts that designs and builds mechanical action pipe organs. It was founded in Gloucester in 1960 by Charles Brenton Fisk (1925–1983) after buying out its original owner, Thomas W. Byers.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

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Photo: GiovaneScuola2006, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons5

C. B. Fisk, Inc. is a company in Gloucester in the U.S. state of Massachusetts that designs and builds mechanical action pipe organs. It was founded in Gloucester in 1960 by Charles Brenton Fisk (1925–1983) after buying out its original owner, Thomas W. Byers.2

The story

C. B. Fisk was originally named Andover Organ Company and was founded in 1948 by Thomas W. Byers. Fisk partnered with Byers some years later. Like Fisk, Byers was an organ builder that preferred manual organs over electric ones. In 1958, Fisk became the full owner after buying out Byers's ownership interest. In 1960, Fisk changed the firm's name to C.B. Fisk, Inc. It was started in a more spacious recycled factory in Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1961. This had the employees move from Methuen to Gloucester to keep their jobs. So, some employees stayed and built a new firm with former namesake, Andover Organ Company.

In 1987 and 1986, the workshop was expanded again and now had around 20 employees.

After Fisk's death. C.B. Fisk, Inc. has continued to manufacture organs, with it becoming an employee-owned company after Fisk's departure. As of 2003, the firm had 30 employees and sold 2 million dollars of organs annually.

In its 50 years C. B. Fisk, Inc. has completed over 90 instruments in 23 U.S. states, Switzerland, Japan, and South Korea.

Notable organists Barbara Owen, Fritz Noack, and John Brombaugh were all once employed by C.B. Fisk, Inc. In addition, A. David Moore, Jeremy Adams, and the supervisor of the workshop, David Waddell, who was a childhood friend of Charles were all part of the staff. Some have moved on from the company and created their own organ-building companies, with Noack establishing the Noack Organ Company and Brombaugh establishing the John Brombaugh & Associates.

The president of the company since Fisk's death used to be Steven A. Dieck, but Michael Kraft assumed the role of president sometime after.

From Wikipedia’s article on C. B. Fisk, Inc., shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Timeline

  1. 1961Founded Founded1

Funding

Where the company's money came from, by calendar year: private offerings filed with the SEC, federal grants, loans, contracts and other assistance from USAspending.gov, and PPP loans from the SBA. Each bar links to the records below.

Money received by year$449.5K 2020–2021
Money received by yearMoney received by year, 2020–2021: $449.5K in all. PPP loans $449.5K.$0$100K$200K$300K2020 · PPP loans: $224.7K20202021 · PPP loans: $224.8K2021
Figures by year
YearPPP loansTotal
2021$224.8K$224.8K
2020$224.7K$224.7K

PPP loans

Paycheck Protection Program loans of $150,000 and up, approved April 2020 to July 2021, from the SBA6. Matched to this company by name and state.

  1. Apr 8, 2020$224.7K PPP loan (first draw) from Cape Ann Savings Bank6To C.B. FISK, INC, Gloucester MA; $227.9K forgiven Sep 16, 2021
  2. Jan 19, 2021$224.8K PPP loan (second draw) from Cape Ann Savings Bank6To C B FISK INC, Gloucester MA; $226.6K forgiven Nov 10, 2021