With reference to Brian Smith's posting, can someone please explain
to me how the Disneyland Welte orchestrion can be said to be operating
whilst being played by means of a 'touch screen' so that a particular
tune can be requested?  The use of such a device implies that a roll
is not being used and if so, the organ cannot be being played at all.
Are you just getting a recording, in which case you might as well sell
the instrument to someone who would appreciate it and replace it with
a photograph?  A photographic replacement is the analogy of a sound
recording replacing the real performance.

Alternatively, someone has fitted the organ with an electrical
interface and it is now operating from MIDI or equivalent.  We have
previously discussed on MMD the MIDIfying of pianos and fairground
organs ('band organs' to Americans), but I had never in my wildest
dreams imagined that anyone would sink to such depths as to adulterate
an orchestrion of such quality.

If this is the case, I'm sure to get replies to the effect that the
customer is always right and the instrument can always be reverted
to its original state without lasting damage, or that keeping a roll
system will cause the rolls to wear out.

This is all rubbish!  We must make a stand to preserve the few
remaining classic orchestrions.  The original builders knew exactly
what they were doing.  Rolls will last a lifetime on a correctly
restored machine.  We must educate owners and restorers to appreciate
original instruments and refuse to carry out such sacrilege.

As I have previously stated in this forum, I support the use of modern
technology in modern instruments, so if some wealthy enthusiast wants a
MIDI orchestrion let him commission one from a competent organ builder,
but please keep your hands off the old stuff.

I await to be enlightened.

Nicholas Simons, GB

 [ Preservation, as you use the term, is not in the daily vocabulary of
 [ publicly owned amusement parks such as Disneyland.  Rather than sell
 [ the instrument, which has been exhibited in the park since it opened
 [ in 1955, the Disneyland executives decided about eight years ago to
 [ keep the Welte Style 4 Concert Orchestrion and rebuild the pipes and
 [ wind chest and to equip it with electromagnets and MIDI control so
 [ that it could play a variety of music every day, year in and year
 [ out, without the annual maintenance cost demanded by the mechanisms
 [ of a pneumatic roll-playing mechanical music instrument.
 [
 [ Disneyland has featured roll-operated instruments since the park
 [ opened and they know very well the cost of maintaining pneumatic
 [ systems, so they elected to equip the Welte orchestrion for MIDI
 [ control rather than to rebuild and maintain the pneumatic roll-playing
 [ control system.  (Originally the organ played a pinned barrel; the
 [ roll player was installed later.)  As a result, the orchestrion has
 [ missed scarcely a day of service in the Main Street Ice Cream Parlor
 [ save for the occasional scheduled cleanings.
 [
 [ Disneyland's total capital investment and annual recurring cost is
 [ much less than the cost of purchasing and maintaining a replica
 [ instrument, while the enjoyment of the listeners is just the same.
 [ That pleases the Disneyland shareholders, too.  -- Robbie