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Roll-Playing Electronic Player Organs: Kimball
By Christopher Vermillion

I have a Kimball 1200 series, a model 1224 to be exact, and it is in
100% playing condition, as found.  It was owned by a lady in Dallas who
apparently took exceptional care of everything she owned.  (She also
was an instructor and touring artist with the Arthur Murray Dance
Studios.)  Mine is mostly transistorized but does have a few tubes as
well.

Regarding rolls, the blue boxed rolls I have are labeled "Kimball
Player Organ Roll" all over them and have numbers only.  The brown
boxes are also labeled the same way, except only on the end.  The
brown boxes are plain.  I have never run across and red boxed rolls
for Kimball.  I do see rolls available occasionally (usually on eBay)
but they are bought up for large prices very quickly.

Does anyone on this list know if there have ever been recuts?  With
all the talk of recutting just about every type of roll in existence,
I've begun to wonder if there isn't someone out there who has done
this?  I am assuming it would be quite simple, since the rolls are
the same specifications as regular piano rolls.  There are holes to
activate certain features on the organ such as speed, and volume
changes, but that should not matter to a perforator.  Also, I have
played regular 88-note rolls, on my organ with pretty good results.
The older songs work especially well.

I am amazed that the unit has survived as well as it has, they weren't
exactly built for long-term value.  I am always looking for more
information about them, and I started a Yahoo group for Kimball owners
as well,  hoping to glean more information.

Christopher Vermillion


(Message sent Mon 21 Mar 2005, 01:30:05 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.)

Key Words in Subject:  Electronic, Kimball, Organs, Player, Roll-Playing

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