Some of the information published in the past has created some
confusion about the Wurlitzer Autograph pianos and it's connection
to the Artecho.

The Artecho system wasn't introduced until late 1920 or 1921.  Many
Apollo pianos are incorrectly assumed to be from 1917 through 1920
because the Pierce Piano Atlas has incorrect listings for the serial
numbers.  They are all off by four years from that period.  The
five-foot Apollo grands were made after Wurlitzer took over the
Melville Clark Company in 1919.  Melville Clark didn't make a grand
under six feet prior to Wurlitzer taking over.

Melville Clark advertised a number of pianos as "reproducing"; none of
them were the Artecho.  Both the Art Apollo (Apollo-X) and Solo Apollo
(15-1/4-inch-wide rolls) pianos were advertised as reproducing pianos.

Wurlitzer owned a large percentage of stock in the American Piano
Company and Amphion developed the Artecho system for Wurlitzer and
also sold it to other makers such as Story & Clark and Lyon & Healy.

It's hard to sort out from their own printed material just what was
going on at Wurlitzer or Melville Clark.  Wurlitzer stamped their name
on anything they could buy and sell, and Melville Clark changed his
designs and kept re-using the same names for the changed models.

Rich Schommer
Alliance, Nebraska

 [ MMDigest articles about this system are indexed at
 [   http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/KWIC/A/artecho.html 
 [   http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/KWIC/A/art_echo.html 
 [   http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/KWIC/E/echo.html 
 [ -- Robbie