Mechanical Music Digest  Archives
You Are Not Logged In Login/Get New Account
Please Log In. Accounts are free!
Logged In users are granted additional features including a more current version of the Archives and a simplified process for submitting articles.
Home Archives Calendar Gallery Store Links Info
MMD > Archives > October 2012 > 2012.10.22 > 01Prev  Next


Value of Reproduco Piano-Organ
By Carl Dodrill

I was asked by a widow in the Seattle area to look at a "player piano"
left by her recently deceased husband and found it to be a Reproduco
with a single player mechanism, pipe ranks labeled Diapason, Flute,
and Gedeckt.  No pipes are on the back of the instrument at all (I have
not been able to get the unit out to see if there was some previously
attached to the back).  Two (not three) piano expression pedals are on
the bottom front just left of the organ expression pedal.  A blower box
is separate and I have not yet opened it.

I would say that the instrument is in excellent but unrestored condition
with rubber tubing that is cracked and broken.  The case is very nice,
and the instrument appears to have been well cared for.  My primary
question pertains to the approximate value of such an instrument so
that I can advise the widow accordingly.  However, I am also curious
about several things:

1. Did Reproduco make any of these without pipes on the back?

2. Does the "Gedeckt" stop actually play Quintadena pipes?

3. Are OS and NOS Reproduco rolls available in abundance, and what is
their typical price?  The spool box on this instrument appears that it
would not accommodate a multi-tune roll as it seems to be a standard
sized player piano spool box.

4. Where is the turn-on power switch?

5. Finally, when playing the typical OS and NOS roll, does the organ
make much of a contribution to the music generated by the instrument?
It seems to me that the relatively few and smaller scale organ pipes
may be drowned out by the piano, but is that true?

Thanks to anyone who can give me help regarding these admittedly fairly
basic questions.

Carl Dodrill
carl@dodrill.net.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]
tel.: 1-206-788-7761 (cell)

 [ At http://www.mmdigest.com/Gallery/Tech/reproduco.html is a list
 [ of the pipe ranks.  The ("small") Reproduco normally has 61 stopped
 [ flutes plus 37 Quintadena pipes, but Art Reblitz says sometimes
 [ 37 "skinny scale metal violin pipes" replace the Quintadena.  Maybe
 [ a funeral parlor ordered an especially solemn organ so the Gedeckt
 [ pipes were supplied, described as a medium scale stopped wood flute
 [ at http://www.organstops.org/  -- Robbie


(Message sent Mon 22 Oct 2012, 04:13:44 GMT, from time zone GMT-0700.)

Key Words in Subject:  Piano-Organ, Reproduco, Value

Home    Archives    Calendar    Gallery    Store    Links    Info   


Enter text below to search the MMD Website with Google



CONTACT FORM: Click HERE to write to the editor, or to post a message about Mechanical Musical Instruments to the MMD

Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are those of the individual authors and may not represent those of the editors. Compilation copyright 1995-2024 by Jody Kravitz.

Please read our Republication Policy before copying information from or creating links to this web site.

Click HERE to contact the webmaster regarding problems with the website.

Please support publication of the MMD by donating online

Please Support Publication of the MMD with your Generous Donation

Pay via PayPal

No PayPal account required

                                     
Translate This Page