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MMD > Archives > January 1997 > 1997.01.27 > 18Prev  Next


Tubing a Seeburg KT
By Don Teach

Responding to Ken Gordon:  First off, I hope your piano is a "KT" and not
a "K".  The KT had the addition of tambourine, triangle, and castanets.
I would like to know the serial number of the instrument since Reblitz
and I collect those.  We would also like to know if the accumulator is
cast iron or sheet metal or the earlier type with two opposing pneumatics
that ride on a track, so to speak.

What motor is in it and the number?  Is the coin drop on the front or
side?  Is it the eagle glass with green glass on the bottom of the eagle
or other type?  Is the stack a late type with vertical valves or early
type with horizontal valves?

Seeburg made quite a few changes over the years on what has got to be one
of the all time favorite Seeburgs.  Well, it is _my_ favorite.  They also
used several different types of plates (harps) in these machines.  The
early plate required the mandolin rail to have a break in it where the
wound strings began and unwound strings stopped.

Seeburg also tubed the early models differently than the later ones.
Late KT's use the snare drum hole (number 30) to control both the
castanets and tambourine.  Early ones used number 30 for the tambourine
and number 35 (bass drum) for the castanets.  The triangle is played by
hole number 65.  The hammer rail (soft pedal) uses hole number 1.
Sustain is number 2.

The first three notes in a KT are not used and have no pneumatics.
I usually start tubing these with the treble notes first.  I am left
handed -- what can I say.  It also helps me keep the octave notes correct
in the bass.

Tube it till you run out of notes on the stack and then start with the
bass coupler.  This may or may not make sense to you.  Holes 27 to 39 are
not note holes.  38 is play.  33 is shut off or coin trip off.  28 is
rewind.  If you want to start in the bass remember that the first playing
note is number 3 and second note number 4 are not coupled.  Hole number 5
is the first coupled note. There are 10 coupled notes.  Trust me it is
easier to start tubing from the treble (especially late at night after
a long day).

You will also enjoy the Automatic music rolls with numbers before 500.
After number 500 they changed from pipe arrangements to Xylophone
arrangements, the same as a 4X roll.  Capitol G rolls changed from pipe
to xylophone sometime in the early 20's although you occasionally find a
roll arranged for pipes made in the twenties.

Whenever hole 29 turns on the extra instrument the arrangement starts
playing a lot of repeating notes on the xylophone type rolls which are
not necessarily the best for instruments containing pipes, in my opinion.

By the way, that pump Ken Gordon referred to is known as an "alligator
pump" in this here swamp country.

Don Teach

P.S.  You can buy Yamaha parts from Schaff Piano Supply.


(Message sent Mon 27 Jan 1997, 16:39:12 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.)

Key Words in Subject:  KT, Seeburg, Tubing

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