Al Menashe mentioned a player piano-phonograph combination he saw at
auction in Portland in which the phonograph was wound by treadling the
piano.

Karl Ellison suggested that it might have been the "Standard"
Playerpiano Phonograph as described in the reprinted advertisement in
the 2nd edition of Harvey Roehl's "Player Piano Treasury".

That's certainly possible, but I think it more likely that the
instrument is a Melville Clark Apollophone, especially if Mr. Menashe
saw it in Portland Oregon and not in Portland Maine. While not exactly
common, these do turn up from time to time here in the northwest. I
have laid hands on about 5 in the past 25 years. As with many of the
Melville Clark instruments, the roll-drive motor is also spring wound
and driven from the pedals.

I would be interested to hear if anyone has actually _seen_ the
Standard Playerpiano Phonograph and if so, in what marque piano? If
they were actually manufactured, I suspect they were not aggressively
marketed, at least not on the west coast. The advertisement in Player
Piano Treasury seems to be aimed toward piano manufacturers rather than
the general public and is undated, but the piano pictured appears to be
of middle-to-late 'teens style.

As for the "Player Piano Treasury"book, there are two. The first
edition was published in 1961 by Vestal Press and the second edition,
much revised and enlarged, was published in 1973, also by Vestal Press.
Vestal Press was owned by Harvey and Marion Roehl at the time. I doubt
that either is still in print, but anyone interested might contact
Vestal Press  and inquire.

As with many books put together about mechanical music in the 1960s and
1970s, some of the information given has proved over the years to be
incomplete and/or inaccurate, but this book, like Larry Givens'
"Rebuilding the Player Piano" certainly belongs in the library of
anyone with an interest in these wonderful music machines, alongside
the newer works of Craig Brougher, Art Reblitz and others.

Dean Randall

~A pat on the back is only a few centimeters from a kick in the butt.~