This note is in response to James Weisenborne's recent posting
regarding Semi-Automatic rolls.

Jim, you said that the Aeolian-Skinner Semi-Automatic rolls, intended
for use with the Hammond organ, are identical to the earlier Skinner
Semi-Automatic rolls issued by the Skinner Organ Company prior to their
acquisition of the Aeolian organ interests in 1933.  You also said that
you have overlaid earlier (Skinner) and later (Skinner-Aeolian) rolls
one on top of the other and found them to be identical.  I understand
from your note that the only difference between the two is that the
Aeolian-Skinner Semi-Automatic rolls are wound on standard player piano
flanges.  This is all very interesting, and immediately raises several
related questions.

According to Art Reblitz, the left-most port on these rolls is for
rewind; this corresponds to what I have observed.  He then says that
the next two ports are (in order) "Pedal Pilot 1" and "Pedal Pilot 2"
and that these two ports, in set-reset style, determine whether the 12
pedal ports should be played on the lowest or next-lowest octave of the
pedal board, respectively.  Eugene Rogers tells us that on his Hammond
organ these two tracker-bar ports are not connected to anything.  The
question that arises is as follows:

   (1) Are Aeolian-Skinner Semi-Automatic rolls identical to Skinner
       Semi-Automatic rolls, or do the former omit the perforations for
       the pedal pilots that are present on the latter?  (I have
       examined several Aeolian-Skinner rolls, including the test roll,
       which do not make use of the pedal pilot ports in any way.)

Since you say that the rolls are identical except for the flanges, the
second question that arises is:

   (2) What type of flanges do the (earlier) Skinner Semi-Automatic
       rolls use, and how do these differ from standard player piano
       flanges?

Finally, if the Aeolian-Skinner Semi-Automatic rolls are wound on
standard flanges and the Skinner rolls are not, the final question is:

   (3) What instruments accomodate the (later) Aeolian-Skinner
       Semi-Automatic rolls?

If the answer to the last question is that only the Hammond organ
accomodates these rolls, then we are justified in calling the rolls
"Hammond" rolls, even though (as I suggested and you confirmed) this
appellation seems never to have been used during the period of
manufacture.

Any answers or comments you have regarding these questions would be
helpful.  I am ready, willing and able to send you copies of the
restored master rolls for the test roll and the other Aeolian-Skinner
rolls I have scanned.

With best regards,

Wayne Stahnke