Andy Taylor wonders whether there is good music on 65-note rolls.

Bearing in mind that 65n production stopped in the US in 1918 and in the
UK in 1940, you're not going to find anything very snappy, apart from the
few 65n recuts of pop 88n rolls made (very successfully) in 1978-86 by
Steve Cox of Laguna Rolls. He even got dies made to replicate the pinned
ends, all in plastic. Most pop titles in England were duplicated in 88n
and 65n but hot music was regarded as akin to Satanism here and we never
got the really good stuff in either format. There is, however, a cassette
"Pianola Playtime" made in the UK 20 years ago of a pushup playing early
ragtime and it's far better stuff than anything I've ever seen actually
available, sounding not unlike modern "authentic tempo" ragtime as per
Joshua Rifkin. I've been told the rolls were green Connorized ones made
by Chase & Baker but I have a chest of these including some in the first
20 of issue, c1903, and all mine are arranged junk with that galumphing
left hand that surely no pianist actually used.

If you're prepared to settle for salon and well-known classical music,
though, there is a bottomless supply of 65n rolls in England and the
pushups quite often appear in a fossilized state in country auctions. The
going rate for these, unrestored, is =L=80 to =L=100 ($140-170). I find
that 65-note pushups in good order are very expressive, though being
choosy I prefer the ones fitted with Themodist action, often only
identifiable by the 67 holes in the tracker bar. Aeolian Co and
Perforated Music (a London firm which used green drawing linen for the
leaders) really pushed the classical angle to start with and there is
some rare stuff that never got onto 88n - like Scharwenka piano
concertos. (Who he ? Ah, well, just an addiction I have.)

Contacts:-

        Steve Cox (dealer)
        Laguna Rolls
        Laguna
        Lagoon Road
        PAGHAM
        West Sussex PO21 4TH      ph/fax +44 1243 262041

        Frances Broadway ("Post Bid Enterprise" - postal auction)
        39 Sydner Road  (NB Sydner not Sydney)
        Stoke Newington
        LONDON
        N16 7UF      ph +44 171 254 6145
                    fax +44 171 249 0130 (dedicated line)

65n rolls are very cheap in the Player-Piano Group "Post Bid" auctions
which are run about four times a year - but you have to be a member !
Membership Secretary is:-

        Malcolm Billingsley
        80 Montalt Road
        WOODFORD GREEN
        Essex IG8 9SS  ph +44 181 505 1850
        Recently on email: filmview@aol.com (Jody - note for
        resources list)

Another quite different use for 65n instruments is playing nickelodeon
"A" roll recuts (cut in half to get them into the spoolbox) with the
end 3 notes on the tracker bar taped over.  Others in this list will be
able to cite sources.

Dan Wilson