In answer to both Jim Crank and Bob Taylor, I have to say that I have
a working 23-rank Estey automatic player that plays the 116-note
rolls as well as the earlier 58-note, by adjusting the spool frame.

The original owner of my console just happened to have an Aeolian
Orchestrelle with lots of rolls which he wished to be able to play on
his Estey.  Estey gave him a $1,000 trade in for the Orchestrelle
which was crated and sat on the man's porch for over a year, according
to the Estey file on that organ.

Louis Stiff was head of the Estey player department and his brother,
John, just happened to work for Aeolian in their player division.
According to legend, Aeolian didn't renew their patent for the 116-note
rolls about 1912 and Estey then began making the 116-note rolls which
at that time were made by the Connorized roll company, using a much
better quality paper than the later Estey rolls.

And yes, Estey did have a perforator as it is mentioned as working 24/7
when Estey had installed the 7 identical player organs in NYC schools.
Each school was furnished with a sizeable library of rolls.  Estey
issued about 922 titles which can be found on the Stimmel web site for
Estey organs.  I have always wondered if many of the rolls were copies
of the Aeolian rolls...

In the late 1920s Estey began recording rolls and the names of the
artists were on the rolls.  Chandler Goldwaithe was one who recorded
for Estey.  Also in the late '20s, Estey issued a series referred to
as the "new music" that allowed all 61 notes of the keyboard to play as
well as the 30-note pedal.  The series of rolls began with the number
1100.  Only about 60 titles were issued before the last player was
built about 1932, which was for a residence in Utica, New York, now
long gone.

The early 116-note rolls were not self-registering.  The first owner
of a 116-note player was a man in Swamscott, Massachusetts.  He had
a friend who had an Aeolian and would go to the Aeolian hall in Boston
to buy 116-note rolls for his friend's Estey.  However, Aeolian found
out about this and refused to sell any rolls to this friend.

Estey issued bulletins, as did Aeolian, of new rolls available.
They also presented to their customers a 2-volume set of leather bound
catalogues with the owner's name printed in gold.  I have in my
possession the only Volume 3 catalogue I have ever seen.  It is not
leather bound.

Larry Leonard
lwleonardsthall@aol.com.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]