Hello all, We all know the class trope of Art Deco facades having dummy
saxophones with keys that are actuated in time with saxophone pipes
behind the facade.

In the prewar [WW2] era, the Decap firm experimented with a device
that made the saxes in the facade actually play! This system is called
the "reed box" saxophone. For the regular saxophone pipes this setup
substitutes a set of harmonium-style free reeds, enclosed in a sealed
box that is connected to the facade sax by tubing.

As such, when the saxophone reeds play, they speak through the sax in
the facade, heightening the illusion of a real sax playing. The sound
is unique and can be heard very well in this recording of "Fleiss Macht
Kraft" played on the 92-key Decap dance organ in the Hack collection:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnEZFGD5vlY
 

To my knowledge, the "reed box" saxophone appears only on early model
92- and 121-key organs, but I believe there are a few exceptions.
Prewar organs have only one sax and usually one accordion, although the
92-key organ "Luxury" in the Sanfilippo collection has two accordions
and a xylophone. To my knowledge this was to reduce strains on the
feeder bellows, but the reed box being on one centralized sax as
opposed two makes sense to me, so all the sax sound comes from one
place.

The reed box sax is very rare; to my understanding, only a few surviving
organs contain it. The Hack Decap linked above is confirmed to contain
it. About the other prewar 92-key organs I know of, specifically
"Luxury" and the organ at Museum Speelklok, I do not know if they have
reed boxes.

The 121-key "England's Pride", despite being a mostly un-altered prewar
style organ, appears to have proper reed pipes. I am not too acquainted
with any 121-key organs to know if they do contain reed box saxes, but
I would guess that the organ "Metro" very well may have a reed box for
at least one of its saxes, despite being a postwar organ.

If you listen to this link of the organ playing, listen for when the
center sax is illuminated and playing, it sounds very similar to the
confirmed reed box sax on Hack's organ! The smaller side saxes on this
organ appear to be connected to other stops in the organ and may not
have reed boxes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvqPZMmrfQM
 

If anyone has any knowledge on which organs do or do not have these
reed boxes, as well as any photos or diagrams of the device, please
contact me.

Thanks again,

Christian Tedesco
cmt0817@gmail.com.geentroep

 [ Decap Dance Organ "Zenith" at Sanfilippo Foundation
 [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFyFsa5Coak
 
 [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXOnZ0WRQ3Q
 
 [ -- Robbie