Classical 88 Rolls and Other Tidbits...
By Rocci Cirone
(Note: I switched jobs a few weeks ago, so its been a while since I've written into, or even read the AMI mailing... so please forgive me for catching up on and commenting about a few issues!)
I am EXTREMELY glad to hear that other 88 note owners out there tape up the to4 & bottom 4 notes of their players to listen to Reproducing Rolls. I remember distinctly that a few years back, I showed off my newly restored Wurlitzer pumper with (ee-gads!) a Duo-Art roll (Paderewski's Caprice in G! I remember this incident that well!). While my automatic-music-guru-friend was impressed with the great tone of the instrument, he chastised me for commiting this "sacrilege."
I continued to still do this, though. You see, my father has a 1914 Weber Duo-Art with a rather massive selection of rolls... my nearby Uncle has an Ampico B with another rather huge roll collection. I could find only little solace in the selection of local antique stores and the pathetic one page Classical section in the QRS catalong. So, I decided to borrow rolls now and then instead of occupying my time with the (almost fruitless) search of vintage rolls.
So, to make a long story short... I don't think anyone out there should be ashamed of doing this... especially if you take the time to learn to "read" the expression encoding on the sides, and learn to pump pedals and pull levers with the necessary speed. It is terribly rewarding.
sorry to rattle on, but I felt a catharsis coming on....
A couple more points...
The Disc vs. Disk discussion - hate to beat a dead horse... but in my experience, both growing up with automatic instruments AND computers, I never saw that "K" (as in disK) until bought an Apple II in 1978... I think the "K" is a computer-age phenomenon. My two cents worth.... :-)
Lastly... I think I've asked this here before... But I need to want out what an organette I purchased earlier this year is worth... I don't want to sell it, though I do want to adequately insure it. the specs:
Its a 16 note Mechanical Orguinette Company (aka Aeolian) "Musette".
I has been dated to have been made in 1887. Its in almost
perfect condition - It plays perfectly , even with all original
parts! The only real work I've done on it was to uncover the years
of grime that had built up on the original finish. I did this by
VERY slowly removing layer after layer of gunk with extremely mild
solvents until the original case details shone through. One other
thing... To top it off, I have about 20 rolls that are all marked
with dates in the early 1880's - they are extremely fragile, but
playable.
Any info on similar purchases or general pricing guides would be greatly appreciated.
- Rocci Cirone
CironeRA@perkin-elmer.com
or
scepter@livewire.com
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