(In response to 10/17/08 MMDigest article.)
Dear Brad,  Congratulations on your spectacular find of the
Peerless Wisteria orchestrion.  While I am no authority, I have been
a connoisseur of mechanical music for 45 years.  My input would be to
definitely preserve your Wisteria to play Peerless "O" rolls.

Peerless "O" music is distinct and delightful.  If the rolls with your
Wisteria have not been recut, they are a treasure trove, tattered or
not.  I encourage you to have them scanned or recut to preserve the
irreplaceable music on them.

I know that Peerless "O" rolls have been recut in the past, as I have
seen new rolls on other Peerless machines.  Unfortunately, I don't know
who recut them or if any are currently available.

I respect the difficulty of tracking down music like this.  So here is
a suggestion if it's too daunting a challenge: trade your Wisteria for
a machine with more available music.  I would guess that somebody out
there would be willing to trade a fully restored Seeburg "KT" for your
unrestored "Wisteria".

But a Peerless orchestrion should play Peerless music, or else it's
not truly a Peerless.

Good luck to you on this very fortunate find.

Best Regards,
Tom Chase