I saw one when I was 12 at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn and was
hooked!  Granted, a Seeburg G sounds more complex with a lot more
musical variety, but the mechanics in a Violano cannot be beat.
Another problem is the vibrato speed -- generally too fast making the
the violin sound like a cat in a meat grinder (ugh!).

The arrangements were pretty monotonous -- four fox trots and a waltz
as general format -- but then, after the 2500 number roll listing, the
arrangements got really good!  The early classical rolls, of which few
survived, had some really great performances, not something your
ordinary beer drinking patron would pay money to listen to.

Even a Hupfeld with the three violins cannot perform four part harmony
on four different strings; an example is the Stradella Overture.  The
popular TV show, "American Pickers", were entranced with it, as Mike
and Frank cheered it on like a sports team player as it belted out the
rousing conclusion.  As the last closing chord played the "A" string
popped!  What could be more dramatic than that?  The show is scheduled
to air on August 2nd, on the History Channel.

Greg Filardo