•I recently purchased a 39-note E. P. Needham organette ("The Needham Musical Cabinet"). All plays well, and it appears to be complete, with the exception noted below. It is of the type which has a "Starter" knob on the left, and a "Rewind" knob on the right. The top hinged cover folds down so that ...

•Jim, I have some hand-punched music for a Gem Organetta that's marked: "C D E F G A A# B C D E F G A" Interestingly, the music, "Red River Valley", has the words painstakingly written beside each melody note! And lines for each note and beat. But not very interesting harmony -- mostly octaves. Todd...

•The most interesting find of old coins was in the "family" player I disassembled and reassembled as a kid. Under the keys, at opposite ends of the keybed, were two silver half-dollars. I could only assume that they had fallen between the keys, but realized how unlikely that was. I mentioned to my e...

•[ Conrad Bladey asked: >> Has anyone used latex based or something like that in "fix a flat"? Conrad, First, I'd like to point out that I consider any sealant on organette bellows to be a temporary repair. The better option is to restore the organette. They're not complicated to rebuild, and new be...

•[ Craig Smith wrote to Todd: >> Where did you find Lexel? I want to compare it to the Pliobond >> and the Phenoseal. My local Ace Hardware has Lexel in a 3.5 oz. squeeze tube, and also in a caulking tube. The squeeze tube is more than sufficient for me. http://www.acehardware.com/entry.jsp?source=P...

•I'm looking for information on the "Auto-Organ", an organette manufactured by L.A. Barber & Co. of Groton, New York, who purchased the "autophone" line from The Autophone Co. in 1888. There's meager information in McElhone's "The Organette Book" on page 46, and a photo in Bowers' "Encyclopedia of A...

•I'm in the process of repairing a barrel piano in which the barrel has some small cracks. They are not bad, but I'd like to fill the cracks and replace a few pins which are loose. I've never done this before, so have a couple of questions: 1. What have others successfully used to fill barrel cracks...

•I'd be quite supportive if MMD would choose to operate an auction service, but how would that solve the problem of scammers and fraud? Is there some mechanism that prevents scammers from joining MMD, and buying or listing items here? Does anyone really know that MMD's next subscriber will be who th...

•I just uploaded a delightful book entitled: "Th' Barrel Organ," by Edwin Waugh (1817-1890), to the archives at Project Gutenberg. You may read or download it at: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/15986 This small book (about 6,500 words) may be of interest to MMD readers, as it is a humorous sketch of...

•An acquaintance asked me about the use of hot hide glue for bellows cloth in climates which are extremely dry for extended periods, such as his location in the mountains of Arizona. His experience is that the glue can become brittle and pull loose in this extreme climate. Both of us are rather trad...

•Greg, Although I don't own a "Musical Casket" like yours, I can still make some educated guesses about your instrument: The "large rectangular opening" you mention is where a manually operated swell shutter would have originally gone. The wood blocks are part of its hinge mechanism, possibly spring...

•Tony, You're in luck! Fortunately, both new and original rollers (cobs) are readily available. New rollers (cobs) are being produced by Charlie Moore, and there are now an amazing 260+ titles available. He also offers about 60+ recuts of popular original tunes. You can always see a current list on ...

•Although organettes are more my specialty, I have recently purchased a small monkey organ, and have begun restoration. And I need help! Pictures are at http://www.rollerorgans.com/temp/barrel_organ.html 1) It's a 22-key, 29-pipe barrel-operated organ. Are there others in this group who have _barrel...

•Thank you to all who have been contributing to my quest for information. Here's an update. Okay, I've found another clue: On the reverse of the crank handle is stamped "PROSPER". Assuming that's a proper name, does it mean anything to anyone? (It's in the same stamped font as the "MEDAILLE 1= CLASS...

•Several of you who were offering help in identifying my Barrel Organ asked if I knew what tunes it played. I do not -- not because they're unrecognizable, but because I just don't have the mental ability to recall such things. If you are willing to help, I posted the eight songs at: http://www.roll...

•[ Olie K. Teeter, Jr., wrote in 051007 MMDigest: > I can't find anything that tells me who made it or when. ... Olie, There should be a significant amount of information about your new organ on my web site devoted to Roller Organs. To help you with identification, there are specific pictures at: ht...

•MMD, We're moving to the other side of town next week, and wanted to let everyone know our new mailing address: Todd & Betty Augsburger 15577 US Hwy 68 Kenton, OH 43326 Phone numbers and email will remain the same. One advantage of the move is that it's a large Victorian house with an attached one-...

•Henk Boelmans Kranenburg, I know there were several different styles, especially as they moved from the original Celestina to the "Improved Celestina". But on the model I have, the crank handle is simply unscrewed, and the pillow block bearings inside are removed to release the shaft. The shaft can...

•[ Re: 060216 MMDigest, Lyrics for "Please", Imperial 08138 Robbie, Surely there's a way to legally publish the "lyrics only" for a copyrighted song? I download lyrics all the time from reputable sites. My understanding was that you could not publish both notation and lyrics together. For instance, ...

•As many of you are already aware, there are high risks associated with buying and selling on today's internet auctions, especially those connecting individuals who are unlikely to even know each other. "Let the Buyer Beware" may be a nice slogan, but in real life people can be greatly hurt by even ...