•Hello all MMD subscribers ! I could use some help in sourcing some recut rolls for a Munroe Organ Reed Co. organette (pictured on pg. 760 of the Bowers encyclopedia). The piece has 14 playing notes with an 8" space between the runners for the roll. The Bowers book states the unit uses the "McTamman...

•Roll Template Software. In MMD 980817 Lionel Van Aertryck described his roll template software and asked for information about other similar programs. I have been working intermittently on something very similar for the last couple of years, to produce new rolls or tune sheets for organettes. So fa...

•A sign of the slow maturing of our hobby-plus-business is the increased careful research into its early beginnings, only around 130 years ago. Almost simultaneously, two long and serious articles have appeared in the two principal British journals, the Pianola Journal (No 11) and the Player-Piano G...

•It was interesting to see a reference to the Kieselhorst Piano Co. of St. Louis in yesterday's MMD. The name seemed vaguely familiar, and I've just realised what it is. I have a book, John McTammany's 'History of the player', which was sent by its author to contacts in the piano trade. My copy is i...

•I have a Celestina Organette (Wilcox & White, CT) which plays a 5-1/2" music roll. There are 20 notes on the tracker bar. Through the years someone has switched the reeds around and the tune is not identified. I would appreciate if anyone has any information as to what reeds go where starting from ...

•Here are realized prices of organettes sold March 2 at Garth's Auction, Delaware, Ohio. In addition to the listed prices, there was a 10% buyer's premium for cash, 13% for credit cards. 33 Rollers (Cobs) - $350 Grand w/3 rolls - $2550 Concert w/15 rolls - $700 Home w/13 rolls - $600 Orchestreon w/1...

•Wanted: I am trying to find music for the following organettes, either for myself, or for contacts in Europe. I would either buy the music rolls or would like to borrow them to have copied, in which case other titles might be available in return. Orchestreon 27-note roll Mignon 32-note roll Mignon ...

•The US patent office site, http://www.uspto.gov/, is a truly remarkable place. As well as mechanical music, I collect antique electric fans and that's what started me there. It's a little tricky, because _old_ patents can only be looked up by patent number (most of the time the manufacturers only g...

•Gentlemen: I am the son of Earl H. Kieselhorst who was the son of Edwin A. and Estelle Kieselhorst, who formerly resided at 12 Southmoor, St. Louis, Mo. (Ref. Gary Stevenson in MMDigest number 2000.08.23) It is my understanding, based on prior discussions with my now deceased father, that it was Ed...

•I've been thinking about those mid-sized pedal organs that some refer to as "'Tweeners" -- of a size in between the smaller organettes and larger organs. They seem to have some common features in addition to size, such as an early date, a hand crank to turn the roll, a single rank. I'm aware of: Au...

•Easy to answer what the Aeriola was -- it was simply the Pianola rebadged for sale in non-Aeolian dealers' shops! There's an interesting history behind this, though. The original Aeriol player was invented by Theodore P Brown, and was the first piano-player sold by Aeolian, around 1896. (They were ...

•In MMD 111115 John McClelland wrote: > I'm curious as to how many people are scanning automatic music > instrument rolls, to include piano, orchestrion, band organ and > and other type of paper/cardboard media. I know of about 22 units, > both pneumatic and optical; are there any others out there t...

•Pipes of Pan also has rolls and spools for Clariona and Melodia/Musical Casket. There are tunes that Mr. Schmidt no longer has in stock. Many familiar tunes and standards, have been re-arranged in a more thematic order. I also can cut the 7-3/4" strips for 14-note McTammany type organettes but they...

•Just in -- I just picked up a collection of 22 organettes! I haven't unpacked them yet but I'll be bringing them all to the show at Union, Illinois, June 8th and 9th. Most were working and restored before being put into storage for a few years, all with clean cases, no basket-cases! Some of the pie...

•In these trying times I need to increase the rate at which I am selling music media for organettes, player reed organs and player pianos, so I am therefore making the following offer until the end of June 2020. Organette Music - New paper rolls made by Ed Schmidt before he retired, about 130 titles...

•The Mechanical Orguinette Company (MOC) -- later to become the Aeolian Company -- started as a retailer of instruments made for them by others. Elias Needham was one, the Munroe Organ Reed Company was another. So there is no conflict in seeing the Mechanical Orguinette Company retail name on a Need...

As it gets into the holiday season, my mailbox is increasingly stuffed full of mail order catalogs. In today's batch, in the Hammacher Schlemmer Christmas catalog, I came across an item that I thought would give you folks a chuckle...it seems to cram every misconception about mechanical music machin...

Hello all you interesting people from coast to coast and around the globe; I am now the proud owner of "The Gem Roller Organ" ??? Does this mean this was the only one made? This Gem has been in the family since late 1890- early 1900 and I would like to know more about it. I have the original shippin...

•From: Jeffrey Burchard Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2003 10:34 AM Subject: Barrel Organs at Auction Barrel Organs at Auction - Catalogs below Sunday, January 19, 2003 Estate, Antiques, Decorative & Fine Art Auction Catalog To Date [ snip] 129 North Tonawanda carousel organ: 36 notes, 9 tunes, 2 ranks...

•When Harvey Roehl wrote about the Vestal Press for the Player Piano Group bulletin, he explained how Larry Givens' "very basic" book, "Rebuilding the Player Piano," was rather shorter than he'd hoped for, and how it was printed with large type, large margins and thick paper to make it book-sized! Q...