Thanks to Jody, my modem is working. There are many Digest members at the meeting here, and everyone is enjoying being able to see who we have enjoyed sharing the Digest with. The week so far has been incredibly busy, with no hope of letup in sight. Tuesday and Wednesday are business days for Societ...

The roll that the Ramey machine plays is indeed a newly designed special scale, based on the earlier original BanjOrchestra scale. There are many differences between the original machine and Ramey's, therefore I believe they have used the term "re-creation" when describing it. Note that the original...

Several firms have sold "reproduction" instruments successfully. In fact, these are not usually exact reproductions. David Ramey's Encore Banjos, for example, are an improved version in many ways, though they look old. Dean Organs in England has a Ruth 33 reproduction which imitates the voicing of t...

Hello! We follow the MMD for some months already, so we think it is time for our introduction. We are three of us: Siegfried Wendel, age 62 Jorg Wendel, age 35 Jens Wendel, age 33 I (that's Jorg, I'm always the first reader) think my father Siegfried is already well-known in the field of mechanical ...

•Over the last several weeks I've read about the good, the bad and the ugly of new nickelodeons, and one would have to believe that "the only good nickelodeon is an old one". I must disagree. I have restored too many "original" machines that were poorly designed to begin with, and/or constructed of ...

•Dear Mr. Rumson, you're right, Hindemith and others composed works for reproducing piano. Data from the "Donaueschinger Kammermusiktage 1926" of July 25, 1926: the following "Originalkompositionen fuer Welte-Mignon" were published: Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) (rolls no.4107 and 4108) -Rondo, from Kl...

•I believe the Coinola CO in the Milhous auction is original and not a copy. The $40 - 60K estimate seems accurate to me (assuming it is well-restored). I've always considered a reproduction worthwhile if it can be sold for about half the cost of a restored original. Of course, demand must exist, al...

•The information concerning reproductions got me thinking about definitions. A friend of mine called the Milhous sale in Florida and asked whether the Coinola CO was original, and was told it was. Further, he was told it was restored to perfection, even to having gold plated caning on the stained gl...

•> Hello, I search for a roll with the German popular salon-music-tune, > "Was machst du mit dem Knie lieber Hans", for any 88-note system. That song appears on an old Concert LP, Maesto Music by Moonlight (?). It is a humorous song lyric, which I recall my grandmother singing in German, but can't r...

•I have returned from Germany (on a trip with J. W. Miller) where we saw the collection at Siegfried's Mechanisches Musikkabinett in Ruedesheim am Rhine. There is a very large collection there containing many different instruments. On the tour they play one or two instruments in each room. Some of t...

•A New Standard in American Orchestrion Design Dear Friends, I had the pleasure of receiving a phone call from Craig Brougher who offered to play a couple of numbers over the wire from the Ding-A-Ling so I could at least hear it, as my ability to travel is limited. My first thought was that it sound...

•Philippe Rouille wrote in MMD 990519 about a new CD-ROM, "Encyclopedia of Mechanical Music Instruments", published by Schott Muzik. Robbie commented: >[ I found Schott Musik International at http://www.schott-music.com/ >[ and then Netscape crashed ! I hate gaudy web sites like this: all >[ glitz a...

•Hello everyone, I am seeking all and any information on the Gasparini Company of Paris, Makers of Fair and Street Organs. I am interested in the history as well as the scales and model numbers, etc., of these instruments which used first barrels and then books. Your help is greatly appreciated. Als...

•In reference to John Miller's question about salon music in 011128 MMDigest of November 28th, I'd like to refer readers to pages 87-88 of my new book "The Golden Age of Automatic Musical Instruments," where I describe the history and musical qualities of salon music and salon orchestrions. The firs...

•Right now, I am recutting T-100 red Welte rolls. At this present moment there are about 190 different titles available, plus a test roll. For a title list, either send me an email or take a look at my web page http://www.maesto.com/ (Sorry, my web site is only in German language right now; I hope t...

•Richard Vance asked about a source for organ roll recuts. You might try Thomas Jansen. He has been transcribing and cutting music rolls for 10 years or so. He has punched rolls from 4" to 16" in width, with anything between 20 and 120 tracks, in a variety of different hole sizes. His web site is ht...

•Anybody, who is interested in recuts of National Coin Piano rolls, should contact me under: . Within the next weeks, there will be at least three sets of roll recuts available. All rolls will be on spools, ready to go. Best regards from Monschau, Thomas Jansen Musikwerkstatt Monschau http://www.mae...

•Hello all! The subject of whirlpool rotation certainly was off-topic but, boy, did it start a discussion! (I almost could see plugs being pulled and hear toilets being flushed worldwide!) Now for the future of mechanical music. Yes, there are still player pianos being thrown out (or thrown out agai...

•It was interesting (and sometimes very surprising) for me as an active roll producer to read all the comments on the subject. For more than ten years I have been recutting music rolls for about 23 different systems. Until now, more than 2000 different titles have been published and sold to many int...

•Sorry for not answering all the e-mails I received within the last fourteen days, but I just came back from another working trip at the Tunbridge Wells Welte Philharmonic Organ in England. It seems that there is some confusion about my actual e-mail address. Please do _not_ send any mails to , this...