Please
note: The resources listed herein are provided as a
convenience and courtesy, with the intent of providing a more
expansive and enjoyable Internet experience for anyone interested in
automatic mechanical music services. The author and/or anyone
associated with the production of this site shall assume no
responsibility or liability of any kind regarding the actions,
content, or products related to or offered by any individual,
entity, or site mentioned or listed below. It is the sole
responsibility of the reader/visitor to determine the suitability of
any person, advice, service, or product that may be a consequence of
contacting and/or dealing with anyone or anything mentioned or
inferred within this site. This is particularly the case before
hiring a technician to work on a piano or another valuable
instrument. It is wise to ask a technician for references, and to
take the time to see and hear examples of their previous repairs
before having work done on your own music box, piano, or organ. It
might be especially worthwhile to see examples of their work done
five or ten years previously, so as to verify its durability of
their work.
Resource items are grouped by category
for convenience, and then within those individual categories they
are arranged alphabetically by last or company name.
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contact the Webmaster to report bad or broken links:
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Books, Magazines, and Recordings
Books, Recordings, Music Rolls and Music Box Disks
AMICA Publications -- Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association
AMICA is proud to announce this long-awaited publication of The Reblitz-Bowers Encyclopedia of American Coin-Operated Pianos and Orchestrions and Related Instruments. The title says it all! Written by the most revered authors of mechanical music, this entirely new hardcover book in 8-1/2” X 11” contains over 900 pages packed with the history of every major American builder of coin pianos and orchestrions, plus pictures of every known model.
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Bopp's Carousel Music -- Ron Bopp
5207 10th Avenue Dr. W.
Bradenton FL 34209
(918) 527-0589
E-mail:
Author of “Fantastic European Organs” and “The American Carousel Organ—An Illustrated Encyclopedia.”
Full color bimonthly magazine featuring illustrated articles on automatic instruments, carousels, amusement parks, and related subjects, including current news on auctions, etc. (Formerly The Carousel News and Trader.)
Anyone who enjoys carousel music will love the incredible
musical repertoire offered by this web site. Cassette tapes and CD
recordings of historic band organs are plentiful, as is a bit of Tangley
Calliope, Wurlitzer Caliola, orchestrion, and photoplayer music, too.
The musical legacy of the late Paul Eakins lives on through his grandson's Carlisle Music Company, where you can purchase original recordings of Paul's famous collection of historic mechanical musical machines once located at the Gay 90's Village, Sikeston, Missouri.
A source for "Red Hot Jazz" 88-note piano rolls sold under
the labels of: "JazzMan," "JazzMan Archive" and "Phantom Fingers." These
piano rolls are "transcribed by John Farrell from recordings made by some of
the foremost jazz pianists, past and present."
This site offers music rolls (with new arrangements) for Wurlitzer Style 125, 150, and 165 band organs, as well as a selection of band organ recordings. It also makes available a myriad of trinkets and small gift items.
Wilfried, who is located in Bonn, Germany, offers a large
selection of CD's featuring all kinds of street and dance organs, ranging
from small organ-grinder type instruments all the way up to large and
impressive classic Fair and Dance Organs. For someone with more modern
tastes, one CD features Wilfried's Happy Robot Orchestra, a large key-frame
operated dance organ with electronic organ, traditional pipework and
trapwork, and advertised as representing a 16-man orchestra.
A digital resource for band organs, orchestrions, player pianos and more, where Mikey Mills sells newly arranged and recut music rolls and also offers feature free recordings from a variety of mechanical music instruments.
Recut music rolls for more than 16 different tracker
scales, including Hupfeld, Frati, Kuhl & Klatt, Popper, Seybold, Weber,
Welte, and others, as well music books for several fair organs.
This is an amazingly detailed site that delves into the
history of ragtime and popular music, inventions of the ragtime era, silent
movie music, player pianos and rolls, biographies of composers and artists,
sheet music covers and lyrics, audio clips, recordings for sale, and much
more! Anyone interested in the music of the golden age of automatic
instruments should take some time to study this site.
Over 1500 Duo-Art music roll translations into MIDI type 0
and type 1 format, suitable for use with pneumatic pianos fitted with
PowerRoll or similar MIDI conversion devices, and electronic and synthesized
pianos, such as the Kurzweil Micro Piano, Yamaha Disklavier and PianoDisc.
Mr. Wineburgh offers a variety of out-of-print books on
music boxes and other mechanical music machines, along with Music Box
recordings, disks, and 88-note and Ampico music rolls.
A U.S. based organization with a major interest in
reproducing pianos, as well as all other pneumatically operated automatic
mechanical musical instruments.
Devoted to enjoying, preserving, and sharing knowledge of
all outdoor mechanical musical instruments, including band, fair, and street
organs, calliopes, and hand-cranked organs of all sizes.
GSM (Society for Self-Playing Musical Instruments), the
German society for all types of self-playing musical instruments. A "Shop"
page menu option displays a page containing numerous reprinted mechanical
music related catalogues.
"The KDV is a Dutch society for the preservation of fair
organs, street-organs, dance hall organs, orchestrions, and other automatic
musical instruments; their history and development, and their present
situation."
The Mechanical Music Digest is a popular, moderated
discussion forum in a newsletter format, and is distributed to subscribers
via e-mail. It is a good way to get to know collectors around the world.
An international organization primarily focusing on
musical movements and music boxes, but that additionally includes all other
aspects on mechanical musical instruments.
As stated in the web site, "The purpose of the National
Carousel Association is to promote conservation, appreciation, knowledge,
and enjoyment of the art of the classic wooden carousel and especially the
preservation of complete wooden carousels."
A group in Great Britain "founded in 1985 to breathe new
life into player pianos around the world, and to lure them back into the
mainstream of music by means of recordings, exhibitions, publications, and
archive and study facilities."
Founded in Great Britain in 1959, this group brings
together all those interested in the artists who recorded rolls,
techniques of playing the pedal player piano, restoration, materials, and
other related areas.
Founded in 1981, the Reed Organ Society is an
international, non-profit organization devoted to the appreciation, study,
collection, restoration, and preservation of reed organs.
Always Jukin' is an on-line magazine for Jukebox and Gameroom enthusiasts, with Jukebox, Pinball, Arcade, and Soda Machine articles, troubleshooting questions from subscribers answered by a technician, Tech Hints, Feature Articles on your favorite jukeboxes, books, service manuals, and supplies.
The information on this website is based on the documents in the non-commercial, private reference library Dansk Jukeboxhistorisk Arkiv, of which the objective is to collect and preserve historic information, sales brochures, advertising material, original factory and on location photos, patent reprints, service manuals etc. relating to the American nickel-in-the-slot machines, European coin-op gramophones, automatic multi-selection phonographs, and the modern style pre- and post-war jukeboxes, and to the audio/visual coin-op music machines of European and American origin.
Flippers is an on-line Pinball, Video Arcade, and Jukebox Corner Game Store. The Jukebox Help Page provides service information and it lists "fixers" located in Canada, United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
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Hack Mechanical Music Company -- Dick Hack
E-mail:
Restoration of all types of jukeboxes (coin operated phonographs), as well as coin pianos, orchestrions, and
band organs. Also new music rolls for the Mills Violano-Virtuoso, Regina Sublima, North
Tonawanda Pianolin, Wurlitzer Automatic Harp and others. Located in the Baltimore, Maryland, area.
This German site offers historical information and reproduction jukebox parts and accessories for various US and European manufacturers: Rock-Ola, Seeburg, AMI, Wurlitzer, Rowe, Tonomat, Bergmann, Jupiter, NSM, Wiegandt, Eltec, Deutsche Wurlitzer, OMT, Harting, BAL-AMI, Jensen et al.
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Rutoskey, John
E-mail:
Telephone: (410) 960-7816
Full restorations on all jukebox makes and models from any part of the USA, but service calls are limited to the Baltimore/Washington/Northern Virginia areas, and occasionally also New Jersey and New York. Familiar with Seeburg, Wurlitzer, AMI, and Rockola, plus the less well-known brands that include United, Mills, Aerion, Packard, and Capehart. John also does restoration work on coin pianos and band organs.
This site, by the late Tony Miller (a former Seeburg engineer), provides lots of service data, and commemorates most Seeburg jukeboxes, Home Stereo, Background Music, and Vending Machine products, and focuses on those built by Seeburg between 1949 and 1986.
Founded in 1979 to better serve the needs of jukebox collectors and dealers, Victory Glass, Inc., supplies a wide array of high quality reproduction jukebox parts for antique jukeboxes.
The “Early Music Machines” section of Rick Crandall’s Library site includes
his detailed articles on the Encore Banjo, the Engelhardt
BanjOrchestra, Gabel, the Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina Rollography, Peerless, the
Popper Felix, the Wurlitzer Automatic Harp made by J.W. Whitlock, the Boyer Museum, and Penny Arcades. Other library sections
are devoted to articles by and about Rick on Computer History, Hiking
Colorado Fourteeners, and Other Publications.
This site hosts information on optical music roll scanning
technologies, as well as providing a searchable database on AMPICO, Duo-Art
and Welte Mignon (U.S. made Welte) music rolls.
Philippe Rouille's site includes links to other
organizations and museums, mechanical music events and other information in
French, German, and English.
The Violano Rollography and the Violano Rollscanning
Project includes data for more than 3100 Mills Violano music rolls. The
database reports are made available for a nominal fee on CD-R in Microsoft
Access, Excel, and Word formats.
This site is a must see for anyone interested in learning
how Wurlitzer music rolls were made, and for the details regarding Wurlitzer
165 and 180 band organ music roll production. Detailed photographs of
Wurlitzer roll making equipment and research observations are included,
along with a tune/composer listing for most Wurlitzer 165 music rolls.
Restoration Services
Rebuilders and Technicians for Music Boxes, Automatic Pianos and/or Organs, Etc.
AMI Enterprises (John R. Grant)
14 E. 21st Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
410-952-8168
Fax: 410-685-1848
E-mail:
40+ years experience in restoration and maintenance
primarily for reproducing pianos (Ampico, Duo-Art, Welte, etc.), but also
have extensive experience with parlor reed organs, nickelodeons, and similar
pneumatically operated musical instruments. Member of AMICA, MBSI, and
Associate Member of the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG).
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Another Time Restorations -- John Pohlpeter
18347 South Redland Road
Oregon City, Oregon 97045-8823
(503) 631-8033
E-mail:
Restoration and repair of automatic musical instruments --
Player Pianos, Reed Organs, and Orchestrions.
Craftsmen working to preserve the history and glories of the past. Their work includes the restoration of Grand Pianos, Square Grand Pianos, Upright Pianos, Reed Organs, and Melodeons.
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Biasella, Jerry
Chicago Heights IL
(708) 756-3307
Restoration of coin pianos, orchestrions, reproducing
pianos, and band organs, since 1972.
Founded in 1955 by the late Dave Ramey, Sr., who received his education and training while maintaining the nickelodeon collection at Svoboda's Nickelodeon Tavern, Dave Ramey, Jr., carries on with expert knowledge passed down from his father. Along with restoration of automatic musical instruments, Ramey also manufactures new automatic musical instruments, beginning in 1978 with the new "Encore" Automatic Banjo.
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Eric, Christian (Chris) and Kathleen -- Music Box Repairs
Costa Mesa, California
(949) 548-1542
E-mail:
The Eric's do accomplished work on all aspects of music
box restoration, but do be prepared for any major project to be put on a
"wait list." Moreover, do reserve their efforts for the finer aspects of
music box restoration, as they do not have the time nor inclination to
repair the more modern and inexpensive novelty items.
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Gonzales, Stephen (Steve) -- The Rhone Corporation -- Case
and Piano Restoration
4931 Durfee
Pico Rivera, CA 90660-2488
(562)
695-0019
Complete piano action rebuilding and casework restoration
for any type of coin-in-the-slot piano or orchestrion. Capabilities
including major case repairs, repair and/or replacement of carvings, expert
refinishing, tuning, and other repairs.
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Hack Mechanical Music Company -- Dick Hack
E-mail:
Restoration of orchestrions, nickelodeons, coin pianos and
band organs. New music rolls for the Mills Violano-Virtuoso, Regina Sublima, North
Tonawanda Pianolin, Wurlitzer Automatic Harp and others.
Celebrating 40 years of doing mechanical music restoration work, specializing in the restoration of the Mills Violano-Virtuoso, including the installation of MIDI systems. Also the restoration of fairground organs, band organs, and other pneumatic operated machines.
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Historical Instrument Restorations -- Durward R. Center
Baltimore, Maryland
(410) 752-4771
E-mail:
Specializes in the restoration of barrel and paper roll
operated Welte Cottage, Concert, and Philharmonic Orchestrions.
Restoration of hand-cranked organs and fairground organs;
manufacturer of new organs and music.
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Johnson, Dana
17822 Carranza Lane
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(714) 842-0333
Specializes in the restoration of coin operated pianos and
band organs. Also an excellent source for finding and/or fabricating custom
reproduction parts for coin pianos, orchestrions, and band organs.
Restoration, Tuning, and Repair of Pianos, Player Pianos,
Reed Organs, Nickelodeons, Reproducing Pianos, Carousel Organs, and
Calliopes. Instruments for Sale.
Restoration, servicing, and tuning of orchestrions, coin
pianos, reproducing pianos, and band organs since 1964. Custom music roll
arranging and MIDI files. No music rolls are kept in stock.
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Rutoskey, John
E-mail:
Telephone: (410) 960-7816
Full restoration of coin pianos, orchestrions, and band organs. Also full restoration on all jukebox makes and models from any part of the USA, but service calls are limited to the Baltimore/Washington/Northern Virginia areas, and occasionally also New Jersey and New York.
A professional who enjoys working with and restoring all
types of automatic musical instruments, as well as designing and
manufacturing new mechanical music devices, too.
Mr. Yorburg is an established and recognized woodcarver
and restorer, specializing in amusement related woodworking, including band
organ facades, carousel pieces, penny arcade games, other architectural
ornamentation, and signage and lettering.
Tuning, repair, and restoration of Band Organs, Pipe and Reed Organs, Orchestrions, and
Reproducing Pianos. Also works with Custom MIDI Systems and transcribes
Music Rolls into MIDI Files.
Rollographies -- Music Roll Compilations External to this Web Site
Player Pianos, Coin Pianos, Orchestrions, and Violin Players
In association with the Carousel Organ Association of America, this broad based rollography features information for anything cut 8-to-the-inch. This includes Artizan band organs for 46 Key, 48 Key, 52 Key, 57/61 Key, 66 Key, 82 Key, and 87 Key music rolls; North Tonawanda Musical Instrument Works band organs and the Pianolin and Style "L;" plus historical perspectives and a Scale Summary regarding various music roll manufacturers that should be of interest to any band organ or coin piano enthusiast.
Over 650 out of a total of some 1270 “O” Rolls estimated made by QRS, U.S. Music, Columbia, Capitol and Clark are catalogued on this beautifully laid out web site.
Annual antique shows for talking machines, music boxes,
78rpm and cylinder records, and everything mechanically musical. Free
classifieds, newsletter archives, online show and many items for sale.
Le Ludion manufactures hand-cranked organs, street organs,
and a large library of music for new and old instruments on cardboard books,
music rolls, and MIDI microchips.
An easy to navigate web site featuring reference
photographs and audio samples, along with sections offering for sale a
variety of books, music rolls, player pianos, reproducing pianos,
coin-in-the-slot pianos and an occasional band organ.
Museum and sales outlet for new music rolls, music boxes,
singing birds, and animated whistlers. Also a manufacturer and restorer of
orchestrions, violin players and other related mechanical music machines.
Large web site covering just about everything related to
player pianos; technical articles, listing of technicians, as well as music
rolls and supplies for sale.
Specialists in 19th Century Music Boxes. The company was
established in 1966 in Camden Passage, one of the most important antique
centers in Europe, and has been trading at this location for more than
thirty-years. Their web site is elegantly simple, easy to navigate and its
pages are filled with beautiful music boxes for sale.
The J. Verbeeck Company, established in 1884, is world renowned for
the building of superb new Street, Fairground, and Dance organs, as well
as for the expert tuning, repairing, and full restoration of historic organs of all types.
The American Treasure Tour is an all-indoor massive collection of Americana ranging from antiques to kitsch to pop culture. The mechanical music display explores hundreds of machines, including coin pianos, band organs, and music boxes.
The extremely unique museum (the former home of Mr. Charles B. Brown, III, the museum's founder) houses a large collection of music boxes and other fascinating automatic musical instruments, as well as many other interesting items. The building itself provides guests with a most interesting experience as they pass from room to room, at times through hidden doors and secret passages.
This is a wonderful place for the entire family to enjoy
several automatic musical instruments, as well as all kinds of entertaining
rides, exhibits, shows, and a fabulous steam train ride.
This mechanical music oriented web site is for the whole
family, friends, and other mechanical music enthusiasts. Not only are there
lots of pictures to tantalize your interest, but many enjoyable audio clips
are available for immediate listening, too. Additionally, the site also
hosts a useful list of resource links.
The world's FIRST and ONLY Mechanical Music Radio Station. Listen to Fairground, Dance, and Street Organs, Pianolas, Music Boxes, Orchestrions and more. This station also reports news, information, and events relating to mechanical music.
The museum houses a permanent exhibit featuring 150 mechanical musical instruments and automata from the Murtogh D. Guinness Collection, accentuated by 550 additional items. 2:00 PM daily demonstrations. The Guinness Viewable Storage on the lower level provides public access to the collection in its entirety and the whole serves as a source for academic research, special bi-monthly programs, and demonstrations that highlight this extraordinary collection.
Jukebox and Pinball Museum, with about 850 jukeboxes and 250 pinball machines on display. One section is dedicated to the pre-jukebox area from 1880 through the 1920s and is all about music boxes, player pianos, orchestrions, etc.
The Music House Museum's mission is to collect, restore,
preserve, and display automated music machines and related Americana, and to
educate and entertain guests of all ages.
Founded in 1963 by the late Frank Holland, the Musical
Museum of London has been a valuable historic attraction for a long time,
and features many beautiful examples of automatic musical instruments. The
year 2002 was the last season in the old St. George's church, when the
museum was relocated to a nearby new purpose built building. A map of how to
get to the museum is provided on its web site.
The Nethercutt Collection speaks for itself, and can be
seen for free. San Sylmar not only has a superb collection of automatic
musical instrument, but has an elegant display of meticulously restored
antique automobiles as well. Across the street, the Nethercutt Museum houses
a lot more of J.B. Nethercutt's fantastic collection of vintage automobiles. Click here for information on how to arrange a visit. Children under 12
are not admitted.
Recreating the classic era of motion pictures, Old Town
Music Hall is the place to go for anyone who enjoys viewing memorable motion
pictures, with many silent movies accompanied by a magnificent Wurlitzer
theater organ. A schedule of attractions, along with show times, is
available at the Old Town Music Hall web site.
The large and impressive Sanfilippo Foundation collection encompasses a wide variety of all kinds of automatic musical instruments, ranging from small music boxes to coin-pianos, large orchestrions, band organs, and even larger dance organs, with the main featured instrument being a 4-manual Wurlitzer Theatre Organ. All instruments have been restored to the peak of perfection. Also on display are restored steam engines, a steam locomotive, and an assortment of other interesting machines of historical significance.
The three Zaharakos brothers opened their confectionery in 1900, which, ever since 1908, has been home to what is now the only Welte Cottage Orchestrion still in its original commercial location. Visit Zaharako's and see and hear the beautifully restored Welte Style 3 Cottage Orchestrion, located at 329 Washington Street, Columbus, IN.
Established in 1908 by the Zaharako family, the
confectionery is famous for its decor and turn-of-the-last century elegance.
The Welte Style 3 Cottage Orchestrion installed in 1908 continues to provide
a musical treat for visitors.
Other Music Related Topics
Standard Musical Instruments, Phonographs, et cetera.
It is the mission of this web blog to inform visitor's about the dynamics and intricacies that go into selecting the best record player, whether they be an audiophile, everyday mixer, casual listener, someone just getting started, or someone who is simply trying to buy a gift.
The Dolce Fine Violins web site offers a quality selection of antique and modern violins, violas, and cellos, plus accessory cases, a rent to buy program, and a repair service.
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Guitar Junky—a music-oriented digital magazine with reviews and guides on musical instruments.
Music Theory Fundamentals. Understanding and/or learning how to play a musical instrument requires a basic understanding of the different terms that are fundamental to music, and this web page introduces the fundamentals is a relatively simple, straightforward way.
In 1982 composers and musicians began using the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (or MIDI), a now widely accepted protocol because of its efficiency in the management of musical performance-related information. This article offers insight into the standards and best practices to give MIDI users a better understanding of how the system can work for them.
Cataloging music is not as easy as systematically organizing literature. This is because there are many formats across hundreds of genres and subgenres of music, and there are different arrangements, variations of the same song, and reductions of a particular music that can also make it especially difficult when cataloging music. This article helps a novice to understand the various elements that need to considered.
For the musical novice, there are guidelines that can help musicians and artists effectively catalog their work. This article explores 10 of the best practices for music cataloging.
The official O'Neill Brothers website, where you can get
information about upcoming concerts and recordings, and buy their CDs,
tapes, and sheet music. Over 700,000 of their relaxing piano CDs sold!
This is an easy to navigate website designed to help aspiring musicians. It is a music hub offering equipment reviews, how-to guides, production tips, and other useful musical information.
