Contents for today's Mechanical Music Digest (05.03.17)

 

  Subject: Bacigalupi and Sons, San Francisco Organ Firm   (Robbie Rhodes)

 Subject: Coinola Color Poster                            (Don Teach)

  Subject: Internet Auction Bidding War                    (Rob Case)

  Subject: Internet Auction Bidding War                    (Mark Kinsler)

 

  Subject: Roll-Playing Electronic Player Organs           (Kermit Raydon)(fwd)

  Subject: Adding Pipes to "O" Roll Orchestrion            (Don Teach)

  Subject: Adding Pipes to "O" Roll Orchestrion            (Paul Camps)

  Subject: Adding Pipes to "O" Roll Orchestrion            (Nicholas Simons)

 

Robbie Rhodes, Editor

 

Previous Digest: 05.03.16

 

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From: editor@foxtail.com.geentroep (Robbie Rhodes)

To: rolls@foxtail.com, balioth@austin.rr.com.geentroep (Bill Finch)

Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 01:23:43 -0800

 

Subject: Bacigalupi and Sons, San Francisco Organ Firm

 

In MMDigests of 1997, Bill Finch mentioned a firm in San Francisco called Bacigalupi and Sons.  I wrote him yesterday asking if he had any more information.  The account following is Bill's reply plus pertinent material from his 1997 articles.

 

The Bacigalupi referred to might be Louis Bacigalupi (Sr.), born in Berlin in 1872, who had four sons and settled in America circa 1916 and is known to have dealt with carousel builders and showmen such as C.W. Parker.  But we don't know for sure if it's Louis (Sr.), and there is much confusion with the unrelated family of Peter Bacigalupi, of San Francisco, who imported organs from Europe in 1906 and sold Edison phonographs.

 

Has anyone more information about "Bacigalupi and Sons" of the 1920s?

 

Robbie Rhodes

Etiwanda, Calif.

Mechanical Music Digest

 

 -- -- --

 

In 1952 I worked at Playland Park in San Antonio, Texas.  The park had purchased the 1917 Parker 4-row "Grand Jubilee" carousel in 1940 from Ralph Balaban, who was a former manufacturing supervisor at C.W. Parker in Leavenworth, Kansas.  Ralph had worked at Parker from the 1920's until Parker folded in about 1933.

 

The Wurlitzer 146 band organ at Playland Park had about 75 Style 150 rolls.  Some were labeled Wurlitzer, some Parker, and several had an imprint reading "Bacigalupi and Sons, San Francisco".  This is where I first heard that name.

 

Ralph Balaban maintained the equipment twice a year and in 1953 I asked him about the source of the rolls.  He said that when C.W. Parker folded, Francis Bacigalupi, of Oakland, California, bought the master rolls and production perforator.  Bacigalupi set up the perforator and produced rolls under the Bacigalupi label.

 

A later conversation with Harvey Roehl suggested that Parker had business dealings with a firm with the name "Bacigalupi and Sons" in San Francisco.  They acted as a distribution and maintenance resource until about 1925.  I believe he learned this information from David Bowers.  Harvey had seen rolls with the Bacigalupi name.

 

The Bacigalupi references are mostly anecdotal, based on what anthropologists call the verbal tradition.  The only thing I know for sure is that I have seen "Bacigalupi and Sons San Francisco" stamped on a band organ roll.

 

Bill Finch

 

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From: donteach@shreveportmusic.com.geentroep (Don Teach)

To: "Mechanical Music Digest" <rolls@foxtail.com>

Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 09:50:28 -0600

 

Subject: Coinola Color Poster

 

Player Piano Co. should still have the Coinola poster as well as the John Tuttle Player-Care site.  Do a search on the word "Coinola". I have posted several copies of original Coinola posters on the MMD picture site that can be downloaded and printed.

 

Most of what I have posted has never been issued in reprint form and I am embarrassed to say what I paid for that material which is free to you if you download and print it.  I have downloaded and printed from the MMD web page to test the quality, which is very good if you use a decent color printer.  I have also never heard from anyone that they have downloaded the material or if they even appreciated the material being given to them.

 

Don Teach

Shreveport, Louisiana

 

 [ Visit http://mmd.foxtail.com/Pictures/Coinola/coinola_cards.html

 [ -- Robbie

 

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From: erc@charter.net.geentroep (Rob Case)

To: "Mechanical Music Digest" <rolls@foxtail.com>

Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 06:10:22 -0600

 

Subject: Internet Auction

 

Per the pamphlets that just sold on eBay for way too much:  I submit that this is a case where the use of AuctionSniper or another such program for last second bidding did its thing just as it was intended. The computer at 'Snipe doesn't send you a note that asks, "Are you really sure you want me to bid that much?"  It just does it, and the result is exactly what happened.

 

I have little sympathy for buyers that use a blind bidding service. The use of such services seems to take away the challenge and fun of real auction bidding.  Therefore, whenever I bid on anything on eBay, I always ask myself what is the maximum amount I would pay for this item if I saw it in real life, e.g. antique store, swap meet, etc., and I bid accordingly.  If a Duo-Art roll comes up that I really want, am I willing to pay $25.00 for it? Or would I have actually paid only $20.00?  Buyer beware it would appear has a deeper meaning than just concerning the actual item up for bid.

 

I do not like nor do I condone the use of services like AuctionSniper, as they seem to take away the human element and fair sportsmanship aspect of a 'live' auction.  However, for the auctions that I do win, at least I know that I didn't pay too much.

 

I do not get wrapped up in bidding wars.  Thank Goodness!

 

Yours from Central Wisconsin,

Rob Case

 

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From: kinsler33@hotmail.com.geentroep (Mark Kinsler)

To: rolls@foxtail.com

Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 11:31:31 -0500

 

Subject: Internet

 

I personally dislike the competitive aspects of buying on eBay, though it has no peer in the areas of 'price discovery' (a good term I learned from a trip to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange) and for dealing with small lots of odd items.  It's also a marvelous educational medium.

 

Bidding, however, requires a degree of nerve and determination that I don't have.  As Kenny Rogers (American singer) once instructed in the matter of poker playing: "You've gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and when to run."

 

There are people who enjoy this sort of thing.  My guess is that they may place the items back on sale at eBay to see if they can make their money back.  It doesn't seem impossible that eBay is used as a form of gambling by some.

 

If I was going to deal in an activity like this, I'd likely choose items that are generally appealing and easy to ship and which show up well in photographs: the mechanical music advertisements listed here would be ideal.  You wouldn't want to get involved with, say, used commercial floor polishers if all you wanted to do was speculate.

 

However, I once saw a gentleman buy a heavily-discounted hammer-drill at the local Odd Lots store.  His purpose, he said, was to sell it on eBay.

 

Mark Kinsler

Lancaster, Ohio, USA

http://home.earthlink.net/~mkinsler1

 

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From: kermitraydon@aol.com.geentroep (Kermit Raydon)(fwd)

To: rolls@foxtail.com

Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 07:23:36 EST

 

Subject: Roll-Playing

 

 -- non-subscriber, please reply to sender and MMD --

 

I am seeking information about electronic keyboard player organs that play the traditional paper music rolls.

 

I saw my first and only new player organ in a music store in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1968.  I had just finished restoring my first player piano at the time.  I believe the organ was made by Kimball.  I would like to learn if anyone else like Baldwin, Wurlitzer, Conn, Lowery, etc., made them, and when.  I know that Thomas and Gulbransen made one.

 

I would like to obtain an electronic player organ.  I have two player pianos and a large library of music rolls.  I would appreciate any information/knowledge on the subject of player organs that you may be able to provide.

 

Thank you,

Kermit Raydon

Louisville, Kentucky

KermitRaydon@aol.com.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]

 

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From: donteach@shreveportmusic.com.geentroep (Don Teach)

To: "Mechanical Music Digest" <rolls@foxtail.com>

Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 09:45:37 -0600

 

Subject: Adding Pipes to Roll Orchestrion

 

The great Style "O' roll already has holes in the roll to turn on and off a set of pipes and a set of bells or xylophone -- no multiplexing is required.  Adding pipes or bells to an existing homemade player piano that plays the "O" roll is something that should be left to someone with experience working on these machines, or a least someone who has experience with player pianos.  Pipes require air pressure to operate them as well as a vacuum source to actually play each note in the pipes.

 

There are also holes in the roll to operate drums and other percussion devices, as well several expression holes to control the vacuum levels for the piano and drums.  The roll also operates the soft pedal or hammer rail, enabling the "O" roll to offer some degree of expression. In my opinion one of the greatest pianos playing the O roll is the Coinola X model with bells.  It is a lively music maker.  Several Coinola X models seem to appear for sale every year.

 

Don Teach

Shreveport, Louisiana

 

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From: bobajob@pcamps.freeserve.co.uk.geentroep (Paul Camps)

To: "Mechanical Music Digest" <rolls@foxtail.com>

Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 15:25:24 -0000

 

Subject: Adding Pipes to "O" Orchestrion

 

Hi All, I built an "O" roll orchestrion for the Ashorne Hall collection, (now in the hands of Retonio Galleries, Switzerland). It included a rank of flutes and a rank of reeds, glock and xylophone, and a full range of percussions. It would take too long to explain how I did it but it was a great success and crowd puller at Ashorne.

 

Suffice it to say that on the O-roll frame I was using there were 90 holes in the note run.  I utilized the extra two holes to operate electric relay lock and cancels which gave me the additional switching facilities.  Of course, it's necessary to doctor the rolls a bit, but it does not affect their playing on standard O-roll systems.  Anyone wishing to know more can e-mail me privately.

 

Paul Camps

 

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From: njas@btinternet.com.geentroep (Nicholas Simons)

To: "Mechanical Music Digest" <rolls@foxtail.com>

Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 18:53:26 -0000

 

: Adding Pipes to "O" Roll Orchestrion

 

To get the best effect from an O roll orchestrion you should operate the pipes from tracker bar holes 13 (on) and 19 (off), and the glockenspiel from holes 14 (on) and 17 (off).  You may find that the original manufacturer duplexed the on and off holes so the single extra instrument operated whenever Instrument 1 or Instrument 2 was requested by the roll.  If this is the case you will need to retube your existing lock and cancel.

 

Also, please remember to add the mechanical mute for the requisite 24 notes on the piano which engages whenever either extra instrument is playing.  The extra instruments play one octave below the piano notes punched into the roll from which they play, and by muting the piano notes when the extra instruments play you get the intended overlap of the scales and no piano duplication of the extra instrument melody.

 

Nicholas Simons, GB

 

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End of Digest 05.03.17

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