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MMD > Archives > April 1997 > 1997.04.06 > 08Prev  Next


Telectra Piano
By Bill Ryan

With the congratulations on your second anniversary, I felt it was time
to bring up a few questions on our MMD.  I am embarrassed in one way with
this question, but I have not seen any mention at all in the archives of
the life and death and music media for our reasonably locally produced
Telectra piano.

This is and was a dandy instrument.  If you did not want the upright or
the grand in sight, all you had was the nifty little playback unit with
its copper plates and so on.  These were made in Pittsfield, Massachu-
setts, 20 miles from me, and I only know of a few in existence, which of
course are not working in any way.

Art Sanders had one in his greeting room opposite his Poughkeepsie Red
Roll Welte upright, which (the Telectra) at times would give forth a
wonderful rendition in unison with the Welte.  The red roll was to be
asked for specifically on the Welte (Art kept a few on the top of the
upright), and the one to ask for and maybe still, is Eugene d'Albert's
rendition of the Paderewski Minuet.

I know one reply might be the source of energy (electric) to run the
little table console which was about as large as an Edison generic
cylinder player.  The advertising for this Telectra usually showed a
well-to-do family sitting at a dining room table, not a piano in sight,
but the beast with the copper plates sitting near the head of the table.

Has anyone else experienced, owned, played with or destroyed one of these
piano+ with its R2D2 C3PO attachments.

Bill Ryan


(Message sent Mon 7 Apr 1997, 03:26:18 GMT, from time zone GMT-0400.)

Key Words in Subject:  Piano, Telectra

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