Hi,  my name is Thomas Jansen and I write from Monschau, Germany.
When I got involved with mechanical music instruments about 25 years
ago, I had neither any idea what would happen to me, nor that these
contacts with 'music machines' would change some ideas I had about
my way of living.

I got my first player piano when I was looking just for a piano to have
some lessons.  Soon after advertising in the newspaper, a phone call
arrived that immediately caught my interest.  I was studying at that
time, so my pocket was rather empty, and the piano offered was quite
cheap.  I did not hesitate, the piano was bought very quick, even if
it had a real bulky case and looked somewhat rough and quite dirty.
At this moment I had no idea that this purchase would add some very
unexpected experience to my life.

I had my first look into the instrument when some helpful people and
I tried to lift it for transporting.  Never before in my life I had seen
a piano like this, with an old-fashioned electric motor inside and an
tremendous amount of mechanics that looked very mysterious to me at that
time.  I had no idea what I had purchased, and I could not realize that
this was a Phillips Pianella with a five-roll changer!  Unfortunately,
things like that happened only once in my life, it was just "beginners
luck".  Funny, I remember that I was deeply disappointed at the first
moment, and thought that I wasted my money!

After having a real close look to the interior, I immediately got
deeply fascinated by the details I could see.  I was interested in
everything mechanical since I was a little kid; I remember lying on the
floor watching the old motor, made by the Julius Kalb & Co. factory of
Leipzig, running smooth and silent.  It was fun and a real pleasure.

Today, I am still fascinated by these old music machines.  For 20
years I've been busy as a full-time restorer of all kinds of pneumatic
instruments.  My workshop and my private collection are located in
Monschau, a several-hundred-year-old historic town, close to the Dutch
and Belgium border.

The small but qualified and enthusiastic crew at the workshop is busy
restoring old instruments, as well as building new orchestrions and
organs for collectors in small quantities.  Seven years ago, I built a
roll-cutting machine, which allows recuts for all kinds of music rolls.

If you ever plan a trip to Germany, please feel welcome to visit us in
Monschau.  I'm happy to join the MMD,

Best regards from snowy Monschau

Tom Jansen

 [ Gee, Tom, that's a rare and wonderful experience you had!  Welcome
 [ aboard MMD, and I hope you will share more stories like this.  We
 [ certainly want to hear about the system you built which makes and
 [ copies music rolls.  Every day our old rolls grow more fragile!
 [ -- Robbie