Last week I spent too much time and money acquiring a Piano Melodico,
a small table player dulcimer that works from zigzag cardboard book
music similar to a Dutch street organ's.  Mine is very close to playing
condition and came with six rather short book pieces.

Most impressive is that it was in almost perfect tune (except for
one broken string), even though the seller swore he hadn't touched it.
(Note: it's always better if the seller has not "just had it tuned" any
stringed instrument, since now you know it holds its tuning for more
than a day).

Given the many wooden framing members under the cast iron frame, and
the full-size piano tuning pins, I shouldn't be surprised that it's
still in tune, but still ... !

The compass is 30 notes over three octaves, with the top octave fully
chromatic -- very flexible for music arrangers.

It plays with a fast reiterating action, giving a decidedly Eastern
European atmosphere.  However, my six books are Western Euro pieces.

Bowers' Encyclopedia shows a whole family of Piano Melodicos, although
none exactly like mine.  Mine has four bulging screw-on legs but with
no stretcher shelf underneath -- unfortunately, such would really help
the wobbly legs.

Mine has three expression controls: a general soft lever, a damper lift
for the bass/tenor strings (yes, it has dampers like a real piano), and
sliding mutes, or dampers, or buzzers, for the treble strings.  All
notes are double strung except the six lowest, which are wound or
"overspun."

Major impediment to getting mine playing is one hand-made replacement
finger in the keyframe, which is sticking.  Shouldn't be too hard to
file it down.

Is there anyone else who has had experience with a Piano Melodico and
would like to share some tips?  Who would like to hear more about mine
and what happens?

Who would like to sell or exchange music books, or would be interested
in recutting music?  Seems like an easy machine to cut music for, with
its wide scaled key spacing that looks like the paper-as-valve reed
organettes.  Thin shirt-type cardboard is used, not the thicker
corrugated seen in street organs.

Should there be muting felt in the "dead" zone of the strings, between
the bridge and the tuning pins?  The bridge is a very well made piano
type design.  Anyone have experience with unwinding overspun bass
guitar strings to expose the bare core, when restringing barrel pianos
and the like?

Thanks, Mike Knudsen