Hello MMD readers,  A few days ago I noticed a question about the
1937 series of Janssen electric players which were produced in the
late 'Thirties, presumably up to the start of World War II.

While I have not seen one in person, I have run into several people
in New England (one in the Boston Chapter of the AMICA club, back in
the days when it was a well-attended group) who had one of these
players.  All supplied me with photographs, believing that it was
"the only instrument ever made".

These were designed in the style of Early American upright secretaries,
featuring a limited scale piano action (somewhere between 61-75 notes,
I would assume).  The piano keyboard was hidden behind the slanted
front panel which formed a desk; as I recall, the pictures showed that
these instruments could be used for a writing desk as well!

The two or three I've seen in photographs had book/roll cases above
the piano portion of the instrument.  One of them, the Mass. area
model, even featured a built-in radio for the lower part of the
bookshelves, which, in turn, were fitted with glass doors and cloth
curtains which hid the books, rolls and/or radio dials when closed.

The radio-piano model came with wartime correspondence between the
man's relatives (who purchased the player originally) and the piano
company.  It seems that the radio needed repairs, but the manufac-
turer wrote back that they were busy building other things for the war
effort, so they suggested that the owners seek a local electronics shop
for that kind of service.

All these particular Janssen players were of the 'Recordo' design --
convenient, since Imperial Industrial Co. (QRS) in the Bronx maintained
a _large_ library of titles for this 'reproducing' system, continuing
to the start of the 1960's, when I worked there on several roll ar-
rangements.  Many of these expression roll offerings were listed in
the 'Favorite Selections' broadside brochure, sent on request up to the
end of the 1950's, as I recall.

I suppose one of the Welte-Mignon 'reproducing' actions could have been
installed as well, since I've seen fake Orthophonic phonographs which
featured a limited scale Licensee action (and "The Master's Fingers On
Your Piano" on the door which covered the 'horn' but which really
concealed a spoolbox!).

Art Sanders was rebuilding one of these Italianate Welte pianos at one
time, which is where I had the opportunity to examine it, carvings and
all.  The same piano was used for the more well known Brunswick radio-
phonograph-Licensee combination.  Neither instrument had a keyboard,
as I remember, unlike the Janssen models.

The impetus to install a Licensee action (or Welte 'Original', if
such existed by 1937) would have been very low, since while the
Imperial Industrial Co. duplicated the Welte-Deluxe library of snappy,
effervescent Lutter-made brown box arrangements, the series ended about
1931 so wouldn't have been up-to-date as much as the 'Recordo' library
of rolls.  With a restricted keyboard and the use of the instrument for
"background music purposes" any Weltes that were installed would indeed
be a rarity, I should imagine.

When confronted with photographs of the Mass. area radio-player
combination, I could have taken the opportunity to see the actual
instrument, which was 'working' at that time.  However, those who
know me realize that I'm not turned on by designs which trivialize
the piano (the Seeburg 'Phon-O-Grand' being another example), feature
a less-than-complete scale and also possess little or no Pianola
controls -- necessary for overriding the generally lackluster
commercial 'reproducing' rolls and/or interpreting the ubiquitous
88-Note variety.

It's typical that "close out" instruments and machines are often
designed to _look like something else_ in their final days.  The
celebrated Raymond Loewy designs first began with the Gestetner
silk-screen mimeograph, and revised editions continued through his
lifetime.  (Artcraft rolls still use oil-based ink with old Gestetner
equipment for printing the roll labels.)

When Xerox-style printers eventually cut into the market and these were
followed by computer equipment, the last Gestetner mimeos were designed
to "simulate" the appearance of the new copy machines!  Instead of
being called silk screen duplicators these "look alike" late
mimeographs were called "Plain Paper Copiers", even though an
electronic stencil scanner was needed for the "copier" to "copy".

I see those dials for the tempo on B-Ampico grands as a homage to
radio during their "close out" era, and in fact, some Ampico radios
were made, often stuffed into the roll cabinets being offered about
the same period.  Fischer Baby Ampico uprights were also fitted with
"Chickering" plates and offered as dining room buffets, with a key-
boardless 'reproducing' piano inside.  These, however, did possess the
complete Ampico scale for the expression rolls; I have seen and heard
several of these instruments in my time.

How many were made of the Janssen 'Recordo' and/or Welte secretaries,
I don't know, but several existed in New England in recent years.
Janssen sold Welte-Mignon non-player grand pianos through the 1930's
as well, and possibly beyond.  The Welte-Mignon Corp. used to be in
the New York telephone directories through the 1950's, and this is
before the revival of the name for the console uprights which used
standard 88-Note rolls.

Hope the above sheds some light on the unusual 'reproducing'
player/furniture by Janssen, in the mid to late 1930's.

Regards from Maine,

Douglas Henderson
Artcraft Music Rolls
Wiscasset, Maine 04578
http://www.wiscasset.net/artcraft/