The sound of wooden violin pipes has to do with their voicing,
regulating and the way the music rolls play them.
To hear how effective a set of American-made violin pipes can sound,
listen to a well-restored Wurlitzer Solo Violin Piano. This instrument
plays Philipps Paganini arrangements (as well as _Wurlitzer_ Paganini
arrangements) on American-made wooden violin pipes. A nice-sounding
example is on display at the Milhous museum in Florida, which is
occasionally open for MBSI and AMICA meetings.
Many ranks of wooden violin pipes that the J. P. Seeburg Piano Co.
installed in its orchestrions have just as fine and keen a string tone
as those made by the Wurlitzer company. Seeburg did not make its own
pipes; many ranks of wooden Seeburg pipes were made by the A. Gottfried
Company of Erie, Pennsylvania, a renowned pipe organ supply company
whose pipework appears in pipe organs of many different brands.
The very rare metal Seeburg violins were supplied by Jerome B. Meyer &
Sons, Inc., of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Meyer firm is noted for its
exceptionally fine quality metal pipework. Jerome's great grandson
Andy and his family continue the business today. Their excellent work
appears in restored instruments in several notable orchestrion
collections.
Art Reblitz
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