Andy Taylor makes a good case for the problems of re-cutting rolls
and the small sales of them to potential buyers.

The problem, as I see it, is that no one seems to know early enough
when these rolls are being done and who is doing it, so they can get
in on the program.  Like Dick Hack's posting in 000412 MMD mentioning
Duo-Art organ rolls long after the subscription program is over.

There is no available listing by any hobby type organization I am aware
of.  For some perverse reason AMICA will not do this, issue a complete
buyers guide to all recut rolls on a yearly basis.

May I suggest that MMD certainly could do all of us a grand service if
in one of the MMD postings you would print a list of those who recut
rolls and what type of rolls they offer.  This information is just not
available, at least I sure don't know who re-cuts what!  Make it a
special MMD issue.

I am interested in and am buying Aeolian Duo-Art and Welte,
Welte-Kimball organ rolls.  Only recut Duo-Art rolls as the original
paper is now so bad that I hate to think of playing them.  Welte is a
lot better, as long as the rolls are not the original German paper,
which is awful.  The Kimball cut rolls are just fine and on good paper.

The Kegg Organ company is recutting Duo-Art rolls of extremely high
quality and in the latest MMD, now I read that Dick Hack was doing the
same.  Too bad I didn't know of his rolls or I would have bought them
along with the Kegg rolls, as long as the titles didn't overlap.

Jim Crank

 [ Editor's note:
 [
 [ The main reason that there is no permanent list of recut rolls for
 [ pipe organs and rare orchestrions is that they are often one-time
 [ subscription projects.  The project organizer contacts everyone he
 [ knows who has original copies of the rare rolls, and then he spreads
 [ the word of the project to sign up subscribers.  The one-time costs
 [ (a special punch and die set, etc.) are enormous, as you can imagine,
 [ so the per-unit cost decreases with more subscribers.
 [
 [ There was no formal announcement in MMDigest of Dick Hack's
 [ subscription project, which I believe began around 1992.  He made
 [ passing mention in 960801 MMD.  The project was delayed awaiting
 [ construction of the special 176-channel roll reader and perforator
 [ at Play-Rite.
 [
 [ MMDer Karl Ellison is compiling an up-to-date list of music roll
 [ suppliers (those who maintain a stock ready-to-ship).  Charles
 [ Kegg will be listed, since he announced that his company, Kegg Pipe
 [ Organ Builders, would offer the music rolls for several years.  See
 [ "New Recut Aeolian Duo-Art Pipe Organ Rolls" in the MMD Archives
 [ (990220 and 990305 MMD).
 [
 [ -- Robbie