Thank you, Tim Trager, for sharing this background info about the
Boveys, Virginia City and Nevada City, and the mechanical music
collection. I remember visiting both these historic towns, as a kid,
in the 1960s. It was a wonderful experience to see and hear all those
great music machines.
The Nevada City Music Hall was filled with all kinds of mechanical
organs, lined against the walls, including a roll-operated Wurlitzer
theatre pipe organ (and with a few pipes patched with duct tape).
It also housed one of the three surviving Wurlitzer style 180 organs.
The 89-key Gavioli was quite impressive. As a child, it seemed so
huge! I'm curious as to which instruments are still on display.
The Bale of Hay Saloon had an equally impressive assortment of
nickelodeons and orchestrions. I remember seeing two Seeburg J
orchestrions, on either side of the front door. One had the Capitol
Dome art glass, and was wired with a set of Deagan Unafon bells.
The other had the art glass removed. The question is, which Seeburg J
is up for auction?
[ Andrew Barrett reported in 000724 MMD that it's a J with
[ Capitol Dome glass. -- Robbie
There was an LP made of the Virginia City/Nevada City instruments,
in the 1960s, on the Century Records label. It was re-released in the
1980s, under a different label. I have a copy of both. The Seeburg J
with Unafon bells is featured, playing an unknown rag (solo piano with
bells).
Sharon Marie
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