I've recently become involved in the restringing of a Seeburg L.  This
is the truncated compass small nickelodeon with only piano and mandolin
rail.  There are eleven wrapped (bass) strings, and the rest are plain
wire.  Shortly the actual stringing will be complete and it will be
time to chip it up to pitch.

Can any of the nickelodeon experts on this list tell me what note the
first _plain wire_ string is?  The owner believes it's an A#.  That's
handy, but which A#?  I am inclined to think, judging from the speaking
length and wire gauge, that if it is indeed an A#, that it would
probably be A# below Middle C.  Can anyone confirm this, or correct me
if the above information is incorrect?

Thanks in advance,

Dean Randall,
at the freezing point on Puget Sound, Washington

 [ While we're at it, we should ascertain if the absolute tuning pitch
 [ of the Seeburg 'L' does, or does not, match the standard A-roll scale
 [ that begins at bass C = 65.4 Hz.  I've heard small cabinet pianos
 [ playing A-rolls at two or three notes higher pitch than normal; the
 [ 'L' may be one of these transposed instruments.  What scale of wire
 [ sizes and string lengths did Seeburg use when the pianos were built?
 [ That data might determine the transposition.  -- Robbie