Steven and MMD,  I too built an O-roll player orchestrion in the
1970s, or in my case, I started it then.  Like Fritz Gellerman put it,
"It is still one of my favorite instruments."

My orchestrion was built on the base of a Stroud "Metro-Style
Themodist" player piano.  It had been a failed restoration attempt
of a non-mechanical music-based wood-butcher.  The piano had no white
keytops left, it had no roll frame or air motor, and it was missing
nearly all of the player linkage.  I first tried to restore it as a
player and did have it working in that form for a short while.  I got
it playing with the help of a modified Schulze roll frame and wind
motor.

The roll frame I used had come from a player that had flipped out of a
truck and was laying on its top as "road kill" on the corner of Delor
and Kingshighway in South St. Louis.  (Needless to say, I stripped that
piano carcass down like a hungry vulture.)

As the year went on, I decided the re-work my project as an
orchestrion.  I designed and built all of my instruments before
changing anything my now working piano.  All the instruments were made
up to play and screwed to a table in my studio as I completed them.
These included: metal bell bars, a tambourine, a triangle, a wood
block, two drums, and two cymbals.  Piano expression and a harpsichord
rail were added to the mix when I got to install the works into the
piano.

Then there was a matter of a roll frame.  Lucky for me Play Piano Inc.
had been involved in a project to re-make a stock unit and I was able
to get parts from them to build mine.  Anyway, I could go on and on
(as we tend to do that when we love to do something).  You can see from
the text I have offered above that I can be too rich with details.

In the end I built an orchestrion that has taken me 30+ years to
assemble and is quite unique.  My home-built instrument can only be
described as a 7'-6", Stroud based, "O" roll, Duo-Art orchestrion, that
plays 65- and 88-note rolls, Dou-Art rolls (with full expression) as
well as 65- and 88-note Themodist rolls.  (Three years ago I made the
parts to play square driven 58-note rolls.)

I don't think this project will ever be finished.  I can say, however,
it has been evolving for quite awhile now and it has been fun.  I have
been at this mechanical music stuff for many years now and I try hard
to encourage new collectors in their projects.  On the other hand I
would never encouraged a new collector to destroy a complete vintage
machines.  I have, and will continue to, truly enjoy my project piano.
I also love to hear of collectors, who have given a second life to well
intended project disasters.

Thanks, Steve for bringing this venue to the front again and allowing
me a chance to remember the beginnings of my long-term home-built
orchestrion.

Gary G. Stevenson
South, St. Louis, Mo.

P.S.: If MMDers (or you, Steve) would like to see a photo of my personal
orchestrion, It can be seen it at my web site www.studio801.com
If you hit my name at the bottom it will give you links to me and show
some of my other works and projects.  Just keep in mind the site is,
like my orchestrion, "a work in progress".