Dear Robbie and Group;  A response to Jonathan Holmes' thoughts about
"butchering" a T-98 green to play Red Welte rolls.  I, for the most
part, am in agreement with Jonathon but wish to suggest one slight
exception.  Green rolls are scarce.  I'd grow weary of the same
box-o'-rolls no matter how well they played, and I've only seen one
T-98 ever.  That was an art case Bech and, unless the owners had more
rolls stuffed under the mattress, I'll bet their weary of the small box
of music it came with.

Devil's advocate for a moment;  let's suppose one built a separate
spoolbox (maybe sort of like a Duo-Art Concertola) and could either
tee into and/or utilize magnets to play _whatever_ roll is at hand.
I would suggest that cutting the tubing (which would hopefully be new
tubing anyway) isn't quite the same as carving out major structural
components of the instrument.  The point being this: I think it is
perfectly fine to consider a type of carefully made "adapter" provided
the instrument remains unmolested/unchanged concerning its originally
intended operation.  I have an adapter that fits in my car cassette
player that now plays CDs just fine without having to alter anything.
(Too bad the car's worthless, but you get the idea.)

Just to make things "fit" because Aunt Margie's tattered copy of
"Silver Threads Among the _old" doesn't play properly on a metrically
scaled tracker bar would certainly and absolutely be "butchery!"
Those responsible for such "repairs" ought to be strung up with their
own rusty piano wire.  Or forced to listen to it; I don't know what
could be worse than that.

Incidentally, I've encountered quite a few reproducers of lesser fame
(such as Art-Echo, Artrio Angelus, Empeco, etc.) that have been
"neutered" and now only play the QRS top 100 via Grandma's 1955 Kirby
vacuum wheezing away in place of the original dynamic component
goodies.  A shame indeed, but geez, some of these rolls are really
tough to find.  And just maybe, or simply put: that's part of the
fun in it, yes?

No "hornet stirring" for Holmes (or anyone else) from me tonight!
We agree that carving up what's left of these rare machines in order
to make them play some other formatted roll is no less than "butchery"
in kind terminology.   Rare circumstances might occasionally merit
consideration of a "Concertola adapter unit" of some sort but only
in the most unusual situation and only if the original integrity/
intent/operation of the unit can be honestly preserved.

This subject might very well open up a few possibilities for those of
us that have oddball roll-playing machines to others actively seeking
them; thus a logical trade could occur...  Anyone interested in a
Hammond BA 120-note player organ in good shape?!

Eric J. Shoemaker