Hello all, This is my first posting on this very informative site
although I have been following the discussions here for a few months.
I recently took the plunge and purchased my first player (1914
Ellington Manualo).  I am currently enjoying reading several books on
players dealing with there identification, history, servicing and
repair.

At this point I am just generally polishing brass such, as the tracker
bar (without getting any polish in the bar), brass hinges, pedals,
sustain lever, forward and reverse lever, the two brass striker plates
in the roll box that prevent a flapping roll tab from damaging the wood
in the box, and dusting the exterior.  (I don't think the piano has
been touched in 20 years and was stored in a garage.  In fact, it had
been left there by the prior owner of the garage and I bought it from
the new owner of the garage who said it was "in the way".)

It came with about 90 rolls, most are missing tabs and are very ragged
on the edges, and I thus have not attempted to play them (most rolls
are circa 1920s Fox Trots).

Music has always been a joy of mine (can't play a single note but have
a good ear) plus I have long enjoyed working with wood and I have
collected early brass era cars for 25 years thus the marriage of antique
machinery, fine wood cabinetry (this Ellington case is made of tiger
oak and is comparatively ornate) and music seemed perfect for me.

Mr. Ellington (so named by my 82-year-old mother who remembers as a
young girl being allowed to treadle one while the adults talked in the
other room) plays with the electric motor in a fashion (it fails to
sound about a half dozen notes and the others are in bad need of tuning
and it loses tempo in the middle of a roll?) but I can't pump it fast
enough to play manually (I can see a hole in the bellows that mounted
under the keyboard).

It has rained here in Atlanta every day since I got it (5 days ago) and
so it has provided me with something interesting to do to not get cabin
fever.  It is fascinating to a first-timer to admire the engineering
embodied in these wonderful machines.  My wife asked me at 2:00 AM
Sunday morning just how long I intend to look up, down, in, out,
through and across this thing while it was playing!  Anyway, I would
very much like to correspond with anyone who may have an Ellington
and/or a Manualo.

Musically Yours,
James Farris
farrisjames@webtv.net.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]