Okay, Don -- there are more than four of us! My dad had a small
manufacturing business and most of the machine work was done in his
buddy's house in Minneapolis. The buddy had an old player piano
(a Holland, I think) and, at 8 years old, there was nothing I'd rather
do than pump that player until my knees hurt. Since my dad spent lots
of time there, I got lots of exercise! Somehow that led to my interest
in reproducing pianos, and that led to electric coin pianos and
orchestrions.
As far as what I own in this area, the cornerstone of my budget-driven
collection is a Coinola Midget Orchestrion (model O I think, piano +
xylo + percussion) which was expertly rebuilt by Craig Brougher. It
is a real joy to me, and in the summertime I can put a nickel in and
listen to it in the front yard! I also have a Link 2E that I am
carefully rebuilding, and early tests are promising -- Link music is
unique and intoxicating.
The missing element for me (had to avoid saying "missing Link") is a
piano with pipes, so I'm scratching around looking for a Seeburg 'E'
or something comparable. I will say that for me, recognizing the vast
array of beautiful instruments people are fortunate enough to own,
I love the music and fun of the nickelodeon best. So I guess there are
more than five of us!
Steve Cobb
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