For 28 years I had a 1929 small "Western Electric Piano", coin-op,
55 notes, purchased at auction. It had been modified to look like
a Nelson-Wiggens, to play "G" rolls instead of "A" rolls, with a
xylophone added, cymbal (tubed to the bass drum notes), tambourine
(tubed to snare drum notes) and triangle, etc. It sounded fantastic,
particularly when playing rags and Mexican music. I disconnected the
xylophone cut off so the xylophone always played.
We kept it in our printing shop accessible to customers; many enjoyed
dropping a dime to play it. It was small and I could slide it into the
back of a mini-van without help by laying it on it's back, and easily
haul it around town for parties, meetings, even church picnics etc.,
sometimes for hire, usually just for the fun of it. It stayed in tune
well; I tuned it once in 28 years. It was much admired by the public
and a real joy until we sold our shop and I got older and couldn't
handle it anymore.
Dale Gunnar
Corpus Christi, Texas - where our temperature is in the upper 70s today.
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