At the height of the revival interest in the around the 1960s-70s,
I was active in both MBS and AMICA and there were constant, lively
conversations about which system was best.  Answers depended on whether
you spoke with fans who loved the instruments and music, or technicians
who were servicing and/or restoring.  These issues I think have been
well covered here recently, both in terms of the technical complexity
and available music.

I'm convinced that for most owners, it was the music, the arrangements
and the artists.  Most collectors, I think, had one system, or at least
one predominant favorite.  Heavy duty collectors had more than one,
although there was really no-one else like J.B. Nethercutt who had
everything, and had some genius build a computer enabling pretty much
any roll to be played on any instrument.  Incredible!

I was a piddling volume collector, I guess: three identical style
walnut grands: Steinway Duo-Art, Knabe Ampichron B, and Welte-Mignon
whose brand eludes me now but knowing it was not of the highest rated,
I think it was an Estey.  And it played just fine, even with a cracked
sounding board!  Unfortunately, over several decades all three of them
were ruined by the same technician, that I thought was capable and
a friend of mine.  Like they say, live and learn.

After a lot of discussions I came to the conclusion that, especially
among the majority of owners who had one or possibly two systems, the
sole one they owned or the first one acquired seemed to make those
owners fans of that system, whichever it was.  My first was the
Steinway, and I preferred the Duo-Art music.  I had several thousand
Duo-Art rolls, then some hundreds of Ampicos (now down to a few of
those nifty Christmas rolls with their fascinating boxes!), and perhaps
a few dozen Welte-Mignons.

I always wanted to have someone adapt a Welte piano so it would play
both sizes of Welte rolls, as I acquired a good size collection of the
T-100 Red Welte rolls but never the instrument to play them.  I wanted
but couldn't find a technician to undertake the changeover to a movable
block, etc., which I had hoped to put into one of those giant original
Weltes that Dave Bowers was importing.  They all thought it an
abominable thing to do.  I recognized it wasn't original, but figured
if Welte had stayed around long enough they might well have done it
themselves, although of course most of the Red rolls were edited down
to Mignon size, but with some loss in the translation.

But my biggest type collection of rolls?  Taking into account all
three of these systems, plus a modest but desirable batch of 58- and
65-note rolls (which I played on my Clark Apollo Upright Grand with
multi-tracker and pin-end system -- a fine instrument which I wish I'd
never let go): Several thousand 88-note rolls of everything, especially
whatever ragtime rolls I could find, thanks to the influence of good
friend Max Morath and a bunch of the other raggers from that period.

But my tastes ranged into most popular and classical types, save
perhaps Shostakovich or Prokofiev or some of the experimental rolls
made, as I recall, in Mexico, which a lot of atonal banging.  An
eclectic accumulation, yes, but very pleasing to this lover of most
music who foolishly gave up playing the piano at age 12 or such and
forgot everything he learned about playing, except how to appreciate
as a listener.

I deeply wish I still had my Steinway and perhaps a few hundred rolls
to play, but alas I had to give up all some years back, and now live
in a tiny home where there's no room.  But my fond memories are very,
very strong and rich!  Hardly a day goes by without wishing I still
had a favorite roll or LP recording, such as Gershwin's "Sonny Boy"
(one of two arrangements of that song on Duo-Art) or the very early
Capitol 10" LP by Joe "Fingers" Carr wherein he brilliantized with
"The Entertainer's Rag".

No, not ubiquitous "The Entertainer".  The "Entertainer's Rag" was
"Yankee Doodle" and "Dixie" played together, with some other things
stepping in and out of the fray.  Far from classical, but brilliant and
classic.  More than once I asked Max Morath to play it.  But he always
demurred, saying he knew it, but didn't try to play it!   Our loss.
But what a gift the rest of his career has been to us all.

Lee Munsick