Adding Xylophone in Seeburg Model L
By Don Teach
I have never seen or heard of a factory-made Seeburg Style L with
a xylophone. There are two model "L's". The small cabinet piano that
many people refer to as an "L" is often referenced as a Seeburg Junior
by some collectors or as a "Lilliputian". The other "L" is the large
piano with pipes and a keyboard. There was also a small 54-note
cabinet model piano with xylophone known as a Seeburg "C", housed in
a slightly larger case than the Seeburg Junior or "L" (Lilliputian).
Adding a xylophone to a small cabinet model "L" would be a major job
if you were trying to make it look original. There are at least three
different types of stacks used in small cabinet models. The most
common stack is the two-tier stack similar to the stack found in most
Seeburg K or KT instruments.
The K type stack has a thicker back board that holds the deck rails.
This thicker back gives room for the vacuum channels to supply the
necessary vacuum to trigger the valves in the xylophone. The valves
in a Seeburg xylophone typically are triggered by a vacuum signal from
the valve well. The main vacuum supply to the xylophone comes from the
distribution box in the bottom of the piano. A typical xylophone from
a Seeburg K or E (two of the most common pianos that had xylophones)
will not fit into an "L" cabinet case as it is too wide.
Currently I know of no one offering reproduction Seeburg parts.
I have made the xylophone stack, as have others when they needed one.
It is more of a job to make one than you might think. I spent the
better part of a week fabricating all the wood parts and metal
hardware.
Don Teach
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(Message sent Fri 1 Feb 2008, 15:52:58 GMT, from time zone GMT-0600.) |
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