Further to recent comments of mine regarding Concertolas, I just
wanted to add a brief note to redress some of the less than glowing
accounts I have come across during my interest in Aeolian's various
player mechanisms.

As I have said, and as many of you will know, the Concertola was
a device that could be loaded with 10 Duo-Art rolls, and which would
subsequently play them as a continuous programme, or individual rolls,
at the touch of a button.  Models were made for Duo-Art pipe organ
and for the Duo-Art reproducing piano.

Too often, the rumour is that these were vastly expensive toys
that would rip your best rolls to shreds, and were better not used.
Mr. H.C. Frick was certainly incapable of using his.  I am writing
just to say that so far, my recently restored machine (serial no. 204)
does just what was claimed of it by the manufacturers and, to be
honest, I still cannot believe it!

Just to continue my observations a little further, I have had quite
a lot of experience with Duo-Art organ players over the years (this
will be the fourth one I have restored) and I know how careful one
has to be with the original rolls -- especially when rewinding them.
I have probably shredded half a dozen in my time and, despite care,
I may have damaged more.

At the end of the selection, the Concertola snaps the re-wind mechanism
into action, and is set so as to do the job at seemingly break-neck
speed.  If the roll does not re-wind fast enough, I find that the
loading rod does not have enough momentum to snap back into the clips
which hold it on the drum.  Initially I was alarmed, but have now
learned to trust this good old relic of the late '20s.  To date I have
had probably one hundred or more rolls in its clutches, and I hate to
disappoint the detractors, but it just goes on working!  I am very
impressed.

To what do I attribute this success?  Certainly not to any skills as
a restorer I may or may not possess.  I have re-tubed it, checked all
valves and other pneumatic components, and re-covered all pneumatic
motors with tosh or pouch leather as needed, but the secret of its
success is just that it is a very clever piece of design work, and
a beautiful piece of engineering.  It is not, however, fool-proof.
I am quite sure that I will loose a roll or two when I get over
confident, and consequently careless, but I am equally sure that it
will be "operator error" to blame.

At this stage I am expecting and finding some bugs in the system and
I find this very disheartening.  That's just me, and it is to be
expected.  Two major difficulties were overcome when I went back and
re-did some work that I found faults with (there's honesty for you!).
I do not claim to have overcome every little issue yet, and during
this period of letting things settle, monitoring and testing, I am
daily amazed that it works as well as it does.

It has been a lot of work, I have had a lot of luck I'm sure, and
I guess I must have learned _something_ over the years I have been
restoring mechanical musical instruments.  I would also like to
conclude by putting on record my gratitude to Bob Taylor, of Columbia,
Missouri, also a Concertola owner, who has often been able to point
me in the right direction when nothing seemed to be going well.

I will soon post some pictures of this amazing device for others to
share and comment on, and if anyone else has pictures of Concertolas,
working or not, or tales of triumph or despair, I would love to be
in contact, either privately or through the MMDigest.

Paul Morris
musicurio@yahoo.co.uk.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]
http://www.paulmorrismusic.co.uk/