Brian Smith's comments on the Mills Violano Virtuosos were interesting.
I can certainly see why someone would find the violins screechy or
harsh, but I thought I would add my thoughts about these instruments.

I've only been fortunate to hear one Violano in person -- the double
Violano from the collection at Clark's Trading Post in New Hampshire.
That has always been one of my favorite instruments.  Although I agree
the violins certainly play very high pitches, I find the sound pleasant
and interesting (although this is certainly a matter of personal taste,
and it's true that most human violinists would be unable to accurately
hit those pitches).

As much as I enjoy the sound of the instrument, I suppose my real
fascination lies in the mechanics of the instrument.  It's quite an
accomplishment, in my eyes, and is really fascinating to watch.  Even
if I didn't particularly like the sound of the instrument, I think
I would still be fascinated by watching it operate.  I have neither
seen nor heard the Hupfeld instrument Brian refers to, so I can't
comment as to how it compares mechanically or instrumentally.

I have also heard the recordings available through Carrousel Music of
Dick Wilson's double Violano, which I enjoyed and which don't sound
particularly harsh to my ears.  My family's home video recordings of
our trips to Clark's certainly stand in testament to the fact that
these instruments are difficult to record, although I don't allege that
our old camcorder is very good recording equipment by any means.

I can certainly understand why someone who was interested in
these instruments purely on a musical level might not enjoy them
(instruments, especially violins, in very high pitches are certainly an
acquired taste), and I don't mean to speak for anyone else who enjoys
Mills Violanos, but as a mechanical music enthusiast, my interest in
these instruments is largely mechanical as well as musical.  For that
reason, I don't think Brian's comparison to Seeburg keyboardless
automatic pianos (wonderful though they are) is particularly fair.

The quality of the arrangements used by Mills on is rolls is another
question altogether, and one that I suppose could be argued either way
(although I do enjoy those arrangements).

I might suggest to those who don't enjoy the sound of these
instruments to look at them from a different perspective, a mechanical
one.  I really think that these instruments can be enjoyed even by
those who might not like their sound as much as the sound of other
instruments.  I know for sure that if I could accurately hit the high
pitches Violanos hit, screechy or not, I'd certainly move up a chair or
two in my school's string orchestra!

TJ Fisher,
fresh off our mild earthquake in Washington, DC