We are downsizing our collections, and are selling our rare Tel-Electric
piano and roll collection.  The piano is unique, in the literal sense
of the word.  It is the only known factory piano, with "Tel-Electric"
and "1907" cast in the plate, and "Tel-Electric" on the fallboard
decal.  All other known systems are after-market installations of the
player mechanism.

The piano is a quality instrument, a 56" upright, mahogany finish,
includes sostenuto, and the tone is good.  There are no known defects
with the piano, though it needs complete rebuilding, after over 100
years of use.  It needs refinishing, and some of the veneer is
separating.  The player mechanism works well.

The Tel-Electric system is all electric, driving the keys and pedals
with solenoids.  The roll player is a separate console, connected to
the piano by a fat cable.  It is a 65-note system, and has 3 expression
levels, under control of perforations in the rolls.  It also has
accent, and sustain and soft pedal functions, also controlled by roll
perforations.

The keys are pulled down by a rotary magnet bank under the keybed,
using a system that completely isolates the key from the magnet when
the piano is played by hand, so the touch is not affected by the player
mechanism.  An original roll cabinet/console stand is included, as are
a spare console and spare parts.

The rolls are made of sheet brass, about the thickness of piano roll
paper, and are enclosed in metal canisters about 5" long.  Until 1912
they were all arranged, after which they were mostly hand played by
well-known guest artists.  The catalog of rolls was quite large,
perhaps as many as 8,000 titles.  We know of over 4,000 that were
issued.

Our collection includes around 900 rolls, plus a lot of duplicates.
Many rolls are quite long, with multiple tunes.  The catalog shows over
100 rag type rolls, of which we have around 50.  Some of the tunes are
not otherwise known.  Rolls continue to show up on eBay for $10-$20.

Volume 6 of our Rollography is a 600+ page catalog of Tel-Electric
rolls and a technical discussion of the system.  It is available in
PDF form from AMICA.  Contact us if you are interested.

Bob Billings
Reno, Nevada
tel.: 1-775-853-4659
perforator@sbcglobal.net.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]