For sale: Tel-Electric piano and rolls, including console and roll
cabinet.  This is an upright, quality piano with good tone and action,
including sostenuto.  The piano is the only known one directly sold
by the T-E company, as it has "Tel-Electric" cast in the plate,
along with a 1908 date.  All other known T-E pianos were after market
installations of the player system.

Included are about 800 rolls and 300 duplicates, plus a complete
after-market system, 4 spare consoles and 2 spare roll cabinets and
many other parts.  Also included are an original motor/generator power
supply and an electronic power supply.  The player is working.

The T-E system originated from a design done in the late 1890's, and
was first produced in 1907 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.  The rolls are
made of thin brass, and contained in individual canisters that fit in
the reader (console).  It is a 65-note system with expression, 3 basic
levels plus accent, sustain and soft pedals.  The notes and pedals are
operated by electromagnets, with the note magnets under the keybed.

The company did well until 1917, when World War 1 caused their brass
supply to vanish.  They converted to war goods production, and never
returned to player production.  Their roll catalog contained perhaps
6,000 titles, but most of the rolls were lost to scrap drives in WW1
and 2.  Early rolls were all arranged, but in 1912 they began issuing
hand-played rolls.

Volume 6 of our Billings Rollography contains the Tel-Electric history,
technical discussion and catalog of the known rolls.  Available from
AMICA on CD.

No reasonable offer will be refused.

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