Here is a link to a video of my circa 1915 Telektra 88-note full
reproducing piano player recently installed in a very nice 1901
A. B. Chase upright piano. Other than changing the bridal straps
and cleaning, some regulating and tuning (thanks to John Wrasse),
the piano is all original.
Ideally it would be nice to put new hammers and dampers on the
piano along with changing the center pins to a smaller size.
The action is just a bit stiff right now. This would allow for
downward adjustment of the playing level settings for each half
of the magnet stack.
The Telektra is a surprisingly good reproducing system. Both
the "arranged" rolls as well as the hand-played rolls sound
convincingly realistic, with very subtle expression and tempo
changes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxKcGmowp2I
In this earlier video is the 104-volt motor-generator set that
provides the 14 volts D.C. that runs the system. It sits in the bottom
of the player cabinet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lKbu9xDuhw
Thanks to Brad McClincy and Joe Hilferty for the furniture moving to
bring the piano out to my living room. :>)
Dave Krall
[ "The Butterfly: Morceau Characteristique for Pianoforte",
[ by British light music composer, Theo. Bendix, was published
[ ca. 1894 and became a popular concert piece for flute and
[ clarinet, e.g., Arthur Pryor's Orch., 1904. -- Robbie
|