I have sad news.  I just got off the phone from a conversation with the
inheritor of Robert Heilbuth's estate and it sounds as if Heilbuth's
band organ has been partially destroyed.

The inheritor explained that, due to a relationship breakup, he had
to leave the Heilbuth house (apparently very quickly), and though he
was able to save most of Robert's other items and put them in storage,
only the "brain" part of the band organ survived.  I imagine by that he
meant the roll-player was saved, but most or all pipes, etc., are gone.

He also said that he still had "most" of the paper rolls for the band
organ, as well as the pipe organ that I inherited.  (Again, Robert's
band organ rolls, though using a Wurlitzer tracker bar as a point of
departure, were fitted with extra notes, etc., so that these rolls can
not be played at all on a standard Wurlitzer roll system -- and the
rolls for the three players on my organ all have nothing to do with
Wurlitzer, and only fit that one organ.)

The inheritor is going to keep in touch with me about his plans for
Robert's instruments, manuscripts, etc.  He does intend to give me the
band organ's "brain"; I'll be interested to see if it's enough to allow
a reconstruction of the rest of the instrument.  I'll keep you informed
as plans develop,

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news,

Timothy Tikker
Ann Arbor, Michigan
tikkertimothy@gmail.com.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]

 [ See and hear Heilbuth's band organ in the YouTube video at
 [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5At0FSdY7w4  -- Robbie