This little offering is with respect to Ellsworth O. Johnson's
MMD submission, "Joseph Tushinsky's Welte-Mignon Roll Changer",
of October 18, 2002.

As I do often these days, my mind was wandering in wonderment over
past associations, acquaintances and friends of the living and sadly
(mostly) no longer. Two happened to have been known piano dealers
of Washington State, namely Frank Adams of Seattle and Ellsworth
O. Johnson of Spokane.

Checking on-line rendered nothing for Mr. Johnson but one reference,
that to an oblique mention of him by someone else here at The MMD.
Checking as well the authors' index, lo-and-behold I was to find that
he had contributed here a number of interesting submissions.

Naturally, the one first catching my eye were ones featuring Joseph
Tushinsky's name in their titles. From our one of present interest
I quote in-part from the first paragraph:

"In the mid 1970's I spent an evening at Joseph Tushinsky's home and
saw the Vorsetzer that his people had built that would play all the
types of reproducing pianos...."

Of course the builder was not "his people" at all, but rather yours
truly. A most curious thing was that J.S.T. had not made clear to him
(seemingly) as to who was the more usual suspect responsible.

Continuing and finishing with same, getting to the very meat actually
most interesting, "...Robbie Rhodes described the mechanism quite
accurately." Fascinating! It would be interesting to many, so I suppose,
to discover the what-and-how of this, no?

Of more substance was his last paragraph which discovery was quite
useful to myself for remembering: "I ran across some old business
records today and I noticed the Welte Licensee grand, with the side
cabinet with the 10-roll changer, I had sold unrestored to Mr. Tushinsky
for $2600 in 10/18/1968."

So, that pinpoints the date of myself and my business partner's
visit to Spokane, to investigate by examination what Joseph Tushinsky
subsequently quickly bought.

Truly, it was gem of a thing. It consisted of the upright casework
housing the ten-roll changer mechanism, which was all complete and
clean, and the grand which was an "Original" operated by a bank of
electro-magnets with no inner roll player works. (Identical practically
to the Death Valley Scotty's one attached to the Welte-Wurlitzer
Philharmonic organ. More about this adventure in re-building and
servicing, complete with a snow-storm, in a separate submission.)

Both the piano and changer-works cases were in matching walnut having
modest elegant carvings like bundles of rods with cross banding similar
to that of facis. They were one extraordinary pair visually. They had
retained their original finishes which were darkish-original, showing
much grain fire through the only barely crazed varnish. Soon after,
they arrived with a few rolls at the factory then located in Sun
Valley, a section of San Fernando Valley in California.

As I discovered after receiving my first check for services-rendered,
it was tagged as being for a "Project X." This I noted but did not
inquire about further. As it was to turn-out, it was the first-seeding
for the future PianoCorder!

For the next twenty years I was to be its caretaker and maintenance
man. It was always chasing after me, not myself after it. Even after
J.S.T's demise, once again there it was right where I was living (then
in Tarzana, earlier West L.A.), awaiting my attentions at the behest
of the estate executors!

After putting it right once more, back again it went to the Encino
house while I tended to reassembling the thing described above -- which
was not the production of "his people."

The pitiful creature, which by this time I'd grown somewhat fond of,
got shopped around, finally being sold for a giveaway price as I recall,
to someone residing in the Southeast. And from there, as far as I am
aware, it's sad trail goes cold, then dark.

It is too bad that Mr. Johnson did not reveal the name of it's original
owner. (Larry Givens, perhaps?)

Jim Miller
Las Vegas, Nevada

Ref.
https://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/Digests/200210/2002.10.17.03.html 
  Joseph Tushinsky's Vorsetzer, By Richard Stibbons
https://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/Digests/200210/2002.10.18.05.html 
  Joseph Tushinsky's Welte-Mignon Roll Changer, By Ellsworth Johnson