The AMICA News Bulletin Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association January/February "'9 Volume 25 • Number 1 The AMICA News Bulletin Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association EDWIN WARD, Publisher 191 Riverview Drive (419) 849-2616 Woodville, Ohio 43469-9745 Published by the Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors' Association, a PUBLICATION DEADLINES FOR 1988 non-profit group devoted to the restoration, distribution and enjoyment of For JanuarylFebruary issue ............." December 15 musical instruments using perforated paper music rolls, AMICA was For March/April issue February 15 founded in San Francisco in 1963. For May/June issue .......................... .. April 15 For July/August issue ... _..................... .. June 15 For September/October issue. ................ .. August 15 For NovemberlDecember issue. .............. .. October 15 CHAPTER OFFICERS FOUNDING CHAPTER IOWA Pres: Gene McGraw Pres: Rex Fritts Vice Pres: Bill Wherry Vice Pres: Leland Zimmerline Treas: Elmer Klein Sec!Treas: Ed Pousch Rep: Dick Reutlinger Reporter: Al Johnson ADVERTISING Sec: Jack & Dianne Edwards Classified: lO¢ per word, $3.00 minimum for members. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BOSTON AREA Non-members may advertise at twice the above rate. Pres: Jerry Pell Pres: Judy Welsh Vice Pres: Frank & Shirley Nix Vice Pres: Michael Potash • See Bulletin Deadlines ,on this page. Payment must SeclRep: Susan Pell Sec: Bill Koenigsberg accompany order. Make checks payable to: Treas: Pat Hodge Treas: Philip Konop AMICA INTERNATIONAL. Reporter: Donald Brown TEXAS NORTHERN LIGHTS • Checks or money orders from advertisers in foreign coun­ Pres: Richard Tonnesen Pres: Jerrilyn Boeh1and tries must be drawn on a U.S. Bank. Vice Pres: Becky Newton Vice Pres: Tom Wurdeman Display Advertising Sec{Treas: Janet Tonnesen Sec: Dennis Dahlman Rep: Wade Newton Treas: Robert & Katheryn Dumas Full Page 7Y2"xlO" $100.00 Reporter: Ruby Ahneman Half Page 71/2"x4%" 50.00 5 MIDWEST SIERRA-NEVADA Quarter Page 3 / S"x4%" 25.00 Pres: Liz Barnhart Pres: Bob Patton • Each photograph or half-tone $7.00. Vice Pres: Barry Leedy Vice Pres: Richard Riley Sec: Russell & Jeanne Bloss Sec{Treas: Gail Shinn • See Bulletin deadlines on this page. Treas: Alvin Wulfekuhl Reporter: Julie Riley "& Bob Patton • We recommend display advertisers supply camera-ready Reporter: Margaret Frazer copy. Copy that is oversized or undersized will be changed PHILADELPHIA AREA CHICAGO AREA to correct size at your cost. We can prepare your adver­ Pres: Paul Dietz Pres: Rob Deland tisement from your suggested layout at cost. Vice Pres: Dave Charrier Vice Pres: Barry Schultz Sec: Bob Rosencrans Sec: Fred Plank • Payment must accompany order. Typesetting, layout or size Treas: Bob Taylor Treas: Joe Pekarek alteration charges will be billed separately. Make checks Rep: Reporter: Mel Septon payable to: AMICA INTERNATIONAL. SOWNY (Southern Ontario, HEART OF AMERICA Western NY) Pres: Charles Tyler • Checks or money orders from advertisers in foreign coun­ Pres: Gary Lemon Vice Pres: Gerold Koehler tries must be drawn on a U.S. bank. Vice Pres: Jim Barley Sec!Treas: Kay Bode Sec: Janie McCleary Reporter: Willa Daniels • All ads will appear on the last pages of the Bulletin at the Treas: Mike Walter discretion of the publisher. Rep: Stan Aldridge Publication of business advertising in no way implies AMICA's ROCKY MOUNTAIN SOUTHEAST AREA: endorsement of any commercial operation. However, AMICA Pres: Larry Kerecman Pres: Wayne Edmonston reserves the right to refuse any ad that is not in keeping with Vice Pres: Owanah Wick Vice Pres: Gordon Belcher AMICA's general standards or if complaints are received in­ Rep: Art Reblitz Sec!Treas: David Burke dicating that said business does not serve the best interests Sec: Don Wick Reporter: David Burke Treas: Jere DeBacker of the members of AMICA according to its goals and bylaws. LADY LIBERTY GATEWAY Pres: Lenny Finkel Pres: Roger Wiegand Single back issues of the Bulletin Vice Pres: Oliver Vitakis Vice Pres: Deanne Wiley Sec: Michelle Pollitt Sec:rreas: Mary Wilson are available from the Publisher Treas: John Ellems Reporter: Marilyn McGartland for $2.00 each. Rep: Dennis Valente AMICA International INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS PRESIDENT Ron Connor AMICA - 1988 - AMICA (SOl) 636-1749 Route 4, Rogers, AR 72756 PAST PRESIDENT Terry Smythe SIL VER ANNIVERSARY (204) 832·3982 55 Rowland Ave., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3J 2N6 CONVENTION VICE PRESIDENT Robert W. Taylor (314) 875-6111 June 22-26 2508 Cimarron Dr., Columbia, MO 65203 SECRETARY Mel Septon San Francisco, California (312) 679-3455 9045 North Karlov, Skokie, IL 60076 Hosted by Founding Chapter TREASURER Larry Norman (213) 538-9461 • Do you wish to become a member of AMICA? ~ 17700 Avalon Blvd. #295, Carson, CA 90746 Write to Membership Secretary. PUBLISHER Edwin Ward Annual fee for U.S. members $22 (419) 849-2616 Canada and Mexico (air) $28 191 Riverview Drive, Woodville, OH 43469-9745 Other non-U.S. countries (surface) $28 MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY Valerie Anderson New and lapsed members add processing fee. .. $ 5 New memberships Home (803) 791-1487 • Has your address changed? P.O. Box 172, Columbia, SC 29202 Write to Membership Secretary. BOARD REPRESENTATIVES • Do you have a contribution for the Bulletin? Founding Chapter: Phil McCoy All subjects of interest to readers of the Bulletin are en­ Southern California: Mary Ulien couraged and invited by the Publisher. Every attempt will Texas: be made to publish all articles of general interest to AMICA Midwest: Vincent Ricca members at the earliest possible time and at the discretion Phildelphia Area; Bob Rosencrans SOWNY: Jan Drewniak of the publisher. See Bulletin deadlines on previous page. Rocky Mountain; Larry Kerecman lady Uberty: John DeParis AMICA International News Bulletin Iowa: Alvin Johnson Boston Area: Sanford Ubman Volume 25 Number 1 January/February 1988 Northern Ughts; Tom Olds Sierra-Nevada; Ray Bauer CONTENTS Chicago Area: Features Heart of America: Ron Bopp 25th Silver Anniversary Convention Program Taking Shape 2 Southeast Area: Wayne Edmonston Steinway Grand Saved by Signatures. .............. .. 3 Gateway; Roger Wiegand Unanswered Questions. ......................... .. 4 Ruth Bingaman-Smith. .......................... .. 5 COMMITrEES Leopold Stokowski ............................. .. 6 TECHNICAL, Harold Malakinian Piano Repair Team Rebuild Player " 7 2345 Forest Trail Dr., Troy, MI 48098 Piano Man - Player Pianos Pump Again 8 ARCHIVES, Bob Rosencrans SNC to Honor Composer Leo Ornstein, 95 " 9 109 Cumberland Place, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 Leo Ornstein and Ampico Join Forces " 10 Shura Cherkassky Gives Concert " PUBUCATIONS, Edwin Ward 11 191 Riverview Dr., Woodville, OH 43469-9745 Brea Pair's Home is Alive with the Sound of Music " 12 Rock-Ola, the greatest jukebox name of all 13 AUDIO-VISUAL, Harold Malakinian R.S.J.O 14 2345 Forest Trail Dr., Troy, MI 48098 The Barrel Organ Goes to Church " 13 CONVENTION COORDINATOR, Uz Barnhart Dana Suesse 15 919 Lantem Glow Trail, Dayton, OH 45431 Roll Box Labels " 22 In Defense of the Original Duo-Art Expression Box " 23 Variations In The Welte-Mignon Expression Devices .. " 27 AFFILIATED SOCIETIES - See May/June 1987 issue for addresses Supplment No.2, 1986 Membership Directory Center Section The Player Piano Group (England) Departments The North West Player Piano Association (England) AMICA International 1 Netherlands Mechanical Organ Society - KDV President's Comer 2 Australian Collectors of Mechanical Musical Instruments People " " 5 Dutch Pianola Association News From the Chapters " 16 Society of Friends of Mechanical Musical Instruments (Germany) Technicalities ............ " 23 Classified Ads 32 DISCLAIMER: Acceptance of articles for publication in the AMICA News Bulletin does not imply a guarantee of the accuracy of the facts contained Cover: Honorary Ruth Bingaman-Smith at the height of her career in any article, nor an endorsement of an author's recommendation. as a Welte Recording artist, circa 1925. The President's Corner ... went through 50 (!) quarts of oil before it got home. Amicans It's hard to believe two sure have fun in interesting ways. months have gone by since I now had a couple of weeks to try to learn to play the I last sat down to jot down a few lines for the Bulletin. Orchestrelle before the Heart of America Chapter descended It's been a busy two months on us for the Christmas meeting. Dave can really make it sing, but I still make a lot of noise fumbling around for the right com­ for me. First, we helped move our son, Frank, to bination of stops, tempo, etc. while trying to keep the manual­ ly adjusted tracker bar centered on the tiny holes ofthe wander­ Houston, Texas, where he ing 116 note rolls. Really, it's fun and you'll have to ask the is begimling his career as a Heart of America members how it sounds. Next I have to find computer programmer. Then it was off to Saline, a keyboard (I think I have one located) and repair and refinish the cabinet. I do have some misgivings about covering the Michigan, to the home of beautiful work Dave and Tom did. Amicans Dave Ference and Tom Todd who have been restoring our Aeolian Solo I'm not yet used to printing lead times and realize I should Orchestrelle. We spent an enjoyable day there poking around have expressed season's greetings to you in the last issue. As local antique shops and then packed'up the Orchestrelle for its I write this we are just getting to the peak ofthe holiday season, trip back to Arkansas, accompanied by Dave and Tom. Pro­ but any wishes I express will reach you long after the season gress was hampered by the fact that this crew does not pass is over. Anyway, I hope you all had a Merry Holiday Season antique shops easily, especially when hauling a trailer that still with those dear to you. I also hope your New Year's resolu­ has some room in it. A word of warning - no matter how good tions include one to attend the San Francisco Convention.