Original Catalogue Specifications:
-
Wurlitzer
#23203 stamped on piano pinblock.
- Philipps Chassis Nr. 4901.
- Revolver Mechanism (roll changer) #???
- Unit chassis with separate wrap-around case (with integral floor)
format.
- Standard 6 station, friction drive revolver mechanism (roll
changer).
- Round belt/chain & sprocket reduction for feeder (pump) crankshaft.
- Wurlitzer pneumatic lock and cancel controls.
- Manual on-off control for violin pipes.
- Uses Wurlitzer Mandolin PianOrchestra or Philipps Pianella
Mandolinen (P.M.) rolls.
- Tracker Scale: Pianella Mandolinen (P.M.)
- Height: 8 ft. 6 in.
Width: 5 ft. 6 in.
Depth: 3 ft.
Shipping weight: 1,500 lbs.
61 Note Musical Scale:
- Piano (Wurlitzer 56-note), with Mandolin attachment
- 37 Violin and Violoncello Pipes (30 wood violins + 7 wood
violoncellos)
- Chimes, 13 bars (orchestra bells)
- Tenor drum (reiterating action)
- Bass drum, with cymbal
Special Lighting Effects:
- In addition to interior lighting to illuminate the colorful art
glass panels, atop the PianOrchestra sits a Peacock type "Wonderlight."
The large, circular peacock's tail consists of a reflective metal
shroud, bent to form many individual reflective "facets". Behind the
peacock's decoratively painted cast metal body is a tapered glass tube,
with an electric light bulb inside. The glass tube is painted with
transparent pigments in a design representing peacock tail feathers.
When the PianOrchestra is operational, the glass tube rotates, driven by
a pulley on the backside, which is connected via a round leather belt to
another, smaller pulley located on the pump crankshaft. As the painted
tube rotates, colorful tail feathers are projected onto the reflective
metal shroud's facets, producing a striking, moving kaleidoscopic
effect.
Notes:
- The piano bass is strung with two unison strings, with a third
string an octave lower, for a total of three strings for each bass note.
- The eight rectangular sections in the lower parts of the roll case
door, situated just below the glass music roll viewing window, are for
holding tune-cards, which were individually printed cards somewhat like
the standard music roll labels. These cards could be easily slipped into
an appropriate slot by removing the holder assembly from the backside of
the roll case door. Six music rolls per changer load, six tune cards.
So, then, why eight slots? Many early Wurlitzer instruments had the
ability to display up to eight tune-cards, even though only six rolls
could be loaded on a machine at any one time. The two "extra" slots were
used for instructional cards, i.e., how to use certain aspects of an
instrument. Different styles of Wurlitzer instruction cards have been
observed explaining things like (1) how to use the coin accumulator,
i.e., you get one tune for each nickel deposited, up to about twenty,
and (2) how to select a specific music roll on a roll changer equipped
instrument. However, for the PianOrchestra there is no provision for
selecting a specific music roll, as with many of the Wurlitzer 65-note
coin-pianos, so perhaps there were other kinds of instruction cards
unknown to this author.
Chronological History:
Circa 1912/14
Chassis and the majority of its components manufactured by J.D. Philipps &
Sons, Bockenheim, Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany.
Circa 1912/14
Chassis components imported by Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, New York.
The chassis is basically Philipps, with components added by Wurlitzer.
The piano, mandolin attachment, pipes and pipe chest, lock and cancel
controls, drums, and associated actions and the free-standing, wrap-around
furniture case appear to all be Wurlitzer designed and manufactured
components. The coin-accumulator and all associated electricals were added
by Wurlitzer.
Circa June 16, 1915
Shipped to Kemmerer, Wyoming
The PianOrchestra was originally shipped to Kemmerer, Wyoming, with a Weathered Oak finish. The name of the original purchaser and/or type of establishment in which it was used is unknown.
Circa ????
Robert Caudill (a.k.a. "Doby Doc") collection, Elko, Nevada.
Robert Caudill (a.k.a. "Doby Doc," the name a possible contraction from
"Adobe Doc") was a Northern Nevada rancher and collector of Western relics
for some 35 years, before becoming the curator of the "Last Frontier
Village," a Las Vegas strip tourist attraction established by William J.
Moore, Jr., in the early 1940s. Robert Caudill was a collector on a large
scale, hoarding items such as mechanical pianos, guns, lamps, chamber pots
and various Indian artifacts. He reportedly had over 900 tons of relics kept
in some 1,700 packing cases, stored in warehouses located in Elko, Nevada.
Circa 1940s
Last Frontier Village, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Doby Doc, acting as curator of the Last Frontier Village, filled it with
many of his own antiques, mechanical pianos and other collectibles. In 1958,
after the Last Frontier Village was closed, the PianOrchestra, along with
many other rare and highly desirable coin pianos, sat in the dirt, becoming
seriously water damaged almost beyond any hope of repair, covered by a
crudely built wood and corrugated metal shed. Dust blowing through the
cracks in the shed walls settled on the instruments. Then, when it rained,
water leaked through the roof, soaking the machines. The cycle of rain and
the growing accumulation of dust and dirt, becoming a thick layer of
encrusted mud, held the rainwater, keeping the machines wet for long periods
of time. Each instrument gradually became little more than a pile of
unglued, warped wood and rusted metal. Some machines were suitable only as a
pattern for reconstructing a replica. The PianOrchestra did not suffer as
much as many of the machines, and, as such, was mostly in restorable
condition.
Circa 1966
Kenneth Vaughn collection, Los Angeles, California.
Discovered by Warren Dale in 1966, the collection of instruments was
purchased by Kenneth Vaughn, Los Angeles, California. Many of the rare and
highly prized and dilapidated machines were restored by Warren Dale and
displayed in the Vaughn home, but there was no attempt to restore the
PianOrchestra, although it was safely stored to prevent any further
deterioration.
Circa 1970
Hathaway & Bowers, Inc., Santa Fe Springs, California.
During the short time the PianOrchestra was in the possession of Hathaway
& Bowers, Inc., certain portions of the instrument were cleaned and
assembled in a more or less logical order, suitable for presentation in the
showroom area. The pipework was beyond easy assembly or placement in the
pipe chest. It was mostly unglued, and was therefore placed on a floor pad
in front of the chassis and partially erected case.
Circa 1971
Eckman collection, California.
As of April, 2015, it was reported that the Piano is undergoing a full restoration by Steve Gonzales, of the The Rhone Corporation, Pico Rivera, California. The interior mechanisms are reportedly likewise being restored by Noel Burndahl, with the restoration work about 90% completed. The furniture case was apparently restored some years earlier by someone who is now deceased.
