Nelson-Wiggen Pianos and Orchestrions
The Nelson-Wiggen Piano Company, of Chicago, Illinois, incorporated
and operated by
two very talented former Seeburg employees, was a relative latecomer to the mechanical music
era, being incorporated in 1922. Consequently, the company's total production was mainly confined
to only about seven years,
a short period of time compared to other contemporary manufacturers of
coin-operated pianos and orchestrions. Nonetheless, Nelson-Wiggen managed to
produce a high-quality line of small keyboard and cabinet
style coin-operated pianos and orchestrions. Unfortunately, because of its late start into
the field of automatic music, a relatively small number of Nelson-Wiggen
instruments survive today.
The initial source of data that went into creating the Nelson-Wiggen database
has been
meticulously gathered over a period of many years by Art Reblitz, a man long
recognized as a collector of automatic musical instruments and an expert in
the area of
mechanical music restoration. Whenever he has had access to or enjoyed the opportunity to rebuild a
Nelson-Wiggen piano or orchestrion he has taken the time to carefully write
down any historical
details of interest, and do this for each and every
specimen he has encountered. Many other people, listed on the Mechanical
Music Registry's
Acknowledgements
page, also submitted
information to Art. The result of all of this painstaking
effort is the Nelson-Wiggen piano and orchestrion
database, which is presented in an
orderly, easy to read and comprehensible manner. The database report can be
accessed at the bottom section of this page.
Using the Information on this
Page
This page continues with detailed descriptions of various technical and/or mechanical
features, which are deemed important for a truly useful understanding of
both the database reports and to effectively fill in the Survey
Reporting Form. The actual database
reports and survey form can be accessed in the
Distribution of Database Information section and then
clicking on the large Download
button at the bottom of this page.
Nelson-Wiggen Serial Numbers
Although Nelson-Wiggen produced automatic pianos for a relatively short
period of time compared to the industry giants
Wurlitzer and Seeburg, their serial numbering system is not entirely
straightforward. The first few models had names only, but nomenclature was
soon changed to a system of style numbers, which for the most part were
issued in numerical order. Knowing when each new model was first advertised
helps us to assign approximate years of manufacture throughout the list.
97,500 to 114,700 series (1922-1929 Haddorff numbers)
The pianos, and possibly the cabinets, for many Nelson-Wiggen
pianos were made by the Haddorff Piano Co. of Rockford, Illinois, and bear
that company’s rubber-stamped serial number on each piano plate (and often
die-stamped into the back). Haddorff had been a major supplier to the J.P.
Seeburg Company until about 1921 when Seeburg began making its own pianos.
Oscar Nelson and Peter Wiggen left the Seeburg company about the same time,
and since the Nelson-Wiggen Piano Co. was much smaller than Seeburg it seems
appropriate that Nelson and Wiggen would turn to Haddorff as a supplier. The
main Haddorff serial numbering series for Nelson-Wiggen pianos runs from
about 97,500 (1922) through 114,700 (1929).
208,000 to 216,000 series (Unknown dates and piano maker)
Another series, which has only been seen in Style 8 coin pianos, runs
from about 208,000 through about 216,000. The source of these pianos remains
unknown.
Miscellaneous unexplained numbers
To complicate matters further, a few style 8 pianos have three-digit
serial numbers: numbers 116, 117 and 122. One piano resembling a Casino X
has June 1924 stamped on the piano action, bears the serial number 166,024
and has a wood nameplate covering the name Chicago Electric – Smith, Barnes
and Strohber cast into the plate. As the serial number doesn’t fit into any
known Smith, Barnes and Strohber or Nelson-Wiggen numbering series, the
manufacturer of this latter piano remains a complete mystery.
Nelson-Wiggen Stack Numbers
Nelson-Wiggen obtained most or all of its pneumatic stacks from the
Simplex Player Action Company of Worcester, Massachusetts, one of the
largest suppliers of player actions for piano companies that did not wish to
make their own. If stack numbers can be found, added to this list, and
compared to numbers found in home player piano stacks with known years of
manufacture (assuming someone makes such a list in the future), this will
help us to refine the production dates of pianos on this list in the future.
Extra Instruments
The Dance-O-Grand, Nelson-Wiggen’s first small keyboardless orchestrion,
contained three sets of reed organ reeds and percussion, with no piano. No
examples are known. Only a few Nelson-Wiggen models incorporated pipes: the
Style 2 Pian-O-Grand (with a keyboard, available with either flute or violin
pipes), an unknown model in a 4X cabinet (a keyboardless model with flute
pipes instead of xylophone; only one example is known), and the Style 5 (a
large cabinet model orchestrion; no original examples are known).
The keyboard Style 3 had a reiterating xylophone (or rarely, bells).
Styles 4X, a few 5X, and keyboard Style 7 orchestrions had single stroke
xylophones for playing 4X rolls. The 5X often had a single stroke marimba,
with larger and fewer bars than the usual xylophone pitched an octave lower
than the xylophone and with resonators to amplify the lower fundamental
tone. Style 8 coin pianos usually had reiterating xylophone and reiterating
bells, although some had only xylophone. The survey form (accessed at the
bottom section of this page) has places for you to fill in all relevant
details.
One oddity that occurs in certain Nelson-Wiggen Style 6 orchestrions is a
cymbal that is cut off on the side facing the right side of the cabinet
because it would otherwise be too big to fit. Not all are like this. It is
unknown whether the two types of cymbal are mounted in different places or
are of two different sizes. Further information is needed.
Art Glass
The majority of Nelson-Wiggen pianos had clear glass with curtains
mounted inside, usually spread apart near the center to provide an interior view of
the instrument. Those with art glass had standard designs that
didn’t change much, if at all, over the limited years of production. If a
piano has art glass of a non-standard design, please report this in the
comment box at the bottom of the survey form (accessed at the bottom section
of this page). Otherwise, just check one of the three choices: plain glass
with a curtain, art glass mounted from the inside, or art glass screwed to
the outside of the case.
Mechanical Design Changes
Because Nelson-Wiggen pianos were only introduced after coin piano and
orchestrion mechanical design was already quite refined, the firm stayed
with the same basic designs for most of their large mechanisms—the pump,
stack, spoolbox, rewind mechanism, vacuum control regulator, pedal
pneumatics, etc.—for their entire time in business. Consequently, the survey
form doesn’t have spaces for early or late mechanisms as in reporting forms
for other brands. If you have an unusual mechanism to report, please include
it in the comment box at the end of the survey form (accessed at the bottom
section of this page).
The Nelson-Wiggen Database
The primary information that went into building up the Nelson-Wiggen database has
been meticulously gathered over a period of 45 years by Art Reblitz, a longtime
expert in the restoration, history, and music of automatic pianos and organs.
Whenever he has had access to, or enjoyed the opportunity to rebuild, a
Nelson-Wiggen
piano or orchestrion he has carefully recorded mechanical and historical details
of interest. Many other people, listed under
Acknowledgements in the Introduction to the Registry, also submitted information
to Art. The result of his painstaking effort is presented in an orderly, easy
to read format in the report offered below.
By default, current ownership information is not integral to the database
project, but a provision exists whereby the current owner's name information
can be accommodated and then shown in database reports. However, this will be
done only if and when specific written permission is granted to the Mechanical
Music Press specifically authorizing us to show and/or distribute individual
ownership information. Furthermore, if and when such authorization is granted
the Mechanical Music Press and/or its authors shall assume no liability or responsibility of any
kind, nor to any extent, regarding any inferred, purported, or actual privacy
intrusions, incidents, or claims.
Updating the Database and Reporting Errors
To facilitate the reporting of errors and/or to submit new information regarding
Nelson-Wiggen pianos and orchestrions, please click on the
Survey Reporting Form button in the options panel below.
Please note that we welcome any survey information, whether it be only the
brand, model, and serial number, or all requested details. We realize that it
can be difficult (even for an experienced restorer) to find certain serial
numbers without partially disassembling an instrument. Nonetheless, please
submit a form regardless of how many spaces you can currently fill in.
- Please be aware that the Mechanical Music Press and/or its authors
may, at their sole discretion, require some sort of verification as to
the authenticity and accuracy of any submitted information and/or
material.
All database report information is offered
"as is," without any guarantee or warranty whatsoever of any kind, neither stated,
implied, nor inferred, as to the accuracy, correctness, exactness, suitability,
or usefulness of any content.
Distribution of Database Information
Last Updated on February 22, 2012
Download the current database report as
a PDF
by clicking the left hand button, or report another
instrument by clicking the right hand button. |
640 KB file; 4 pages. |
257 KB file. |
PDF
files require Adobe Acrobat Reader (or its equivalent) to view or print their
contents. The free Acrobat Reader can be downloaded from Adobe by clicking
on the icon at left.
Please do not contact the Mechanical Music
Press or Art Reblitz for further information regarding individual entries, because
all available information regarding each line item has been included in the
downloadable Nelson-Wiggen Piano Company database report.
