Automatic Musical and Link Piano Company Survey (for the Automatic Musical / Link Piano Company Study Project) Version of January 17, 2023. Copy (press Ctrl + A to select all text) and then paste the text into the body of an email message. Then, at your leisure, please answer what questions you can and omit the rest. Incomplete information is better than none. When finished answering questions please send the information to: webmaster@mechanicalmusicpress.com Contact Information Your First and Last Name: __________ Your e-mail address: __________ Owner's First and Last Name: __________ Show owner name in reports: __________. (Yes/No) Owner's Address: __________ City, State/Province, and Zip: __________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Piano Manufacturer and Serial Number Choose one piano manufacturer option: * Schaff Brothers Piano, Huntington, Indiana. All observed Schaff Bros. piano plates used by the Automatic Musical Company or the Link Piano Company are painted green, are 60-1/2" wide, and to the right of the treble piano tuning pins is the large and easily seen cast number “20 B.” At the top right side of the plate (above the treble tuning pins) is the cast inscription “Automatic Musical Co; Binghamton NY.” The 5-digit serial number is stamped onto the pin block and visible through an oval hole in the plate that is located between the bass and tenor tuning pin sections: __________. (Yes/No) * Brewer-Pryor Piano Company, Binghamton, New York. Only one Automatic Musical Company branded keyboard style coin-operated piano is known to exist with a piano and case that is suspected of having been manufactured by the Brewer-Pryor Piano Company. It has a maroon colored piano plate that is tastefully decorated with pinstriping and with gilded highlights on the raised Automatic Musical Company name that is cast integrally as part of the plate, but that remains to be positively identified as to manufacturer: __________. (Yes/No) * Haddorff Piano, Rockford, Illinois. Cabinet Style Pianos: The compact cabinet style pianos have a one-piece plate with the Automatic Musical Company or Link Piano Company name cast into the top front area, until the late 1920s when the plates were left blank or nameless. These cast iron plates were typically painted gold, and there was a raised rectangular area cast midway between the bass and tenor tuning pin sections where the 4-digit Link serial number is usually rubber stamped. The 5-digit Haddorff serial number is die-stamped on the backside of the piano, centered on the top side of the heavy wood structural beam immediately below the sounding board: __________. (Yes/No) * Haddorff Piano, Rockford, Illinois. Keyboard Style Pianos: On keyboard style pianos, the uppermost part of the plate is painted gold and is 64-1/2" wide, while the lower portion from the piano action downward is painted black. On earlier pianos, the 5-digit Haddorff serial number was die-stamped on the backside of the pin block (on the exterior of the piano) toward the bass end, but for later pianos the number might be found elsewhere. Confusing the issue, Haddorff used full plates (as typically found in most upright pianos), two-piece plates, and partial plates with the top edge below the tuning pins, leaving the pinblock mostly exposed. Two-piece plates were basically a partial plate with an upper decorative plate that wrapped round the tuning pin sections. Very early (circa 1913) Haddorff pianos used by Link were supplied with an upper gold plate with Automatic Musical Co. Binghamton NY cast into it. By 1914 the upper plate had the Link Piano Co. Binghamton NY name cast into it. Then, later on, Haddorff simply discontinued using the upper decorative plate: __________. (Yes/No) Piano Serial Number: __________ (see below for hints.) Schaff Piano Serial Numbers: On Schaff Bros. pianos the 5-digit serial number is always die-stamped into the pin block and is visible within an oval hole in the plate casting located between the bass and tenor tuning pin sections. Brewer-Pryor Piano Serial Numbers: The serial number is stamped into the pin block and is visible within an oval hole near the top of the plate casting and situated between the bass and tenor tuning pin sections, similarly to many other upright piano manufacturers. Haddorff Piano Numbers: On cabinet pianos the 5 or 6-digit Haddorff serial number is always die-stamped on the backside of the piano, and is centered topside on the heavy wood structural beam immediately below the sounding board. On keyboard pianos the serial number could be hidden anywhere. Later keyboard pianos had an open pinblock with the 4-digit Link number rubber stamped on it, but the 5-digit Haddorff number might be found on the backside of the pinblock, under a key cheek block, on cabinet doors, or somewhere else, and always die stamped into wood. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Link Player System Serial Number Link Piano Company Serial Number: __________ (Omit for Automatic Musical and/or Marcola non-Link branded pianos.) Link serial numbers: Link branded coin pianos are unusual in that they have two separate serial numbers, a primary number provided by the piano manufacturer, and a secondary number affixed by the Link Piano Company. Where the Link number is located varies, but primarily it is always a 4-digit rubber-stamped number about 5/8" high positioned on the piano plate somewhere between the bass and tenor sections on the pinblock. On very late pianos it is on a wood backed brass plate that is attached to the inside of the case. On Link rebuilds of earlier Automatic Musical Company instruments the Link serial number was stamped on a piece of paper that was then glued under the Schaff number. Unfortunately, many of these pasted on Link numbers have been lost due to one reason or another. If the 4-digit Link number cannot be found on the piano plate or elsewhere, look for the number die-stamped into the pneumatic stack, which will be the Link serial number (assuming that the stack is original to the piano). The 4-digit stack number should be on the front right-hand side of the stack. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Brand Name Choose one option: * Automatic Musical Company: __________. (Yes/No) * Marcola: __________. (Yes/No) * Link Piano Company: __________. (Yes/No) Marcola brand: John A. Marquette, of Detroit, Michigan, conducted business under the name of Marquette Musical Company, also known as the Automatic Orchestra Company, and sometimes used the trademark name of "Marcola." The company produced at least two cabinet style orchestrions, made by taking an intact Automatic Musical Company (forerunner of the Link Piano Company) keyboardless piano with pipes, stripping off the doors and top, and then fitting the instrument inside a much larger case enhanced with colorful art glass panels. The identity of the true manufacturer was concealed by fastening a cast iron plate over the Automatic Musical Company name cast into the piano plate, with a covering plate showing the Automatic Orchestra Company, Detroit, Michigan as the builder. John A. Marquette and his various companies were not associated with the Marquette Piano Company or its Cremona brand name. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Other Piano Basic Information Style/Model: __________ Automatic Musical Co.: Style M, Reliable, Mandolin Piano, Self Playing Xylophone, etc. Link Piano Co.: A, AX, B, C, D, E, R, 2B, 2E, 2EX, MP Jr., etc. Piano Attachments: __________ Mandolin attachment, or Piano muffler. Furniture case finish: __________ Oak, Golden oak, Mission oak, Mahogany, Walnut, Two-tone walnut, etc. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pipework Choose all options that apply: * Open wooden flute pipes: __________. (Yes/No) * Open metal flute pipes: __________. (Yes/No) * Wooden violin pipes: __________. (Yes/No) * Metal violin pipes: __________. (Yes/No) * Reed Box (Aftermarket Kahlmen reed box): __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Striking and/or Percussive Instrumentation Choose all options that apply: * Xylophone (marimbaphone): __________. (Yes/No) * Snare drum: __________. (Yes/No) * Tambourine/Tom-Tom: __________. (Yes/No) * Triangle: __________. (Yes/No) * Wood block: __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Loud-Soft Expression Control Choose one option: * Hammer rail lift only: __________. (Yes/No) * Early balance beam on top of pump (with coil spring balanced spill valve): __________. (Yes/No) * Double control pneumatics on the top left side of pump (with accent bypass pneumatic on top): __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Register Control Type Choose one option: * Slider valves: __________. (Yes/No) * Mechanical latches on pneumatics: __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pneumatic Stack Serial Number and Type Stack Serial Number: __________ The serial number for Link built stacks will tend to be on the right-hand side, die stamped into the front side of the vertical end structure. The stack number in a Link is the Link serial number, and so if the number on the pinblock has been painted over it is usually still possible to ascertain the Link serial number by finding the stack number. However, during the late 1920s it seems that Link stopped putting the serial number on the pneumatic stack. Choose one option: * Early 2-tier stack: __________. (Yes/No) * Early 3-tier (standard) stack: __________. (Yes/No) * Late 3-tier with adjustable bleeds in the unit valves: __________. (Yes/No) * Late 3-tier with unit valves and a ganged non-adjustable bleed block: __________. (Yes/No) Apparently the screw type adjustable bleeds were enough of a problem, easily plugging up with dust and paper lint sucked in through the tracker bar, that, circa 1916 (and about the same time the slanted music roll shelf was introduced), Link switched over to the more reliable, less prone to plugging, ganged non-adjustable bleed block, which brought all stack bleeds into one convenient and easy to clean location. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pipe Chest Type Choose one option: * Main chest has offset bass range chest: __________. (Yes/No) * One continuous chest: __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Roll Mechanism Choose one option: * Under keyboard with vertical storage bin: __________. (Yes/No) * Top of piano, horizontal music bin with chain drive fingers: __________. (Yes/No) * Top of piano, slanted horizontal music bin: __________. (Yes/No) * Above pump, 2-level horizontal music bin, chain drive fingers: __________. (Yes/No) * Above pump, slanted horizontal music bin, single sliding finger: __________. (Yes/No) * Above pump, slanted horizontal music bin: __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pump Type Choose one option: * Circular 3-lobe, vacuum: __________. (Yes/No) * Circular 3-lobe, vacuum and pressure: __________. (Yes/No) * Horizontal round belt, vacuum: __________. (Yes/No) * Horizontal round belt, vacuum and pressure: __________. (Yes/No) * Horizontal flat belt, vacuum: __________. (Yes/No) * Horizontal flat belt, vacuum and pressure: __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Motor Information (only if original motor) Motor make: __________ Motor Model: __________ Motor S/N: __________ Motor RPM: __________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Coin Switch / Coin Accumulator Magazine Choose one option: * Coin tripped knife switch, no accumulator (very early): __________. (Yes/No) * Coin drops onto and makes electrical contact: __________. (Yes/No) * Coin hits lever that trips spring-loaded ratchet wheel accumulator: __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Art Glass or Wooden Facade Description: __________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Date and Notations Written on Case or Mechanisms Dates and other marks, and where written: __________ Oftentimes dates and notations are written on the case and/or on various player components. For Link instruments the assembly date is often penciled on the bottom of the piano under the pump, or on the bottom of the pump. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Comments, History, and Explanations Comments: __________ Please include any additional information about the piano that might be pertinent, such as its history, i.e., various locations and owners. If you find a date (or style number), such as on a paper sticker inside or on the backside of the case, or on a pneumatic component, notice an early tuning date written by hand on the piano plate, find an original sales invoice, etc., please describe any such items. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Thank you for your patience and interest in dealing with this detailed survey form. Your help is very much appreciated.