National Automatic Piano Company Survey National Piano Mfg. Co. Coin Piano Study Project Version of August 6, 2018. 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 Basic Information Piano Serial Number: __________ Usually stamped onto the pinblock and visible in a small oval shaped opening located between the bass & tenor tuning pin sections of the piano plate. Piano Style / Model Choose one option: * Standard National case design: __________. (Yes/No) * Standard case with late retrofit Dog Race Diorama: __________. (Yes/No) * Standard case with late retrofit Dancing Figure: __________. (Yes/No) Piano Plate Attributes Piano plate color: __________ For early pianos the plate color is a greenish gray. Some later plates may have a light gold color. For late pianos in the 6,000 and 7,000 serial number range the plate color is commonly gold. Piano plate center or mid-section note count: __________ Usually 32 for earlier pianos; commonly 30 for late pianos. The piano plate center or mid-section scale (between the bass and treble ranges) is usually 32 notes for early pianos with Simplex style stacks, and 30 notes for late pianos with National built stacks. To make it easy, look at the piano and count the piano hammers in the middle section of the plate. Piano Plate Lettering for Name Branding Choose one option: * Raised lettering (National Automatic Music Co.) in recessed oval area: __________. (Yes/No) * Ornate calligraphy (Property of National Automatic Music Co., Grand Rapids, Mich.) on non-branded plate: __________. (Yes/No) * Black painted raised lettering (National Automatic Music Co.) on flat area: __________. (Yes/No) All piano plate branding is located in the upper right-hand portion of the plate above the treble section tuning pins. Early pianos have plates with raised lettering, National Automatic Musical Co., in a recessed oval area. Some later plates have ornate calligraphy, Property of National Automatic Music Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., applied to a flat non-branded area. Late pianos, in the 6,000 and 7,000 serial number ranges, have raised lettering that is painted black, National Automatic Music Co., located in an otherwise flat area. Case Front Cover for "Keybed" area Mechanisms Choose one option: * Stepped all wood cover, with no inset glass panes: __________. (Yes/No) * Stepped cover, with one or more retrofitted glass panes: __________. (Yes/No) * Sloping framework cover, with or without a glass pane: __________. (Yes/No) The so-called front cover is located below the flat front panel with glass that looks into the piano action, and covers the "keybed" area that contains the various intricate mechanical mechanisms that control the roll changer. It was originally an all wood stepped design with wood that matched the rest of the piano case, but often one or more glass panes have been retrofitted, replacing the original wood panels. It is unknown whether any of the reported sloped front covers are original. Muffler Rail/Mandolin Attachment (if present) Choose one option: * None; No muffler rail (or mandolin attachment) has been installed: __________. (Yes/No) * Missing; Muffler Rail (or Mandolin attachment) originally installed but now missing: __________. (Yes/No) * Manually operated muffler rail installed: __________. (Yes/No) * Manually operated mandolin attachment installed: __________. (Yes/No) * Automatically operated mandolin attachment is installed: __________. (Yes/No) There is some conjecture as to whether any mandolin attachment installed in a National Automatic Piano is factory original. It could be that they are the remnant of an originally installed muffler rail that was converted to a mandolin attachment by a route operator or mechanical music collector. Two types of on-off control have been reported: (1) a manually manipulated external knob, and (2) automatic operation whereby it works in conjunction with the piano soft control. Piano Case Finish / Veneer: __________ Oak, Golden oak, Quartered Oak, Mahogany, Green with pinstriping, etc. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pneumatic Stack Type and Serial Number Choose one option: * 3-tier common National built stack with accessible front facing valve units: __________. (Yes/No) The individual front facing unit valves/pneumatics are the prominent feature when viewing the stack, and they are easily accessible and serviced without removing the stack from the piano. Another identifying characteristic is the central tangle of rubber tubes that connect the tracker bar to the individual valve units * 3-tier Simplex style semi-enclosed stack with front access cover: __________. (Yes/No) The distinguishing feature of the Simplex style stack is that it is semi-enclosed, and no unit valves/pneumatics are visible from the front. The tubes from the tracker bar connect to a single header located at the bottom front of the stack, instead of connecting to the individual unit valves as with the earlier common National built stack. Servicing of the individual Simplex unit valves and/or pneumatics requires removal of the front cover, whereby the pair of wood screws that hold the unit pneumatics to the trunk board are then accessible. As of this writing, the easiest way to determine whether the stack is a 3 or 4-tier stack is to visually or by feel count the rows of pneumatics on its backside. * 4-tier Simplex style semi-enclosed stack with front access cover: __________. (Yes/No) One National piano has been observed to date that has a 4-tier Simplex stack, which has pneumatics that are smaller than those used for the more common Simplex 3-tier stack. From the front the Simplex 4-tier stack is very similar in appearance and construction to the 3-tier stack, and so the quickest way to determine whether it is a 3 or 4-tier stack is to visually or by feel count the rows of pneumatics on its backside. * Late retrofit single-tier Unitype pneumatic stack: __________. (Yes/No) The (circa 1928) single-tier Unitype stack has a single row of very narrow unit pneumatics that face forward, and at the hinged rear end is an attached metal spoon that extends out to engage and lift a piano wippens, so as to sound a piano note. Stack Serial Number for a Simplex Stack: __________ The Simplex stack serial number is usually die-stamped at the lower right-hand corner of the front cover. Nor National pianos the number will likely fall in the 250,000 range. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Expression Control Type * Common tilting yoke atmospheric bleed port and regulated spill valve: __________. (Yes/No) The so-called "tilting yoke atmospheric port-bleed type valve," if present, is located at the far left-hand side of the "keybed" area, and it will be mounted either on the stack foot, or in front of the foot on the "keybed" area. The device consists of a metal block with a atmospheric port or orifice on its front side, which is either open or blocked by a thin brass yoke that tilts to one side or the other and is controlled by two pneumatics behind the upper part of the brass yoke. * Balance beam design (with coil spring balanced spill valve): __________. (Yes/No) The balance-beam portion of the expression device is mounted on top of the left side stack foot, and is an integral part of the foot, which is channeled and connects to the vacuum pump. And in addition to supplying vacuum to the 3 tiers of unit pneumatics, the foot's internal channeling also connects to the spill valve at the far end of the balance-beam. The lock and cancel pneumatics that control the balance-beam device are mounted in front of the foot and connect by a single cord to the outer end of the balance-beam. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Revolver Associated Left-Side Control Mechanisms Clutch / Worm Gear Casting * Common rectangular die-casting for worm gear and clutch assembly: __________. (Yes/No) * Circular cast iron pedestal casting for worm gear and clutch assembly: __________. (Yes/No) The “Clutch / Worm Gear Casting” is located at the far left side of the “keybed” area, and is the larger casting that supports and partially encloses the worm gear assembly. Clutch Sprocket Hub Choose one option: * Triangular sprocket hub with three (3) clutch engagement pins: __________. (Yes/No) * Circular sprocket hub with three (3) clutch engagement pins: __________. (Yes/No) * Circular sprocket hub with six (6) clutch engagement pins: __________. (Yes/No) The “Clutch Sprocket Hub” is located at the far-left side of the “keybed” area, and is the larger chain sprocket that is connected by chain to the sprocket on the front side of the vacuum pump. The sprocket hub faces forward and is either triangular or circular in shape, and it has several rugged pins jutting forward that are engaged by the clutching mechanism. The Play Counter Play counter total: __________ The play counter tallies up the number of times the piano has played a music roll, or perhaps more correctly, the number of times the player system has cycled from the Play mode to the Rewind/Roll Changing mode. The counter is below the camshaft and is mechanically connected to the vacuum dump lever, which is controlled by the spill valve vacuum dump (and play count) cam. Surprisingly high play count totals are common. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Revolver Magazine (Roll Changer) Revolver Magazine Rotational Axis Choose one option: * Early sliding axis with shaft bearings on horizontal rails; stationary tracker bar: __________. (Yes/No) * Early lifted axis with shaft bearings vertically elevated; stationary tracker bar: __________. (Yes/No) * Common fixed axis with shaft bearings fastened to vertical case structure: __________. (Yes/No) No National pianos utilizing a moving revolver magazine axis are currently known to exist. However, the movable axis options are made available in the off chance one of these early movable axis machines might be discovered. Revolver Magazine Side Plates * Early spindly looking cast iron side-plates with straight spokes: __________. (Yes/No) * Late rugged cast iron side-plates with curved spokes: __________. (Yes/No) Each revolver magazine has two side-plates (or flanges) mounted on the main magazine axis. The eight roll stations (or carriers) are mounted equidistant around the periphery of the side-plates. The side-plates are cast iron with straight spokes in early pianos and made of cast aluminum with curved spokes in later pianos. Revolver Magazine Belt Pulley * Early wooden 12-inch outside diameter belt pulley with mounting hub: __________. (Yes/No) * Late sheet metal 12-inch outside diameter belt pulley with mounting hub: __________. (Yes/No) The round leather belt pulley is located on the right-hand side of the revolver magazine, has an outside diameter of 12 inches, and is used to rotate the magazine during the Rewind/Roll Changing phase. Revolver Magazine Music Roll Rewind System Choose one option: * Early spring-barrel powered rewind system with non-removable feed spool: __________. (Yes/No) * Early spring-barrel powered rewind system with fan type clockwork governor: __________. (Yes/No) * Late (common) exposed coiled torsion spring powered rewind system with removable feed spool: __________. (Yes/No) The brass spring-barrels for the early spring-barrel powered rewind system are mounted on the right-hand side of the revolver magazine. In the variation that has a fan type clockwork governor, the spring-barrels are also on the right side, but the clockwork governors are mounted on the left side of the revolver magazine. In comparison, the majority of surviving National coin pianos make use of the late coiled torsion spring powered rewind system. The torsion spring is fully exposed and extends across the width of the roll station, and has a rod through the center of the coil to hold the spring spatially in place and more or less straight. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Music Roll Type * National single tune music roll 12" wide, 6 holes per inch: __________. (Yes/No) * Other music roll type: __________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Vacuum Pump Vacuum Pump Type: * Early, wood frame with four bellow mounted at bottom of the framework: __________. (Yes/No) * Late, aluminum frame rotary box pump: __________. (Yes/No) Pump Pulley Type * Sheet metal grooved pulley: __________. (Yes/No) * Wood grooved pulley: __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Tune Indicator Wheel Type Choose one option: * Missing; Tune indicator wheel originally installed but now missing: __________. (Yes/No) * Cast iron support structure: __________. (Yes/No) * Fabricated simple steel framework: __________. (Yes/No) Tune Indicator Wheel Sprocket Chain-Fall * Chain drops to intermediate countershaft, then through hole in Simplex stack cover and "keybed" area to lower sprocket on countershaft: __________. (Yes/No) * Chain diverts left around idler sprockets then down side of stack through hole in "keybed" area to lower sprocket on countershaft: __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Motor Information (only if original motor) Motor make: __________ Motor Model: __________ Motor S/N: __________ Motor RPM: __________ If the original Holtzer-Cabot motor is present the motor's serial number can be used to determine an approximate date for when the piano might have been manufactured, or if a Dog Race Diorama or "Dancing Man" has been installed it might indicate when the factory retrofit occurred. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Coin Mechanism * Common National 8-slot tune selecting coin mechanism: __________. (Yes/No) * Other coin mechanism type: __________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Automatic Whippet Race Randomizer Mechanism (if present) Choose one option: * None; No randomizer module ever installed: __________. (Yes/No) * Missing; Randomizer module originally installed but now missing: __________. (Yes/No) * Geneva gear on same shaft as chain drive sprocket: __________. (Yes/No) * Geneva gear has intermediate spur gears between it and chain drive sprocket: __________. (Yes/No) A Geneva Gear translates a continuous rotational motion into an intermittent stepped motion. The randomizer mechanism is located on the right-hand side of the “keybed” area and in front of the clutching mechanism (with the round leather belt) that rotates the revolver magazine (and also to the left of the coin mechanism). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Art Glass Description: __________ Originally all National Automatic Pianos probably had a clear pane of glass with a "Music Changed Weekly" decal. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Date and Notations Written on Case or Mechanisms Dates and other marks: __________ Oftentimes dates and notations are written on the case and/or on various player components. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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.