Seeburg Piano Company Survey (for Seeburg Piano Co. Study) 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: __________ The serial number is usually die-stamped into 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: __________ Styles: A, B, C with keyboard, C keyboardless, D, E, E Special, F, FT, G, G Cabaret Orchestra, H, J, K, KT, KT Special, L Orchestra, L keyboardless, P-G-A, X, Z, Greyhound, Celesta DeLuxe, MO, HO, Photoplayer model, etc. Rubber-stamped date on bottom of piano hammers: __________ Many post-1920 Seeburg pianos have a rubber-stamped date (i.e. JUN 6, 1922) on the underside of the piano hammers, usually straddling two or three hammers in the tenor or mid-treble area. Finding this date may require very careful inspection due to a blurred original impression and/or fading of the ink. Piano Attachments: __________ Mandolin attachment or Piano muffler. Furniture case finish: __________ Oak, Golden oak, Mission oak, Silver-grey oak, Mahogany, Walnut, etc. Piano Manufacturer Choose one option: * Haddorff Piano, Rockford, Illinois: __________. (Yes/No) If a Seeburg has a rubber-stamped serial number, the piano was made by Haddorff. The pinblock is open face, and the lower part of a keyboard-style piano plate was originally painted black. Haddorff numbers used in Seeburg instruments run from about 19,000 (1907) to 96,000 (1922). * Edmund Gram Piano, Milwaukee, Wisconsin: __________. (Yes/No) If a Seeburg piano has large cloverleaf-shaped holes in the lower portion of the plate, and a die-stamped serial number between about 5,600 (1910) and 12,400 (1917), the piano was made by Edmund Gram. * Seybold (E.P. Johnson) Piano, Elgin, Illinois: __________. (Yes/No) If a Seeburg piano has each consecutive group of three tuning pins staggered up and down more than usual, the piano was made by Seybold. The plate completely covers the pinblock, and the serial number is die-stamped. A separate Seeburg overlay pate covers the Seybold name at the upper right corner of the plate. Seybold numbers used in Seeburg instruments run from about 16,000 (1912) to 20,000 (1913). * Seeburg Piano: __________. (Yes/No) If a Seeburg has a die-stamped number between 50,000-55,xxx, or over 155,000, it was made in the Seeburg factory. Seeburg-made piano numbers run to 168,xxx (early 1929). For the first few years of production, Seeburg used keyboard-style piano plates with cloverleaf holes, resembling Edmund Gram piano plates but slightly smaller. Later Seeburgs have a simplified plate design. * Marshall Piano: __________. (Yes/No) When Seeburg began making pianos around 1920, a few had the “Marshall” name cast into the plate, a trade name intended for home pianos and player pianos in the event that prohibition cut into coin piano sales. When few home instruments were sold, and speakeasies proved to be good customers for coin pianos, the Marshall name was dropped, and most 1920s vintage Seeburg machines have the Seeburg name cast into the plate without an overlay. Piano Action Wippen “Up-Stop Rail” * No wippen stop rail: __________. (Yes/No) * With wippen stop rail: __________. (Yes/No) A piano action wippen is the main movable part of the action that is pushed upward by the pushrod attached to a pneumatic on the stack. A stop rail consists of a wooden rail fitted with little adjustable eyelet-screws with a felt padded button on the bottom end, which is used to limit the upward travel of the wippen. Most or all pre-1922 Seeburg piano actions do not have a stop rail because the travel of the pushrod, and in turn the wippen, is limited by the stack itself. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pipework Choose all options that apply: * Harmonic flutes (Long slender open flutes with nodal holes): __________. (Yes/No) * Melodias (long large scale open flutes without nodal holes): __________. (Yes/No) * Stopped flutes: __________. (Yes/No) * Narrow scale piccolos: __________. (Yes/No) * Wide scale piccolos: __________. (Yes/No) * Metal violin pipes: __________. (Yes/No) * Wood violins with spruce fronts: __________. (Yes/No) * Wood violins with maple fronts: __________. (Yes/No) * Other pipework: __________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Striking and/or Percussive Instrumentation Xylophone beaters: * Xylophone (with 7/8 inch beaters): __________. (Yes/No) * Xylophone (with beaters larger than 1 inch): __________. (Yes/No) Xylophone action type Choose one option: * Single stroke: __________. (Yes/No) * Reiterating, pallet valves: __________. (Yes/No) * Reiterating, slide valves: __________. (Yes/No) Drums and other percussive effects Choose all options that apply: * Snare drum: __________. (Yes/No) * Bass drum: __________. (Yes/No) * Tympani effect: __________. (Yes/No) * Cymbal: __________. (Yes/No) * Tambourine: __________. (Yes/No) * Triangle: __________. (Yes/No) * Castanets: __________. (Yes/No) * Wood block: __________. (Yes/No) Rubber stamped date on the inside of the bass and/or snare drum: __________ The following options apply only to tall keyboard style orchestrions. Snare drum location: * Snare drum at left side of drum shelf: __________. (Yes/No) * Snare drum in middle of drum shelf: __________. (Yes/No) These options only apply to tall keyboard orchestrions, such as a Seeburg Style G or Style H Orchestrion. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Loud-Soft (Volume) Control Choose one option: * Manual lever at left end of music shelf (A-roll pianos only): __________. (Yes/No) * Two buttons (seen on G and L Orchestra only): __________. (Yes/No) * 2-way knob (soft-loud): __________. (Yes/No) * 3-way knob (soft-medium-loud); horizontal slide switch with 6 connections: __________. (Yes/No) * 3-way knob (soft-medium-loud); rocking vertical flipper switch with 4 connections: __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - KT Special Orchestrion Percussion Multiplex Shifter * Switches one instrument to another—3 tubing connections: __________. (Yes/No) * Switches 2 instruments to 2 others—6 tubing connections: __________. (Yes/No) This option only applies to the Seeburg Style KT Special Orchestrions. The multiplex shifter type can be easily identified by counting the number of rubber tubes connected to it. The compact KT Special orchestrion has more percussion instruments than there are tracker bar holes allotted to play them, so it includes a slide valve that changes the function of certain tracker bar holes whenever the soft pedal operates. The early model, introduced in late 1923, has a multiplex switch with one “channel” and three tubing connections, and it changes one tracker bar hole from one instrument to a different one. By 1926, a new style multiplex switch was used, which has two channels, and changes the function of two tracker bar holes. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pneumatic Stack Serial Number and Type Stack Serial Number: __________ The stack serial number will be on the front, the top, or on the bleed rail or its cover. Stack Type Choose one option: * Very early 4-tier, adjustable bleeds and double valves (rare): __________. (Yes/No) * Very early 4-tier, adjustable bleeds and single valves (rare): __________. (Yes/No) * Early 4-tier stack (common): __________. (Yes/No) * Late 2-tier stack (common): __________. (Yes/No) * Very late 1-tier Unitype stack (1928 only): __________. (Yes/No) This following stack option applies only to Style H and Style J Orchestrions: Solo attachment type: * Solo valve chest on stack: __________. (Yes/No) * Pushrod hold-down bar for solos: __________. (Yes/No) There is a "solo" attachment on the pneumatic stack for Style H and Style J orchestrions that allows the treble part of the piano to be silenced, so that the pipework and/or xylophone can be played solo. In early instruments it consisted of a complicated and separate little valve chest mounted on top of the stack, while in later machines it was a no more than simple mechanical wooden bar that could physically be forced downward so as to block and prevent the upward motion of the pushrods that engaged the piano action. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pipe Chest Serial Number and Type Stack Serial Number: __________ The pipe chest serial number is stamped into the top or front of the chest. Pipe chest type * Early pipe chest (valve stems with coil springs, not connected to pneumatic fingers): __________. (Yes/No) * Late pipe chest (valve stems inserted in pneumatic fingers): __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Color of Stack and Other Wooden Components Above the Keybed Choose one option: * Green: __________. (Yes/No) * Red: __________. (Yes/No) * Black: __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Color of Wooden Components Below the Keybed Choose one option: * Green: __________. (Yes/No) * Black: __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Roll Frame / Spoolbox Choose one option: * Wood frame without any rods in front of roll: __________. (Yes/No) * Wood frame with rods in front of roll: __________. (Yes/No) * Cast iron sides without any rods in front of roll: __________. (Yes/No) * Cast iron sides with rods in front of roll: __________. (Yes/No) Roll Frame / Rewind Control Box * Early (mechanical latch): __________. (Yes/No) * Late (pneumatic latch): __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pump Type Choose one option: * Scissors pump, very early with metal hinges; A-frame castings for crankshaft supports: __________. (Yes/No) * Scissors pump, conventional wooden hinge blocks; A-frame castings for crankshaft supports: __________. (Yes/No) * Scissors pump, conventional wooden hinge blocks; Vertical castings.for crankshaft supports: __________. (Yes/No) * Rotary pump with wooden connecting rods: __________. (Yes/No) * Rotary pump with rubberized canvas connecting straps: __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pump Pulley Choose one option: * Cast iron with 6 spokes: __________. (Yes/No) * Cast iron with 4 spokes: __________. (Yes/No) * Sheet metal: __________. (Yes/No) Pump Pulley Drive Type Choose one option: * Flat belt: __________. (Yes/No) * Chain drive: __________. (Yes/No) * Round leather or V-belt: __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Motor Information (only if original motor) Motor make: __________ Motor Model: __________ Motor S/N: __________ Motor RPM: __________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Coin Entry Slot Choose one option: * Push-pull slide: __________. (Yes/No) * Cast entry with hole in side: __________. (Yes/No) * Stamped entry with hole in side: __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Coin Accumulator / Coin Magazine Mechanism Coin Switch Number: __________ The coin switch (or magazine) number is located on a paper patent sticker pasted onto the coin magazine's metal enclosure. Coin Switch Type Choose one option: * Very early (vertical ratchet accumulator): __________. (Yes/No) * Early (semicircular “fencepost” accumulator): __________. (Yes/No) * Late (semicircular “ratchet wheel” accumulator) in a cast iron box: __________. (Yes/No) * Late (semicircular “ratchet wheel” accumulator) in a sheet metal box: __________. (Yes/No) Coin Collector Box Choose one option: * Wood housing with drawer: __________. (Yes/No) * Cast iron housing with drawer: __________. (Yes/No) * Sheet metal box (on cast iron bedplate): __________. (Yes/No) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Art Glass Description: __________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Style L (The "Lilliputian") Cabinet Piano Case Variations Choose one option: * P-G-A (Victrola-shaped top): __________. (Yes/No) * 3-door (flat top): __________. (Yes/No) * 2-door: __________. (Yes/No) * 4-door: __________. (Yes/No) The first small 54-note keyboardless Seeburg model was the Phono-Grand, introduced in 1917. It was a combination expression piano and phonograph with a Victrola-shaped top. This evolved into the style P-G-A (Phono-Grand playing A rolls), advertised briefly in 1921. It also had a Victrola-shaped lid, but Instead of the grill for a phonograph horn it has one art glass panel. It was soon remodeled with a flat top, known today as the “3-door L.” The “2-door L,” with two tall doors was introduced later in 1921. In 1925 the “4-door L” was introduced, where the upper and lower doors could have two different locks. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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.