Antique Mechanical Restorations
Restorations Since 1973
FOR SALE
Pictures will be posted soon.
MILLS VIOLANO MILLS VIRTUOSO
This handsome unrestored Mills Violano Virtuoso has been refinished fairly well. It's a late model in good condition.
The price in its present condition is $27,000. This includes two thousand dollars worth of parts for the restoration. Parts include proper coin entry, new weight arms, wire harness etc. In the coming weeks I will be installing replacement parts making this a fine working example. The price will increase as work progresses.
WILHELM BRUDER SONS
Beautiful Bruder fairground/band organ from the famous organ building town of Waldkirch, Germany. The lines of this facade are so graceful it will be a showpiece upon completion. The facade measures 7'4" high by 8'9" wide. The organ body is about 3' deep
The organ is 99% complete unrestored. 48 key - (keyless) model 79 with some cardboard books included which will need to copied. Contains appoximately 168 pipes . Bowers imported this organ from Europe in the mid 70's. From there it was purchased by a collector in NY state. I have owned it since the late 80's. It has not been restored or had any work (apart from the facade) for many decades, long before it was moved to the U.S. It will be an easy restoration - no need to worry what the last restorer did to it.
Price: $25,000. SOLD
WURLITZER WELTE
WITH INTERNAL SIX ROLL CHANGER
One of thirteen made, only known example.
This piano is in fine original untouched condition. It is complete and no attempt has ever been made to restore it. The finish is factory ivory with gold trim. The ivories are in fine condition with only a couple of small chips. Good sounding board. This piano has led a charmed life. I've owned it for almost 30 years.
History of this unique piano can be found in part on page 680 of the Encyclopedia of Automatic Music. The lower right hand side of the page shows a Wurlitzer Autograph piano. Serial numbers for the Autograph piano show thirteen pianos were produced from 1915 to 1918. This piano is one of these thirteen. A gap in serial numbers indicates production ceased for two years. Somehow, Wurlitzer's agreement with Welte was disturbed due to WWI. In 1921 production of the Autograph piano continued but the entire design had changed. Autograph pianos produced after WWI used wide rolls and were housed in oak cabinets. This piano uses standard width 11 1/4" rolls. However, "special" rolls were produced for the piano. In order to extract more money from the piano owners, one hole in the scale was moved. By re-tubing the tracker bar to standard scale it will play Welte Licensee rolls giving you an endless supply of music.
The stack is a double valve Deluxe action. The expression mechanism is pure Welte design but it was built in the Wurlitzer factory. The pump and reseviour is suspended from the bottom of the keybed with the crankshaft running along the bottom board. This is a quiet, slow running pump used in many earlier Welte's. To access the pump - a clip is undone from the posts directly in back of the legs. The legs and the curved piece just below the keybed slide out as a unit. Great design!
PRICE $5,000. SOLD
Anyone familiar with Wurlitzer pipe organs will recognise the wood used and the typical Wurltizer writing on the mechanism pictured in the upper right hand corner of these four photos.
Portions of the crank shaft can be seen in these photos. The pump and reseviour are located behind the curved case part on the lower left hand photo.
Also shown in this photo are reproduction roll chucks made by Don Teach for APP rolls. These spool ends will have to be re-mounted on the old shafts to make them the correct length for Welte rolls. New roll brakes are also supplied (paper bag to right)
Regina style 50 serpentine case, refinished at one time. Double comb, short bed plate plays 15 1/2" discs. Sounds great! $4,600
