M. Welte & Sohne Style 4 Concert Organ Orchestrion at Disneyland's Penny Arcade

[grosshaslach]

too painful to watch...makes me sad

[whoisthisguy724]

This is being RUINED as we speak. In order the make it operational BUTCHERS are changing it all around with solenoid chest operation, vacuum and pressure blowers, pipe changes, reed changes, snare drum mechanism changes, etc. all in the name of commercial expediency. All this sucks and is resulting in a very historic instrument being RUINED. DAMN IT DISNEY you should be shamed into doing it RIGHT or build a fake and sell the original or what is left of the original.

[daddybear1965]

OMG!! for gods sake tune the damn thing!!!!!

[ericalbany]

Sounds pretty bad

[etbuk]

Poor Welte, without the original pneumatic sistem and untuned!!!! Disney need money?

[SeeburgMusic]

This is quite possibly the most retarded thing I've ever seen. With all the money Disney has they can't have the Welte restored correctly or at the very LEAST tuned and voiced?

[KawhackitaRag]

For the record: when the Welte first appeared in back the park circa 1999, fresh out of Tom Grace's shop, it was well-voiced, well-balanced, and sounded delightful with the custom MIDI system. What you hear now is the Welte with a tacked-on RAM MIDI system which I guess is supposed to "supplement" the main MIDI system (and also make money), but in fact does not work very well. Notice how few of the registers even work. The pipes haven't been tuned in what sounds like years.

[KawhackitaRag]

Tom Grace died a few years ago, and from what I understand, Disneyland has not hired anyone at all to replace him. I believe Dave Allan, the other musical maintenance man, has also passed away. There are a few qualifed techs left in Southern California, however I don't think Disneyland has bothered to seek out their services. If anyone has even touched the Welte or Nelson-Wiggen in years, it is someone who doesn't know what they are doing.

This is different than Disney World in Florida.

[Yaledmot]

Someone who doesn't know what they are doing...Andrew, THAT is the understatement. It certainly applies to the butchery on this once magnificent Welte. I remember when the Arcade used to have 4 or 5 instruments in it. At least the Wurlitzer piano in the Diamond Horseshoe has been restored. This Welte should be next.

[melbrooksjew]

Did you record this... just wondering.

[tregnier279]

Not me, no.

[dingdong5378]

What a terrible example for Welte!

It is not a good idea to present mechanical music instruments in such a bad condition. There in disneyland must be enough money to let do a first class restoration job on it, i think!

[ChristainPatriot01]

I've seen this orchestiron before many times

:'''''(

[tregnier279]

Why so sad?

[ChristainPatriot01]

I took a sneak peak at the back and the orgional mechanics have been desicrated and some of the time most of the pipes don't work.

[tregnier279]

Okay then. You can't really have expected it to be in the best of shape, after 50-some years of operating on a daily basis for many hours a day?

I'm sure some changes had to have been made, and honestly, I think it's going a little far to use the word 'desecrated.'

[ChristainPatriot01]

Perhaps not exactly every detail was done,but I think Disney could've done a better job.

[tregnier279]

I know what you mean, but it's certainly better than it being scrapped.

[ChristainPatriot01]

good pont.

Btw have you seen Big Bertha in florida?

[tregnier279]

No, I have not. I've only heard she was in a Hotel restaurant, and playing rather poorly. I never heard which hotel, so I've never been able to see her.

[ChristainPatriot01]

Incase you are planning a trid to florida,it is in the Grand Floridian in Orlando. I've seen it myself and it is just horrible the conditions they put these fine instruments in. Even RobertsRestoration agrees with me.

[Wurlitzer157]

I've seen the organ there and it's at the grand Floridian. I think they should put it on the carousel and enable all the pipes! I haven't heard it though...

[tregnier279]

I don't think that would be very good for the organ to be operating in the conditions of the WDW park on a daily basis --it would probably get into much worse shape.

[Wurlitzer157]

Why doesn't disney land or world care? They polish the carousel on a daily basis which is great but what about the organ?

[Wurlitzer157]

Also most organs operate on a daily basis and if a company that cared operated the park the organ would be great!

[tregnier279]

True enough, but most organs don't operate all season. Nor do most of them have less-then-well-mannered guests who would most likely be somewhat destructive, among other things.

[KawhackitaRag]

There is a Wurlitzer 146-A band organ on the carousel at Santa Monica Pier. A friend of mine has been restoring and maintaining this organ piece-by-piece. He finished the suction pump (I believe) last year and re-installed it. It is supposed to play much better now. However, I wasn't able to hear it because the 2 girls running the carousel at the time claimed that it was always breaking, they didn't know if it worked, and didn't want to deal with it. If the organ were exercised, it would be OK.

[gaspen100]

Thats just a celestina!

[KawhackitaRag]

This orchestrion is at Disneyland, not Disney World. They are across the country from each other.

Most of the remaining Disney World instruments were sold in 1997, with an additional Seeburg E piano ("Yaller Dawg Saloon") sold just a couple years ago. I told Chris Carlisle about the Seeburg on eBay, but I guess he was outbid at the last minute by some rabid Disney fan with DEEP pockets.

[KawhackitaRag]

There is a cylinder-operated Welte orchestrion at House On the Rock in Wisconisin which is STILL PLAYING, no MIDI or anything.

However, in the mid-80s a small modification was made to its windchest: instead of the keys in the keyframe directly pulling down the pallets against their springs, a microswitch and electromagnet were interspersed between each key and pallet valve pull-down. This has saved much wear and tear on the cylinder and keys by removing most of the spring tension.