Haha, who cares if its tuned, to me, half the fun isn't even listening to them (thats certainly part of it!) but looking at the thing play itself, and watch all the little levers, pivots, plungers, and bellows move! Its amazing to me that the first of these things date back to the 1800's!
Folks today may laugh at this, but in the early part of the 20th century this was wonderful thing for people to have in their homes. It was the equivalent of today's wide-screen HDTV and a fully equipped entertainment center. And it was nearly as expensive.
There are a lot of comments about tuning here, but personally, I like it just the way it is! No one really had a perfectly tuned piano at home either. This sound literally comes right out of my great grandmother's living room and a 1920 unit much like this, as I recall it. I last visited there in 1960. Could you put up some more songs? This just sounds fabulous! Hearing even this little piece made it a different day, for me at least!
My grandparents have a player piano but the bellows wore out. I hope they don't get rid of it. I would love to have it but our house is even smaller. When my aunt and uncle cleaned out their attic they found the guts of another piano up there, covered in dust. And a couple boxes of rolls.
the problem is in order to tune it he would have to get a bucket of water and leave it in the piano for awhile to get moisture back in the wood so that when he did tune it the whole thing wouldent break on him
The piano hasn't been tuned in years and getting it tuned isn't high on the priority list. The cost of tuning is almost as much as the thing is worth.
The invention of the phonograph made these obsolete, but they are still made.
I think it's an amazing piece of technology, considering they were invented in the mid 1800's. Punched paper was a prototype of the early automatic typesetter.
Player pianos like this might not still be made, but Nickelodeons are. MondoBeno is right, the phonograph made pianola's obsolete. There were still many pianola's sold from the 1900's-1920's. The nickelodeons and orchestrions wouldn't become obsolete until the jukebox became a widespread item. If anything, the phonograph did a lot.
There are some good player piano restorers in Boston, go by the old Waltham watch factory which is now a museum of industry and check out their player and the guy who restored it.
Yes, Aeolian made Weber pianos beyond the early years of the 1900s. They purchased a few piano factories and also made Stecks as well as Aeolian and Farrand.
Yep, bare feet are best. They give you a real feel for what the player piano wants to do. I find it much more difficult to pump it correctly when I have shoes on.
I love aeolian player actions, as for tubing diagrams, for these types it usually isn't too
hard to fiqure it out, but could be harder if it
has a themodist system etc, beware though, rebuilding a pneumatic action isn't for the faint of heart . they are a lot of work, and don't usually use parts, they use materials,
like bellows cloth, valve leather, gasket leather , pouch leather, and a willingness to use hot hide glue , a good book is Arthur Reblitz's Book
this this launrence j cooks version
appleeimac 1 year ago
Ma!! That there ghost's on the piano again!!
thetumbletrio 1 year ago
That was a joke, by the way.
thetumbletrio 1 year ago
Ma!!! The ghost's play'n the piano again!!!!
thetumbletrio 1 year ago
Haha, who cares if its tuned, to me, half the fun isn't even listening to them (thats certainly part of it!) but looking at the thing play itself, and watch all the little levers, pivots, plungers, and bellows move! Its amazing to me that the first of these things date back to the 1800's!
Mtrhd0024 1 year ago
Imagine, that just playing in the middle of the nite and your the only one home....Start dancing and let go! That's what I say...
moznico 1 year ago
a beautiful peice of machinery that people take for granted
TheInventor24 1 year ago
Nice!
gerardbedecarter 1 year ago
Folks today may laugh at this, but in the early part of the 20th century this was wonderful thing for people to have in their homes. It was the equivalent of today's wide-screen HDTV and a fully equipped entertainment center. And it was nearly as expensive.
zooeyhall 1 year ago
Here comes Santa claus here comes santa clause right down santa clause lane..
(yes I know those arent the real words but it sounds the same..lol)
jdgator95 1 year ago
Some of ur hammers are sticking...
vftdhys 2 years ago
looks like a midi sequencer to me!
Apoman13 2 years ago
Thanks, loved to see this :D
Temptezt 2 years ago
nice legs....
hotsickle 2 years ago
this is j lawrence cook, correct. if so, i have the sheet music for this
JamesPriceJohnson 3 years ago
The tune is Ain't We Got Fun.
ragtimist 3 years ago 3
There are a lot of comments about tuning here, but personally, I like it just the way it is! No one really had a perfectly tuned piano at home either. This sound literally comes right out of my great grandmother's living room and a 1920 unit much like this, as I recall it. I last visited there in 1960. Could you put up some more songs? This just sounds fabulous! Hearing even this little piece made it a different day, for me at least!
Huckabeezer 3 years ago 9
I'll try to put up a few more. Maybe we'll do the whole song next time.
jeffpotts01 3 years ago
That would be so cool!!!!
Huckabeezer 3 years ago
I think pianos that are a little out of tune sound better, anyway, especially uprights and player pianos. <3
adametokillfor 2 years ago
Very true! If its not somewhat out of tune it's not really a player piano
jamal2k02 2 years ago
What are those guys talking about it isn't that badly out of tune.
cruddiestcrudever 3 years ago
whats the name of this song?
pieman12345678987654 3 years ago
Here comes santa clause
music22589 3 years ago
"Ain't We Got Fun", from 1921. One of the hottest jazz-tunes of the Roaring Twenties! *taps feet*
Shangas 2 years ago 2
My grandparents have a player piano but the bellows wore out. I hope they don't get rid of it. I would love to have it but our house is even smaller. When my aunt and uncle cleaned out their attic they found the guts of another piano up there, covered in dust. And a couple boxes of rolls.
timerider4 3 years ago
You do know that a player piano is digital and not anolog ?
crazycrazyguggenheim 3 years ago
wow, how do those things work?!
indy52102 3 years ago
the problem is in order to tune it he would have to get a bucket of water and leave it in the piano for awhile to get moisture back in the wood so that when he did tune it the whole thing wouldent break on him
Zolatos 3 years ago
The name of the song is "Ain't We Got Fun".
jeffpotts01 3 years ago
Ouch... I love player pianos, but could you please tune this one and redo the video?
dwarven1 3 years ago
The piano hasn't been tuned in years and getting it tuned isn't high on the priority list. The cost of tuning is almost as much as the thing is worth.
jeffpotts01 3 years ago
wats the name of the song
JamesPriceJohnson 3 years ago
i own a white version of this piano
samozman 3 years ago
what the song?
JamesPriceJohnson 3 years ago
The invention of the phonograph made these obsolete, but they are still made.
I think it's an amazing piece of technology, considering they were invented in the mid 1800's. Punched paper was a prototype of the early automatic typesetter.
MondoBeno 3 years ago 2
They are not still made.
The phonograph did nothing.
Cheesetubes 3 years ago
Player pianos like this might not still be made, but Nickelodeons are. MondoBeno is right, the phonograph made pianola's obsolete. There were still many pianola's sold from the 1900's-1920's. The nickelodeons and orchestrions wouldn't become obsolete until the jukebox became a widespread item. If anything, the phonograph did a lot.
1947Desoto 3 years ago
There are some good player piano restorers in Boston, go by the old Waltham watch factory which is now a museum of industry and check out their player and the guy who restored it.
rocket881 3 years ago
They are worth every penny it costs to restore them, and I not in the business. I'm a customer.
chem100 3 years ago
In the morning/In the evening/Ain't we got fun...
dogman15 3 years ago
how much is something like that worth?
lordmalak995 3 years ago
Not sure. I believe they were pretty common back in the day. They can be expensive to restore.
jeffpotts01 3 years ago
Yes, Aeolian made Weber pianos beyond the early years of the 1900s. They purchased a few piano factories and also made Stecks as well as Aeolian and Farrand.
pianolasociety 3 years ago
Yep, bare feet are best. They give you a real feel for what the player piano wants to do. I find it much more difficult to pump it correctly when I have shoes on.
chem100 4 years ago
I love aeolian player actions, as for tubing diagrams, for these types it usually isn't too
hard to fiqure it out, but could be harder if it
has a themodist system etc, beware though, rebuilding a pneumatic action isn't for the faint of heart . they are a lot of work, and don't usually use parts, they use materials,
like bellows cloth, valve leather, gasket leather , pouch leather, and a willingness to use hot hide glue , a good book is Arthur Reblitz's Book
TonyL1000 4 years ago
Hi i have this exact pianola and was wondering if you knew anywhere i could get parts for it, or some kind of diagram for all the piping thanks, jude
judewells1 4 years ago
Jude,
Unfortunately, I don't. Good luck!
Jeff
jeffpotts01 4 years ago
Contact us at the Player Piano Group and we can help you with this sort of thing quite easily. regards, Adam
pianolasociety 3 years ago
worth restoring!
pianoman1984 4 years ago
thanks for the tunes. not sure on the feet :p
sp9rks 4 years ago
Great tune and piano.......
HarborGuy 4 years ago
LOL
psychowolfman 4 years ago
"Ain't we got fun"
jeffpotts01 4 years ago
We sure do, mister, we sure do...that sounds like a great tune!!
Shangas 4 years ago
Cool piano! That tune sounds familiar. What's the name again?
1947Desoto 4 years ago