'Dream Train' Foxtrot played on Seeburg Style KT Special Orchestrion

One of the limited edition replica Seeburg KT Special Orchestrions made in the 1980s by Bill Edgerton and the Mechanical Music Center plays a 1920s tune here called 'Dream Train' from Automatic Music Roll Co. roll G-1003 which utilises the percussion effects of the instrument rather well. In one or two places the xylophone and piano combine to sound very much as if the instrument has flute pipes installed, like a standard KT.
I recorded this after having re-installed the xylophone assembly, following a day's work on all valves, beaters and reiterating action to try and make the sound more consistent, as it was well overdue some regulation. Since the previous video the tambourine now reiterates and shakes correctly too.

The Seeburg KT Special was introduced in 1925 by the JP Seeburg Piano Company of Chicago, shortly before the end of the coin piano era - these instruments were the forerunner of the record juke box. The KT Special was marketed as the 'Ballroom Favorite. Designed to serve in places requiring the ultra-supreme in automatic orchestral development. Elimination of keyboard reduces instrument to convenient dimensions."
The instruments are: a piano, reiterating xylophone, mandolin, bass drum, tympani, cymbal, snare drum, reiterating tambourine, castanets, triangle, and wood or chinese block. Holes in the paper roll also control lights on and off, rewind, shut off, sustain and hammer rail/soft pedal.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• seeburg
• kt
• special
• xylophone
• piano
• orchestrion
• nickelodeon
• coin
• dream
• train
• foxtrot
• art
• glass
• percussion

[xBcvazx]

We need to have more recordings of the KT Special. Very few recordings are available to the public. The few tunes that Paul Eakins recorded are pretty good, available thru Band Organ Music, Chris Carlisle.

We really need some CDs of the KT Special.

or more YouTube vids!

like, 20+

!

[nickn5nl]

@xBcvazx Thanks for the comment! Don't worry, I do have some more recordings ready to be edited and uploaded of this instrument, it's just a case of finding time in between doing my latest organ videos :)

[RCA630TS]

How was he getting miniature sized keyboardless pianos made in the 1980s?

[nickn5nl]

@RCA630TS Hi! It was a one-off production run, made under license from JP Seeburg, and using parts from various manufacturers, including a specially made reproduction iron frame. 60 were made in total by Mechanical Music Center in the 1980s, sold on a first come first served basis.

[KawhackitaRag]

@RCA630TS I think that the piano action parts were sourced from Pratt-Read, who made many vintage action parts back in the old days (including entire player actions, at one time). The whippens were probably either custom-made or modified in-house by Mechanical Music Center staff.

I know that one easy way to tell the replicas apart from the originals is to look at the piano action brackets... the old originals have a different shape and design than the newer replicas.

[KawhackitaRag]

@RCA630TS I can't remember the name of the piano plate casting facility that he used, but he had some restorers measure a vintage 61-note plate (I think) and action and then these measurements were used to make a pattern for the casting company to follow. The back plate is reportedly identical (or nearly identical) to the 61-note piano found in the old K, KT, and KT Special. They are still being made, since D. C. Ramey Piano Co. uses the identical design plate for their new Banjo-Orchestra.

[Pianosyncrazy]

This is still one of my all time favorite KT performances...... Thanks !!!