I on linu d f rom pr vious pag
parts of their operation .
It is interesting to note,
though, that the mechanical
complexity of the American and
German orchestrions bordered
on the fantastic. German
manufacturers featu red
multiplexing, a concept usually
thought of today as associated
only with solid state electronics .
Multiplexing in the
orchestrions consisted of the use
of a single hole in the tracking bar
(which followed the holes in the
piano roll) to perform multiple
functions. Thus, fo r example,
holes 1, 2 and 3 may have
separate f unctions when used
singly, but 1 and 2 have a
different function when used
together and so on .
and so on .
Most of Seeburg's later models
featured coin accumulators,
which allowed the selection of
more than one song at a time.
But the first use of the coin
accumulator came in the Mills
Novelty Company's extremely
popular 1912 Violano Virtuoso,
which Elbers owns .
Mills also manufactured coin
orchestrions, arcade pianos and
musical slot machines, but it is
especially remembe red am on g
music box collectors for the
Virtuoso, which was an
automatic violin playing machine
invented in 1904 by a M ills
employee, Henry K. Sandell.
Unfortunately (for succeedi ng
generations), these ma rv elous
musical devices lost out by 1930
to the increasing popu larity of
radio, talking mot ion pictures and
phonographs . "By 1932,"
according to Bowers, "the
business was, for all practical
pt.trposes, dead ."
I All historical information in the
preceding articl e was used b y
permission from Q. David Bowers'
Encyclopedia of Automatic M usical
Instruments.!
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PICO INDOOR SPORTS
2251 W. PICO BLVD.
LOS ANGELES, CA 90006
213-386-2350
ATTENTION
OPERATORS
Are you paying
too much for
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buyall your games through
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For example: Atari, Deutsher
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ONE OF SEEBURG'S most popular
keyboard model orchestrions, the
" G" had an art glass front that
concealed the piano, pipes, drums
and cymbals. M ade in 1914, it is
reportedly one of the rarer Seeburg
instruments.
2480 South Main
Suite 200
Salt Lake City, Utah 84115
PI.At' ltiETER
55