October 15th & 16th 2016 Premier Coin-Op Sale & Advertising
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/16/2016
Manufactured By The Firm Of Gebr Weber (Weber Bros.), Waldkirch, Germany. The Weber firm was considered by collectors to be among the finest manufacturers of Orchestrions during the 1920’s heyday of mechanical music. The cabinet has been beautifully and professionally restored. The instrument contains extremely fine-quality Violin pipes, used by Weber Orchestrions to provide realistic violin solos. Many claim that if they close their eyes and listen to the music, it sounds like a real live violinist playing the violin! The cabinet, with a fabulous set of double art glass lamps, bears the name inlayed in brass “Super-Creational”, a witness to the excitement it created when it was first sold. It was restored by Jerry Biasella for the Sanfillipo collection in Barrington Hills, Illinois.
In addition to the human-sounding violin pipes, the instrument contains a xylophone, piano with expression, mandolin attachment, and plays both Weber Brabo and Otero rolls, a supply of which is included. Today only a few lucky collections contain Weber Brabo Orchestrion. Likely not more than 6 still exist worldwide.
Dave Bowers in the Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments offered this:
“A number of points of difference in Weber music roll arrangements may be noted. In most types of other Orchestrions the various instruments were brought in and out of play at regular intervals. Hence the xylophone may be turned on, remain on for a passage or two and then shut off. Many other types of rolls play the melody once through the music or twice again exactly as it was played the first time until the required tune length is reached. Not so with the Weber rolls. The Weber control registers constantly change. The xylophone may be brought into place for just a few notes, then remain silent until it sounds again to accent a passage or play a realistic solo…to achieve an almost human performance.
Upon hearing the 12th Street Rag on a Weber, a knowledgeable collector stated it was virtually indistinguishable from the Paul Whiteman phonograph record of the same tune. Understandably so, as Gustav Bruder, interviewed in Waldkirch by the author, said that when he arranged music rolls he played multiple phonographs records of Whiteman and other popular orchestras of the 1920s, capturing their techniques.”
If you are looking for a mechanical musical instrument to showcase your display or private collection, it would be difficult to find a more pleasant instrument than this Weber Brabo.
Condition: (Excellent).
Item Dimensions: 5-1/2' W. x 8-1/2' T. x 3' D.