subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Fri, Nov 20 2009 

Published: July 06, 2009 12:32 am    print this story  

SOUNDS: Rare machine ensures Wurlitzer sound can be heard for years to come.

By Neale Gulley
E-mail Neale

Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

TOWN OF TONAWANDA A retired 42-year Napa Autoparts worker recently became, as a hobby, conductor for what may be the world’s oldest band.

The outfit, like other similar players still scattered across the country, is bellows-blown and powered by a crankshaft.

And though it sometimes consists of about three trombones, 16 flutes, as many violins and orchestra bells, 15 trumpets, a bass and a snare drum, the whole ensemble would fit easily into the back of a pickup and sounds as good as it did in 1925 providing it’s properly oiled.

It’s Rudolph Wurlitzer’s famous automatic band organ, and Douglas Hershberger is rolling his way into the director’s chair to usher a new generation of Wurlitzer’s legacy in North Tonawanda.

He is one of the few known operators of the only known machine still capable of producing perfect copies of the perforated paper music the great band organs need to function.

There are other ways to produce the rolls discontinued by Wurlitzer in 1945, but not with the kind of original quality Hershberger achieves using his 100-year-old machine — once housed in the factory — and a trove of about 2,500 original Wurlitzer “master” rolls, each about 200 feet of ancient oaktag and accounting for just one song apiece.

The smaller rolled paper cartridges he produces are made by combining tunes from several master rolls (many of which are nearly 100 years old) to make custom song lists for owners of the nation’s remaining band organs.

“What we make here are band organ rolls — all of them that were made in the United States were made here in North Tonawanda by about five different companies. The best known of which, being Wurlitzer, stopped making them in 1945,” he said.

Hershberger taught himself how to operate the machine since it was obtained by the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum several years ago and has for about three years been selling his original reproductions out of a display shop housed inside the museum at 180 Thompson St.

The reproductions are capable of making the old band organs sing exactly as they were intended — with the same kind of mechanical and musical precision as the classic wooden carrousels the city is famous for, and for which the band organs played a central part.

Now housed at the museum for which he is a trustee, the musical copy machine appeals to collectors and connoisseurs far and wide as a source for reproducing the old paper rolls the classic organs use to play carnival-like melodies redolent of a bygone era, when the circus or carnival was a cutting edge mainstay of entertainment for the masses.

The requests have been coming in faster than Hershberger can fill them.

“You may not recognize a band organ if you were leaning up against one but you’d know the music,” said Hershberger, a dedicated music reproduction specialist and also a trustee at the museum . “It’s carnival music, merry-go-round music, circus music,” he said.

print this story  



autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Featured Jobs

Auto detailer
Auto Detailer full time, exp. pref. Apply at David Chevy Buick Pontiac, 10225 Nia Falls Blvd. or 298-9700 ask for Frank....>MORE

Coach, Women's Lacrosse
COACH, WOMEN’S LACROSSE - Niagara County Community College is seeking a head coach and an assistant head coach for the w...>MORE

RN
JOB FAIR!!
Thurs., Nov 19, 2009, 11:00-5:00
RECRUITING FOR
FT Physical Therapist
RN’s
LPN’s
...>MORE

DRIVER
Driver, light pick up & delivery, need own car, no WNY, valid NYS driver lic., good pay 694-1251...>MORE


INSURANCE - CSR with Personal Lines exp., for Lockport area. $25,000 salary. 433-7504...>MORE

Mechanic
MECHANIC: Truck trailer, FT, full benefits. Competitive wages. Contact 875-4980; fax 875-8108...>MORE

Clerk
DUNKIN DONUTS now hiring for FT/PT positions. Must be at least 18, Apply at Dunkin Donuts, 2560 Youngstown-Lkpt Rd, Rans...>MORE

Health Care
Health Care. ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES/LAUNDRY SUPERVISORS. Excellent full-time day and evening opportunities. Experienced,...>MORE

Driver
DRIVERS – CDL A
TEAM DRIVERS NEEDED FOR
DEDICATED RUNS
No touch freight............Good miles
...>MORE

RN/LPN
RN/LPN (FT) for family practice. Lockport. Fax resume to 434-1745...>MORE

See all ads

Feature Autos

Ford 2001 Taurus
Ford 2001 Taurus Station wagon, well maintained, 112,000 miles Siver ext. 4 dr, auto, asking $2800/BO. 716-772-2454....>MORE

Buick 2005 Lesabre
BUICK 2005 Lesabre Custom, excellent condition, fully loaded, $6700 or best offer, 754-4540...>MORE

1996 Ford Escort
FORD 1996 Escort 4 cyl, 2 dr, exc cond in & out, no rust, 1 owner, only 61k orig mi, $2195. 523-7102...>MORE

VW 2001 Beetle
VW 2001 Beetle, loaded, GLX turbo, exc. cond, all service records, fun to drive, blue bk $5600, take best offer, 990-06...>MORE

Junior Accountant
Auto Detailer full time, exp. pref. Apply at David Chevy Buick Pontiac, 10225 Nia Falls Blvd. or 298-9700 ask for Frank....>MORE

1999 Dodge Caravan
DODGE 1999 Caravan, 33, V6, auto, A/C, 99k miles, good cond., runs great. $1950. 525-7796...>MORE

Monte Carlo Z24 1998
MONTE CARLO Z24, 1998, runs good, average miles, excellent shape, $1800 , 990-2303...>MORE

See all ads

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index