Exceedingly rare Wilcox & White “Symphony” model player reed organ in elaborate mahogany cabinet
Out of stock
Wilcox & White was established in 1877 in Meridian, CT. The firm built a variety of pianos and organs during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, but their specialty was player pianos and player organs. This beautiful organ was known as their Symphony model, and was produced in the last decade of the 19th Century. The Symphony organ played from a paper roll much like a player piano. This would have been one of the earliest types of pneumatically operated automatic musical instruments ever produced, and was the forerunner of the 20th Century player piano as we know it. Rather than using typical bellow pneumatics, this instrument used large pancake style diaphragm pouches that expand and collapse in order to create moving linkage to operate the internal mechanisms.
This organ has been very well preserved, and is in very good original condition. Note the beautifully carved cabinet with griffin-style legs and elaborate fretwork. It will be a true showpiece after total restoration. These organs are of museum caliber, and deserve the finest restoration and preservation possible. A matching stool is included.