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Lot 788

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1920 Weber Unika Violin-Pipe Piano

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OFFERED WITHOUT RESERVE

Gebr. Weber (Waldkirch, Germany)

This lovely Weber Unika, a piano with mandolin attachment and 28 violin pipes that play solo arrangements, is one of two in this sale. It was beautifully restored by Mike Argain and is in excellent playing condition, with a group of over two dozen music rolls.

This is a superb example of a special genre in the field of automatic musical instruments. Capturing the sound of the violin was a challenge to makers of electrically-operated pianos and orchestrions. Two types with real violins achieved great market success: the Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina and the Mills Violano-Virtuoso, both represented in the present sale. Instruments with carefully constructed pipes tuned to produce realistic violin tones were produced and saw success as well. Among these the Weber Unika is the best known today, and an estimated two or three dozen are attractions in collections in America and Europe.

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