Harvey Roehl

[Richard Moody]

Gordon wrote...."Certainly not the amazing
  organization it was when friend and neighbor Harvey
  Roehl ( who was  a "second father" to me ) ran it!"

Glad to know you knew Harvey Roehl.  Is he still with us? He is author of a
book or two about automatic musical instruments, "The Player Piano
Treasury"?  I knew he was published by Vestal Press but didn't realize he
actually ran it. I imagine he has manuscripts and old books on musical
instruments he hasn't published  yet. I would like to know more about him
and so would others I am sure.  He is due an article somewhere I would
think.

Gordon..."Do you intend to make this available to all ? It
 should be Public Domain, by now, I would think." 

First I want to read it again to make sure it still ranks in my opinion in
the top 10 books published on piano technology. I am sure it is number one
as far as American publications are concerned. I think the Guild should be
interested in republishing this book.  It is after all the proceeds of a
series of "conventions" of piano makers from 1900 to 1917.  The format is
remarkably similar to the PTG Convention of today. 
My interest is to see if it can be rendered in PDF and how practical that
would be.  

	I will never forget the presentation of a felt manufacturer. He
claimed there were felt graders who could pull a hand full of wool from the
bag and tell the breed, age, sex and which side of the sheep the wool came
from.  The last I think is, in my experience, blatant hype.
I must admit though that did inspire me to raise sheep to produce a
specialty wool for hammer and piano felts. Then I found out at least one
major felt supplier did not care about the breed or grade of the wool nor
have I heard of felt fabricators (for piano) preferring one breed over
another. 
		Richard Moody 
  

> -----Original Message-----
> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On
> Behalf Of gordon stelter
> Sent: Saturday, June 04, 2005 12:12 PM
> To: Pianotech
> Subject: Re: WTB Book, "Tone Building" by American Steel and Wire
> 
> Vestal Press didn't QUITE go out of business, but it
> is significantly downsized and owned by another
> company, last I heard. Certainly not the amazing
> organization it was when friend and neighbor Harvey
> Roehl ( who was  a "second father" to me ) ran it!
> 
>      Peace,
>      Thump
> 
> P.S. Do you intend to make this available to all ? It
> should be Public Domain, by now, I would think.
> 
> 
> >